Out of laziness, I became a worksheet mom. I had this grand idea that if I gave my kiddo a worksheet I would be able to clean up the house play with the toddler, read a book, basically everything but teach Math! But… my kid who once loved math absolutely hates worksheets.
I started a curriculum over the summer thinking it’s not a fully functional curriculum… meaning I didnt think it was solid enough for the entire year.
I have a tendency to make an opinion without giving things an actual try. My son loved these math books but again I thought there was no way he was learning.
Five months into the school year and I could see his boredom. As much as I tried to ignore it out of pride and stubbornness, I finally surrendered.
I ditched the boring workbooks and Committed to my summer program “Life of Fred.”
Have you ever heard of these books? They’re great for moms who know learning can be done anywhere and want their children to fall in love with learning.
These books are full of fun stories about Fred and his friends. A truly clever approach to math! After each story, your child is asked to answer questions about the story. For example, one question may be arithmetic-related, time-related, or money-related.
I have an elementary student so we play math games and do our math facts in addition to Life of Fred. I am super happy to hear him ask to complete another math story.
We have literally gone from crying and I can do this while staring at work sheets to let’s do math first.
I get pulled from my old habits of teaching him the way I learned to what is best for him, learning to love learning. This is often to my detriment. I should have possibly unschooled myself!
Either way, we all learn and adjust. No curriculum is perfect forever and there is so much growth that comes from homeschooling. If you’re sick of battling with your Elementary student, try Life of Fred. I now love this clever math book!
Good luck Mama!
Stephanie
