Can I Take a Math Test, Please?

WHAT?  Did I hear that correctly?  Humm...checking all identifiable birth marks I am certain that G just asked for a test, and not just any test but a math test.  Perhaps I should swab her mouth and be certain she truly is G.  This is a huge turn around and with all the different advise I asked and different things I tried it seems that using the same curriculum and adjusting its delivery just a bit not to mention the patience of waiting until it "clicked".  Ok Ok, so I was not so patient but G was and God was I get the benefit of patience as well. 

So what is different in our methods?  Well I am using lots of hand on time with play money, using my ABeka flash cards more but with her at the white board. The beginning of math is always board time. I review math facts at the board with her but she does the writing. Somebody loaned me some math rods but that was not easy for her and she always understood the concept. I have the abacus available at all times for the moment she feels stuck and she feels comfortable that it is there. The abacus we have clearly enables her to visualize it  too. Generally, she can see the answer before she completes the use of the abacus. The biggest thing I did to help her was to reinforce the same time saving concepts over and over again so that she did not count on fingers and toes.  I worked a lot on groups of ten and five and our repeating number table so that she could visualized better.  I also permit her to add on using a dot system if she does not know the fact by heart. I am comfortable with he level right now. I recall being the same way but when multiplication came it was easier for me to memorize by then.  Her language skills continue to be her favorite classes still.

Then there is F! I have been taking it very slowly with her phonics and reading so that she recalls it better. She is excited to read a story and color the picture at the end so now I find her wanting to finish the story and not be finished after two pages.  I was happy with two pages when done with good effort but she is beginning to push herself. 

My greatest issue now is the stubborn child (F) who is no longer that baby but the middle child.  I knew that the new baby would bring on a change in her but I was not prepared for how big the change would be.  We are all happy to be back into lesson time again.  One thing I am certain of however is that I will not be able to keep the girls doing the same history and science. F's attention to the material is not so great but at the same time she is recalling the information. Still, she is one of  those who look like they are not paying attention but can recall all that you say. 

Home school affords a closeness to a family but it was better displayed this week when the girls were found playing "colonist"  together and "Mayflower".