Fun With Math

James 1:2-5

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

A few weeks back I mentioned how the Lord has restored joy to our lives as we have learned to treasure Him. This joy has become so evident to me, even in the midst of challenges - cognitive/learning challenges, attachment challenges, developmental challenges, behavior challenges (sin!). Though this joy is clear to my heart, it has not been anything spectacular or monumental. I have noticed it in the little things of life, in our day-to-day routines. I have noticed the peace-filled joy in homeschooling the children, in training them to do life-skills (cooking, cleaning, helping), and even in disciplining them. It is not joy with wild abandon or a manic kind of joy, but a deep yet simple peace-filled joy that is so sweet to my soul, even in the midst of daily trials.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to teach and parent my precious children and to know this joy in the Lord. Since everyone likes pictures and practical ideas, I thought I'd share some of both. Below are pictures of a simple math activity that we made up and enjoyed together to practice a variety of math facts at a variety of levels. It works a little like the Cranium game Hullabaloo.

• Using foam circles in a large package from Walmart, Target or the dollar store, write the numbers 0-20 on them in permanent markers. (Crayola Markers will rub off!)
• Add numbers 30-100, by 10's, to additional circles if necessary for more complex math facts.
• Purposefully scatter the circles (not in order) around the floor.
• Roll 2 dice and have the child add or multiply the numbers.
• The child runs/walks/crawls/jumps/hops to find the answer and stands on it.
• You can do this without the dice using a list of math facts your child needs to work on, or to create larger number problems.
• You can also substitute letters for numbers and have the child collect the letters needed to practice spelling words.