My friend Jackie is an elementary school teacher and a fireball of energy with great ideas.  She shared a few teaching tips because Francesco has shown such an interest in math lately.  Also, since I purchased a calc-u-colour book for Francesco at Pedagogy Toys, he has been adding and subtracting like crazy.  These tips and his calc-u-colour book have really kick-started a love for math. I wanted to share these ideas which have worked so well for him.

Tips for Introducing Math:

Counting by 2s
Counting by 5s
Counting by 10s to 100.

Learning even and odd numbers.  To help a child understand which numbers are even, have them say the number 1 in a normal tone, then number 2 very loudly.  Repeat with number 3 (in a normal tone), then number 4 in a loud voice.  It helps them distinguish a difference in the number sequence.  Switch the tones and have them repeat the odd numbers loudly. 

Counting by 10s.  Don’t just encourage your kids to only count by 10, 20, 30, 40, etc. try starting at 13, 23, 33, 43, etc. so they learn that it’s just the first number that is changing when counting by 10s.

Learning when adding two numbers in their head or on fingers to always start with biggest number.  So if you ask “4+8= ?”, so which number do you put in your head?  The child would visualize the 8 and then tap out 4 or put 4 fingers up and proceed to add on the 9,10,11,12.

Cut out numbers from scraps of paper, mix them in a hat, then ask your child to put them in order from smaller to largest.  Then start again and try largest to smallest.

Working with math squares.  You can print off a 100 square chart like this and ask your child to highlight all of the even numbers from 1-100. Next day re-print and try all of the odd numbers. Count by 5s, etc. A great tool on this site for practicing writing letters and counting is this chart that have fill in the blanks or this one that counts by 2s. They have loads of free printables, especially for grades Grade 1-4.

This site also has a blog called Homeschool Math Blog and I loved the categories where a parent like me that doesn’t have a teaching background can check what level (based on age) a child should be at.

If you are highly dedicated to working on math at home with your child, there is this site with a membership fee ($9.95 per month or $79 per year) and your child can complete practice drills and the questions will even increase in difficulty as they improve. That’s pretty cool although there is a cost, but worth it for a child that’s keen on the computer and math. Here is a link to this site. ** If any teachers have tried this site and would like to comment, please feel free using the comments feature of Mommy Footprint. **

Francesco is really enjoying a calc-u-colour book by Buki that I picked up at Pedagogy Toys. This is one of the best workbooks I’ve seen for the 5-7 year old range. It is a picture broken up into small shapes with math problems and based on the answer, you color that section of the picture a specific color. Each number from 0-10 is a different color and when you’re finished with the math problems and coloring, you can see what the picture is. Just fantastic! A great purchase if you are going on a road/plane trip this summer. Locally, you can try the Village Toy Shop or Pedagogy for Buki work books. I found one on Amazon called Calc-U-Draw - Fun with Arithmetic, but it was hard to source them on-line. We’ve also tried their dot-to-dot and maze books..my kids love them!

This summer with my clan is really flying by.  We are having a blast staying local and just trying to spend as much time in nature, with friends, and staying cool. I’m actually looking forward to some lazy days to try some awesome crafts I’ve seen in an old OWL book. I also came across these great activities from a Canadian Living article with their top 30 summer activities ideas. The following really appealed to me and I’m adding them to my to-do list when things hit a lull at home. To check out all 30 ideas, visit the article: 30 fun things to do with your kids this summer. Here are my favorite picks - activities I want to try and others I’ve done with my kids that have been a success!

Activities To-Do:

♥  With an insect book in hand, discover the creatures living in your garden, and learn about their benefits together.
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Many children have fallen asleep listening to their parents reading the enlightened stories of Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss.  Dr. Seuss graduated from Dartmouth College in 1925 and then went on to Oxford University where he received a doctorate in literature. He wrote his first book in 1936 entitled, “And To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.” He was turned down by 43 publishers before a friend of his agreed to publish it for him. As you may expect, it turned out to be a best seller.

The magic of Dr. Seuss is that his stories, along with being great fun, also carry with them powerful and relevant messages and lessons for children and adults alike. This is true for most of his books, but it is especially for the last book he ever wrote, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go! (Classic Seuss)” published in 1990.
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Trukid Sunscreen is rated number 2 out of all the sunscreens reviewed by the Environmental Working Group.  Wow - what an honour for the company to receive the top spot by the helpful scientists at EWG.  What is so great about the Trukid company and their sunscreen products (Trukid Sunny Days Facestick Mineral Sunscreen and Trukid Sunny Days Mineral Sunscreen) is that unlike many of the other safe brands recommended by EWG, Trukid is easier to find and a much better price point.  It’s especially easy for Mommy Footprint readers because Trukid has provided a discount for anyone shopping on their website www.trukid.com with our very own coupon code.  When $25 or more is purchased, you receive 20% off the order by using coupon code: footprint.  Isn’t that awesome?  When you order multiple products, shipping rates are very reasonable.  Their website is very helpful as there is a Shipping and Sales Tax calculator after you’ve added items to the shopping cart, but before you submit your billing and payment info.

This offer is open to US and Canadian readers, so check out their website if you’re still sourcing non-toxic products for your kids ** www.trukid.com ** I’m very excited with the Trukid product line.  There isn’t a toxic product in their vast line of children’s products.  Here are some products that look awesome and can give parents peace of mind that phthalates or other toxins are not touching their child or baby’s skin.  I’m intrigued by the ‘Hero Stick’.  This product is marketed with ‘herbal heros’ to nourish skin with cuts, scratches, bug bites, etc.  How cute is that?  My kids have been collecting scrapes on their knees and bug bites by the bucket full this summer.  Here are more…

TruKid™ Sunny Days™ SPF 30 Sunscreen Stick
TruKid™ Hero Stick
TruKid™ Bubbly Body Wash
TruKid™ Cool Conditioner
TruKid™ Happy Face & Body Lotion
TruKid™ Silly Shampoo    

You know a company is dedicated to safety and kids health when their website has a great blog that talks about tips on correct sunscreen application and what makes a sunscreen non-toxic.  A good read if you want more information on the Trukid product line.

For more information on sourcing non-toxic, safe sunscreen and personal care products for your family, check out:

Non-Toxic Sunscreen For Kids - Badger, California Baby, Blue Lizard, TruKid, Alba Botanica?

Safe Sunscreen Guide For Children

Protect Your Family From Phthalates In Your Home

Thanks to Tracy for forwarding me this link. A picture (or video in this case) says a thousand words.Take a look at this ad campaign for the Bluetooth headset.  Does it make you wonder what the effects of cell phones are?  I personally believe that cell phones release radiation.  Is this something you worry about?  If so, post your comments to this article.

http://www.koreus.com/video/telephone-portable-mais-popcorn.html

For more information on cell phone associated to health risks, read Father’s Day Green Gift Ideas.

If you are pregnant and use a cell phone, you might want to read this article from Seventh Generation.

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