TheMorrisonFamilyBlog

  You may have heard your child say, "3+3=6", and assume that your child knows how to add. The process of ADDITION and SUBTRACTION entails much more than memorizing the facts. Hands-on experiences help your child understand the why and how of addition and subtraction. It is important to have your child explain to you what is happening in a problem and use various math terms: add, plus, minus, subtract, take away, equals, makes, etc., so it will connect in real-life problems. The shift is away from endless "drill and kill." Experts say that children learn better by working with objects and discovering various ways to find answers. 1.) Use a wire hanger and 5 clip type clothespins. Cut apart the fact cards and keep the addition separate from the subtraction cards. Choose one of the ADDITION FACT CARDS from the pile. If it said 1+3, you would clip one clothespin to the left side of the hanger. Then, clip 3 more to the right side. Say 1+3 and slide the clothespins toge...

 This Monster Math activity teaches measurement. Learning to measure with a number line. The Monster Math Kit. Monster Math is a kit that you create, customize, and add items to as your child develops mathematical skills. We will provide activities and instruction to add to your Monster Math box for hours of fun and learning. Learning to Measure with a Number Line: 1.) Get paper and glue and several pieces of broken spaghetti. Glue in order from smallest to longest. 2.) Arrange as many sizes of spoons as you have in your kitchen from a baby feeding spoon to the largest cooking spoon and lay them in a row from shortest to longest. 3.) Have your child count the spokes on his/her front wheel of his/her bicycles. Now count the back spokes. Are they the same? Then, count the spokes on your friend's bike. More or less? 4.) Gather up all the pencils around your house. Put them in order from the smallest to the largest. 5.) Cut a strip of paper that's as long as your pinkie finger. How...

 Today was the beginning of the ritual of bidding farewell to Summer. I don't want to admit it's nearly over and that on September 22, Fall will be hosting the weather and festivities of the season. I want to hold on to the warmth of the "get-togethers" of those moments when my days were filled with the robust laughter of active children, not yet ready to admit they were...bored! It is a therapeutic process. This changing of Hosts. Shower curtain liners coming down and reminding me of all the sand washed from heads. Walls are being wiped down, erasing the fascicle smears and streaks of a snack on the go, and missing is the target. Corners and crevices are being vacuumed, disrupting spiders' webs. Furniture is in rotation, a new home to embed carpet is being found, and the occasional M.I.A. toy is being found again. Summer in her glory is BBQs, which are now being scraped and cleaned as we prepare for heartier meals. She's sunsets in the chair on the porch that...

 So this has truly been a week of many firsts...first day of school and on Saturday, September 5, we lost our FIRST Tooth! It was calm and quiet. She hardly wiggled the dern tooth in its "wiggly" state. Then, it happened. She had to show everyone! The Tooth Fairy brought her four quarters and she was content. Truth be told, the one next to it is loose. She doesn't wiggle it either. She is far more patient than I! In the meantime, that gapped, toothless grin makes my day. I love it and need it!

 Here is a great activity for the li'l folk to practice using scissors. Have them color the picture then follow the black lines with their scissors. The result will be a curly snake. For added fun, once the snake is cut out, hang it from the ceiling and watch it spin!