Math Scrap

My Jay Bird is not easily impressed.  You gotta really know him to understand.  He is not a warm fuzzy kind of kid...never has been.  He likes his space and gives everything a criticle eye.  To some he is stand offish, but to me he is endearing in his own way.  And, when he does give a hug or kiss it has real meaning.

Anywho, back to impressing this little man.  I have been praying for witty ideas that will engage him and keep up with his speed.  Enters....Math Scrap.  I created a math journal of sorts to work on different math concepts. 

This is very informal.  After Jay Bird reads the problem I allow him to find a way to figure it out on his own.  On the page below he decided to write the number of legs next to each sticker then add them together.  No, he does not know math families this high, but did know enough to count four more legs after the eight.  It has worked out just the way I wanted...for him to problem solve.  I also want Jay Bird to understand there are different ways to approach a problem.  This problem opened us up to tally marks. 

So, how do I know he was impressed with his new book.  Well, maybe it is the fact that he had to take it with him everywhere.  Or, that when told he could do one page a day he responded with, "or maybe two each day."  Then again, it could be the fact that while driving today I overheard him explaining problems to Wooly Sheep.  It is a good thing Wooly enjoyed the lesson because he was trapped with no where to go.  I must say that the smile, which is hard to pull out of this serious boy, gave it away.

Honestly, this was a simple project.  I purchased an inexpensive spiral sketch book.  Each page was written in marker with stickers to add character and more importantly give details to the problems for the beginner word problem solver.  Eventually, I will write the problem and allow him to draw the pictures in order to figure.

Below is an assortment of pages.  Just one final note...this is not all Jay Bird does for math.  I think my favorite math time is when we are living it.  It may be while buying groceries, reading a book, on field trips.  Also, he does LOVE flashcards.  I know that will horrify some, but he gets joy out of them so I go with the flow.