Home school musing

I am sitting here this morning, looking outdoors into the beauty that surrounds my property and musing on the day ahead.

I must find a better way to teach my son to cross-multiply. He "gets" multiplication and knows most of his tables, yet somewhere along the way, he does not "get" cross-multiplication. For example, he can do 6 x 3, but does not get 62 x 3 or 62 x 33 and Heaven forbid if the numbers get bigger. I will find a way to get through to him how to do this so that he can remember the steps from day to day! Right now, he "gets" it only after me reminding him how to do the process each day and after showing him on two or three problems. The next day, we go through it all again. Well, we'll figure it out!

Reading and comprehension is coming along nicely. He had no problems with either of those nor does he have any problems with grammar. However, spelling and handwriting is another story! He can not spell worth a "toot" and if his handwriting stays as it is, he should be a doctor! Must find a way for him to slow down and take his time on neater handwriting! Spelling, I am not sure that he will ever be good at since I am the only one in the family who could ever spell very well.

Since we are only doing summer school right now, he misses his History and Science classes as well as the special classes such as art, music, life skills and so on. I told him that it is only a little over a month, and all the classes will be back. He is looking forward to those classes again. Honestly, so I am because just doing math and grammar each day gets quite dull, but since I think those are very important, this is what we work on during the summer to keep his skills sharpened or to give him extra help if he needs it.