Archive - September 2007

In Praise of Math-U-See

starterblockslarge.jpgI love Math-U-See! Why didn’t anyone tell me about it earlier? Oh wait, someone did. But most importantly, Boo loves Math-U-See. A recent writing assignment had him listing his favorite school subjects and in the number one position he put Math-U-See (MUS). I asked him what he liked about it and he said that “it’s got blocks to work with and a nice DVD.” High praise indeed from my math-impaired boy. And if you have a child that struggles in math like Boo, then you know how happy this all makes me.

Let’s talk a little more about MUS. First, that “nice DVD.” What child doesn’t love a good DVD? And Mr. Demme is funny and nice and he knows how kids think. He keeps the lessons short and easy which makes everyone happy. I do some additional teaching to reinforce the concepts, using those fun blocks. Then Boo gets busy with his workbook and blocks. He works aloud so that I can see that he gets what he’s doing and not just faking his way through. The worksheets are also quick and to the point and include multiple variations of the concept, including word problems. When I think Boo is ready , he takes a test on the subject and if he passes, he moves on. We stay on a single subject as long as we need to, whether its a day or a week. If you need more worksheets, they are available on the website.

So let me tell you about Boo’s math progress. We’re still keeping up with Horizons Math. He understands what he’s working on and is able to continue to make progress, but we need to go back and learn those math facts. I look at it like earthquake retro-fitting. His foundation is shaky, but there is no need to tear down the house. With a good, strong foundation, his math house won’t come falling down. That’s where MUS is helping.

In a few short weeks, he’s gone from needing to use his fingers to add, which is really counting, not adding, to knowing a good deal of his addition facts. He actually knows his +9s! No finger counting at all! And he doesn’t know the facts by rote, either. He can actually explain to you just why 9+7=16. You know, how 9 really wants to be 10, so it grabs a unit from the 7 and turns the math problem into 10 +6. Let me say it again, The Boy is learning his math facts.

Let me just take a moment and revel in that.

cimg2407.JPGIn the meantime, Pumpkin Girl, who does just fine in math, has been quietly watching the DVD and listening in on the lessons. She often stands next to Boo while I help him with the blocks. Just the other day she was finished with her schoolwork and Boo was working on his dictation for the day. Pumpkin had asked to use our little white board and the MUS blocks were sitting on the table. I looked over to her and discovered that she was busy solving for x. She was quietly writing her own math problems like x+8=10 and solving them with the blocks.

Have I mentioned that I love Math-U-See?

Seasonal Delights

By way of a couple of blogs I read (sorry, I can’t remember which ones), I discovered a new online magazine, Seasonal Delights.  All I can say is wow!  Normally, I don’t care to read magazines, books or instructions on the computer.  It bugs me to have to keep scrolling and nothing beats sitting on the couch with a cup of chai or sweetened ice tea.  But Seasonal Delights is an easy exception!

Their premier issue is 18 pages long, which is long enough to provide Autumn themed crafts and recipes, but short enough to actually read and savor and not end up lost among all your other files saved on your computer.  Beautiful, full color pictures and a nice happy font that is easy on the eyes.  Which is important when you’ve left your reading glasses w-a-y over there with the school books.  Oh, and it’s specifically for “young ladies and their mothers,” so the projects are simple to do but still beautiful.

For the month of September, they are offering free one year subscriptions to their magazine, and you’ll also get access to their blog, which will have additional seasonal activities.

Go check ’em out and tell them you heard about them right here at the Mac and Cheese Chronicles.

Christmas is Coming

Christmas is coming
The goose is getting  fat
Please to put a penny in the old man’s hat

Yes dear friends, Christmas is coming.  With all the back to school, back to scouts, sports, and dance chaos, time is going to fly by and December will arrive before you know it.  Is all your shopping done?  Are all your presents wrapped and labeled and well hidden through out the house?  Are you Christmas cards addressed and stamped, because of course, you bought your cards at an end of season clearance sale last year?  Are your cookies baked and carefully frozen?  Are you Ready For Christmas?

Me neither.

But I’ve gotten a good start.  Our holiday season actually starts at the end of September, when the Halloween decorations come out, and then we get hit with 3 birthdays, our anniversary (#15 this year!), Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Throw in our cruise at the beginning of December, so if I don’t start planning now, I will totally lose my mind around mid-October.  It won’t be pretty.

My planning starts with gift ideas.  Somebody is getting something handmade this year, but I can’t tell you who.  That project is about halfway done.  I still need to think on the female members of my extended family.  But I think I’ve got the kids all figured out.

In our never ending battle against the toy room, we have decided to limit our children’s gifts to things that are 1) consumable, 2) very small, or 3) additions to play sets that they already have.  With that in mind, Pumpkin Girl is going to get some craft kits.  I’ve already bought a couple of beginning sewing projects and a scrapbook kit. Doll clothes are on the list, too.  Boo is getting a Lego Chess computer game, which can be stored in a binder with the rest of the CD-ROMS.  I’m also thinking about a magician’s hat and cape to go with last year’s magic set.  Boo’s Rescue Heroes and fire truck are being recycled into gifts for Bip.  Probably some new Thomas trains, too.

