MSE Parent Club - Part 2

Sami_Bee

Becles wrote: »

Have you tried teaching maths physically? Don't just use pen and paper, try using objects to teach maths.

Find some similar objects - buttons, counters, lego bricks, biscuits - whatever! Count out 10 of the items, and then start making the number bonds with them. She might find it easier if she sees a group of 4 and a group of 6, and so on.

You can also use the objects to go onto multiplication and division. Give her 8 and tell her to put them into groups of 2. Then you can explain that 4 groups of 2 is equal to 8, and eight split into 4 groups is equal to 2. It's amazing what little minds can pick up when they think it's a game.

My Dad is a retired maths teacher and he used to love teaching maths like this and watching the childrens minds work. He hates teachers who just say "this is how you do it, now do all the exercises on page 26" as he doesn't think children learn as well that way.

Your dad sound like my kinda maths teacher! (I LOVE maths )
My mum says that she finds that a lot of the children she teaches (the ones that are bellow the expected level set by the gov) usually find it easier to talk about money instead of numbers and things like if you had 10p and a sweet costs 2p how many sweets can you afford to buy?

Savvy_Sue

There is a song, I can hear the tune in my head, but I can't remember all the words.

1 and 1 is two.
2 and 2 is four.
4 and 4 is eight.
8 and 8 is 16.
16 and 16 is 32.

And then there's a twiddly bit. It's not a lot of use for counting to ten, but why not teach binary at a young age? :rotfl:

purplepatch

Yep, I bought some counters and also some cuisenaire rods that I remember using at school many MANY moons ago. Have tried that, also doing it with money too, and it's fine, she gets most of it right first time, but sometimes I think she doesn't quite follow the logic. Like with the number bonds, she loves writing it out as she can see the pattern of one column increasing by one and the other decreasing. But then when I show her six fingers and say how many am I hiding, it takes her a while to work it out and that's because she's working it out on her fingers. Perhaps I'm being too ambitious expecting her to get the logic and have the pairs completely memorised before she's even turned 6. It's hard to know what they should be able to do at what age. The curriculum newsletter for this term for Year 1 says 'know by heart all the pairs of numbers that make 10', so I will persevere!

chocaholic110

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

There is a song, I can hear the tune in my head, but I can't remember all the words.

1 and 1 is two.
2 and 2 is four.
4 and 4 is eight.
8 and 8 is 16.
16 and 16 is 32.

And then there's a twiddly bit. It's not a lot of use for counting to ten, but why not teach binary at a young age? :rotfl:

Is that the Inchworm song?

Savvy_Sue

chocaholic110 wrote: »

Is that the Inchworm song?

YES! Although I don't remember anything about marigolds, I DO remember "You and your arithmetic, you'll probably go far." Probably half heard it on Sesame Street a few times!

But thank you, at least now I have the words to the twiddly bit, I'd have been lying awake all night trying to get that. :rotfl:

chocaholic110

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

YES! Although I don't remember anything about marigolds, I DO remember "You and your arithmetic, you'll probably go far." Probably half heard it on Sesame Street a few times!

But thank you, at least now I have the words to the twiddly bit, I'd have been lying awake all night trying to get that. :rotfl:

Think it was on a film I used to watch when I was younger. Hans Christian Anderson, maybe, although that might not be the title. Definitely Danny Kaye singing, I think!

Savvy_Sue

chocaholic110 wrote: »

Think it was on a film I used to watch when I was younger. Hans Christian Anderson, maybe, although that might not be the title. Definitely Danny Kaye singing, I think!

Yes, you're right about that too. Maybe it's one of those things like the little mouse with clogs on (well I declare!) that you just KNOW ...

keelykat

Deleted_User wrote: »

Keelykat,

Reflux is a total pain and I really sympathise with you, you need so many muslins, bibs, clothes etc just for a trip into town. Have you tried putting a plastic backed bib under his top and then a cloth one over it, that way you only have to change his top/cloth bib rather than vest too?

I've found that thick terry cloth bibs absorb quite of lot of the fluid before it hits the clothes. Found nothing worked for it getting to the trousers though.

