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As with any major project (and this is a major project) we need to know what the end result should be so we can make a plan our days to drive toward those goals.  And, if we want to over-do-it we can measure our success (or failure) at the end of the summer.  There are many sites that have what a first and second grader needs to know in math – I’ve compiled the list that we are going to shoot for this summer with Sara

• Addition / subtraction up to 20.
• Extra credit – 8’s seem to be the hardest numbers to add/subtract, so have 8’s memorized and recited quickly at any time of day
• Fractions (1/2, 1/3, 1/4,)
• Even/odd numbers
• Time – 1/4 hr
•  Money
• Tally marks
• Measurement; distance (1″, 1/2″, 1/4″), volume (cup, 1/2 c, 1/4 c), weight (hopefully my diminishing weight this summer)
• <, >, Min/max
• Ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th) up to 50th
• Cardinal numbers (1,2,3,4)
• Spell numbers to 20
• Be able to name a number up to 100 million
• Skip counting; Primary 2, 5, 10 up to 100
• Secondary; 3 up to 18, 4 up to 24, 15 up to 45 (for time prep)

How do we get a 7 year old, self proclaimed math-hater to do summer school math?  The mere mention of math sends a shriek of terror through the house.

“Hey Sara, let’s play a game.”  When she sees numbers, she knows what I’m up to – no dice!  Force certainly doesn’t work either – math is supposed to be fun, not pain.

One day it hit me, she loves art and she doesn’t want to feel like she’s the one who is under the gun to learn.  What if Sara and I teach Sophia (now 3) how to do basic numbers and math?   Sara can be the “teacher” and at the same time we can go back to kindergarten-level math and re-establish some of the fundamentals for Sara for part of the time, the rest of the time we can work on “really advanced” first/second grade math while Sophia does her work.  Brilliant (if I do say so myself)!

From being a professional sales person, I’ve learned that you always ask a prospect for “help” – “would you mind helping me with this issue…?”  It’s a way to motivate people because I believe that deep down, we all want to help our fellow man.  So I asked Sara if she would mind helping me teach Sophia her math this summer – and we’ll do it using art projects.  She got so excited about teaching and art that I could hardly contain her.

Step 1:  Motivation – check!

Sara just finished first grade. As most recently graduated first graders, she was very excited to be out of school.  But Sara, in her usual dramatic fashion, took it to a new level..saying she hated school and never wanted to go back.  As my wife and I looked into why that was we believe that one (of the multiple) reasons that she hated school is because math was especially difficult for her.

We figured that putting a kid who hates school into summer school would probably be counter productive.  My wife, the english major, feels more comfortable with reading, writing and art, so I get the job of summer math teacher.  As a modern-man, I went on Google to figure out how to teach 1st and 2nd grade math.  While the subject is easy for me to do, I’m learning that it’s surprisingly difficult to communicate and teach these principles and concepts.  I went from very excited and gung-ho for the project to completely terrified…what if I confuse her more than help her? There are so many methods, which one do I pick?   Can I see this project through?

I’ve found some amazing resources on the internet and believe that Montessori has probably the best methods for teaching an abstract concept like math with concrete tools…because what is 11, 8 or 7 anyway?  Unfortunately, I’m not going to spend a zillion dollars on their beautifully designed, solid wood math games.  And, being a man, I can not only make them myself but I can make them better!

So, to help solidify my teaching method and to remember to learn from my mistakes, I’m going to share my summer school math program with the world…or at least my 2 followers (hi mom!).   Suggestions and constructive comments are always welcome.

…here we go, summer school 2013