Pumpkin and Boo both want an Easy Bake Oven.  I’m not too sure about that one.  They’ll be 9 and 7 by the end of the year and I’m wondering how long this will hold its appeal for them.  They can pretty much just bake with me, but they might have lots of fun “baking” on their own.  They’ve been asking for it for almost a year now.  What do you think?

I’m going to try to have my Christmas shopping for the children done by the end of September.  That’ll include birthday shopping for the older ones, too.  This year I plan to print labels for our Christmas cards and have those done, early, too.  As for our cards, the Disney ship will be decorated for Christmas and we can get our formal portrait turned into Christmas cards before we even leave the ship.  So I won’t worry about that.

How about you?  Have you started any Christmas planning yet? Do you prefer to shop early or wait until the last minute?

Labor Day at the Air and Space Museum

We just started studying space travel and the planets. And here we are, living in DC, with none other than the National Air and Space Museum just down the street. Figuratively, of course.

We like to use national holidays to go visit the free museums on the Mall. Parking is free on holidays and if you get there by 9:30 or so, you can park right in front of your museum of choice.

apollo11.jpg We’d been studying the Apollo space program and the missions to the moon, so we were really happy to find the Apollo 11 command module right there in the main lobby of the museum. Boo and Pumpkin Girl were amazed at how small the space for the astronauts really was. Other exhibits showed us the development of the space program, from Mercury to Apollo 17. They enjoyed seeing the real pieces of the space suits we’d talked about and how the space shuttle crew had special contraptions to help them drink their sodas from cans. Bip enjoyed this rotating model of Mars:

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“Moon! Me! More moon! Wo-ow!”

d2.jpgWe also got a chance to see a small sampling of the National Museum of American History,which is closed for renovation. A few of the exhibits are at the Air and Space Museum, including the ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz movie, Kermit the Frog, and the hat Lincolm was wearing when he was shot. The highlight of that gallery was when Bip spotted one of his favorites, R2D2. He was sitting in his stroller and couldn’t see him at first, but as soon as the crowd cleared and he spied him, he cried out, “D2!! Me!!” It really made his day.

We got off easy at the gift shop, with another key chain for Boo’s collection, another set of Presidential family paper dolls for Pumpkin Girl (she loves this series of paper dolls!), a couple of small toy planes, and of course, astronaut ice cream. Can’t forget the astronaut ice cream.

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Why I like to sit in the back

Jennifer at As Cozy As Spring tells us some tales from Mass and it reminded me of my own funny Mass Stories.

First, you’ll be happy to know that Bip and I have graduated from the crying room and have joined the family right up in the front row. This is my own personal purgatory for a childhood spent of thinking about anything but Mass, because like all good womb to tomb Catholics, I abhor the first row. The second row, maybe, but given my choice I’ll pick a nice row right in the middle. Never the first row.

But Philip lets the children pick where we sit, and they always head for the front where they can see best.

Like Jennifer’s daughter, Pumpkin Girl gets a subscription to Magnifikids so she can follow along with the Mass. When I’m able to, I peek over her shoulder so I can read along, too. I’m one of those people who learn best by reading and I got cut out of the loop when churches stopped providing Missalets. I have a hard time paying attention if my only option is to listen. At least from the front row I can’t count how many women have short hair versus how many have long hair.

Anyway, so Pumpkin gets her Magnifikids as we’re leaving for Mass. She and Boo argue every single time over who is going to get to read Brother Goodventure first. The solution is always the same, she reads it out loud while Boo looks on. We go through this every week. Every week people!!!

disneycrocs.jpgNow Bip, who is very busy being 2, has reached the Me Do It stage. Which means that very often he puts his Mickey Crocs on the wrong foot, with the strap facing forward, thus increasing the odds that one of his shoes is going to fall off. Sometimes we can convince him that we can help him and rotate that strap back behind his heel, other times not.

Now it just so happens that his foot, with croc on, is the exact same width as the space between two lowered kneelers. You know what’s coming, don’t you? He kept getting his foot caught between the kneelers and would yell out, “Aah! ‘tuck!” (stuck). And I’d reach down and pull his foot out. Leaving the croc behind of course, prompting him to yell, “Aah! Croc!” So I’d pull the croc out and try to put it on his foot, which caused him to yell, “ME!” Three different times we do this, “Aah! ‘tuck!,” “Aah! Croc!,” “ME!”. From the front row. Finally I leaned down and whispered to him, “Stop getting stuck.” And he looked up at me with those big brown eyes and said, ” tay” (okay). And he stayed unstuck for the rest of the Mass.

It’s a good thing he’s cute.

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