Tchibo do good ones I bought ours in somerfield 7 for £5 which did Molly well. He will eventually outgrow it, it may even improve when he sits up for not immediately the muscles need to stregthen first.

Just keep an eye that its not causing his pain when he pukes, as long as you can't smell acid, he's not back arching and taking a feed, stopping and crying and trying to take it again, then its just basic reflux and there is not much more you can do but give Gaviscon. Have you tried reducing his feed by an oz and maybe give another littler bottle in the day. Sorry if your bf I'm not sure, but gaviscon is a pain to give that way it is easier for bottle fed babies.

My only experience is reflux and bottle fed. Also another thought does he have a dummy? If so if you give it to him directly after the feed before he burps, he might swallow some back down, if he keeps it in for 20-30 mins after that helps too. Nothing is 100% but hope these tips help. Try to keep him propped up more than laying down directly after a feed, maybe in his bouncy chair for a bit or your lap.

If I can help any more please ask?

What puts me off having another is the reflux issue and possible excema again, had it with 2/2 so i can't imagine no.3 being different. DH would never consider it anyway.

Hi bailey-thankyou for taking the time to post that

yes he is bottle fed, if i try to give less (but in the hope that he can have more bottles) he screams the place down! he's always been a hungry baby and makes sure the world knows if hes still hungry! so that went out the window :rolleyes:

the gaviscon although doesnt stop it all together it does seem to reduce the amount a bit but i was hoping it'd help more.

luckily he doesnt seem bothered by it-which is why the out of hours gp we first saw wasnt too worried, as hes gaining weight too. but it is a pain with the changing of clothes etc.

ive just brought some plastic backed bibs in the attempt to keep tops a bit drier, also trying to keep muslin cloths on my lap ready lol. sometimes im not expecting it though and he does it quietly-i turn around for a second and hes got it all over him!

the dummy thing works for his last feed and morning feed, as hes sleepy and doesnt fidget....but the two in the day seem to be the worse as he wants to get up and play-also putting hands into mouth seems to make it worse too.

ive heard that when he weans it might start to improve as around the 6 month mark the muscles etc should strengthen up etc and sort itself out?

keely.

ps-on a positive note hes been sleeping so much better since going into his cot, in his own room and weve tried to give his bottle a bit earlier and give him more time to unwind

Becles

purplepatch wrote: »

It's hard to know what they should be able to do at what age. The curriculum newsletter for this term for Year 1 says 'know by heart all the pairs of numbers that make 10', so I will persevere!

If you want another teachers perspective, all these targets and expectations are "complete b*ll*cks" according to my Dad! It was one of the reasons he went for early retirement as he was sick of spending hours doing paperwork for targets and statistics, when he could have spent the time better actually teaching and planning lessons.

All children are different and they all learn at their own pace. It's good you are trying but don't get hung up on the targets. She'll get there in the end, but it might just take a little longer if maths is going to be something she struggles at. I bet there are other subjects where she picks it up instantly.

James can pick up maths easily, but his written English is poor. He's not hitting the targets he's supposed to be hitting, but we're working slowly at his pace and he is making progress. I think there is too much pressure on children to get them to perform to standard, as I know he's been upset because he can't do what it says he should do on the list.

chocaholic110

Becles wrote: »

If you want another teachers perspective, all these targets and expectations are "complete b*ll*cks" according to my Dad! It was one of the reasons he went for early retirement as he was sick of spending hours doing paperwork for targets and statistics, when he could have spent the time better actually teaching and planning lessons.

All children are different and they all learn at their own pace. It's good you are trying but don't get hung up on the targets. She'll get there in the end, but it might just take a little longer if maths is going to be something she struggles at. I bet there are other subjects where she picks it up instantly.

James can pick up maths easily, but his written English is poor. He's not hitting the targets he's supposed to be hitting, but we're working slowly at his pace and he is making progress. I think there is too much pressure on children to get them to perform to standard, as I know he's been upset because he can't do what it says he should do on the list.

Maybe I wouldn't quite phrase it like Becles Dad, but yes, yes and yes!