I asked Scott to explain Pi to the kids yesterday as we ate our Chicken Pot Pie in celebration of Pi day (3/14). I knew he would do a better job than I, as I would have probably just showed them the symbol and told them it equaled 3.14
Because folks, that pretty much sums up what I know about Pi.
He however drew them a picture of a circle, taught them about diameter and then went on to tell them that you need a little (.14 to be exact) over three strings the width of a circle to make it all the way around the circle. And that special name for the exact number of strings you would need is called Pi. 
In actuality I am sure our eating pie for dinner while having this discussion only served to further confuse them, but it is my goal that years from now when they learn about Pi in middle school some sort of light bulb will click in their brains and they will say, “Oh, I get it, that’s why mom always served pie to us on the 14th of March!”
And I am pretty sure I will not be the one teaching them when that light bulb goes off b/c the thought of trying to explain Pi to someone makes my head hurt and scares the bejeebers out of me.
To be honest, I had no idea that cool fact about the diameter and the distance around the circle. In fact as we went to bed last night I asked Scott, “So what is πr2? (Secretly I was kinda proud of myself for even being able to recall that mathematical sequence even though I can recall nothing about what that equation equals)
And as he went on to explain it to me, my brain got all fuzzy like it typically does when in times like these. I hear the words that are being said but no matter how much I focus on them, I am still not fully comprehending what they mean. And don’t even think of asking me to explain it back to you.
Which, of course, sent me into a kind of depressing little panic attack as I realized there is NO WAY I can home school our kids past elementary school. I always kinda thought, well perhaps if things were going well, we could think about middle school when we get to middle school. Sure, there is lots I don’t know or remember but it will be kinda fun to relearn those things with my kids. ha ha… geography and world history maybe, but math is a whole other can of worms….
And so, today, I was so grateful to have Pi behind us as we tackled counting by twos and double digit subtraction…an area I felt much more competent in.
You have done a terrific job of summing up my own feelings about "pi!" Now, "pie" is a completely different story and I'd be thrilled to discuss pie any day of the year!
ReplyDeleteHave Scott teach math down the road! Or better yet don't worry about it! Who needs it?!
Great post! Very cute! I really loved the line about confusing them all the more with serving pie on Pi Day! You guys are terrific, but if you ever come here for dinner, tell Scott to leave the Pi Charts at home! LOL!
I am so glad my 2 kids are math geeks (like their Dad).
ReplyDeleteWe will not go into how many times I had to take algebra.
LOL That was hilarious that link you sent me! Completely different takes on March. Thanks for making me smile!
ReplyDeleteHave you heard of Khan Academy? Warren just found out about it from a "TED" talk he watched recently and decided to set up an account for Addi. It's completely free, just requires a google account. It's self paced tutorials and practice in all sorts of areas. And starts with basic addition... she had lots of fun doing the exercises. I bet your 1st grader would love it... and it goes all the way to physics and beyond, so it could even help later : ) It's a very reputable site, he's even thinking about adding it to the 9th grade curriculum next year.
ReplyDeleteoops, forgot the website ... it can be found at www.khanacademy.org
ReplyDelete3 strings of what? I still don't get it!
ReplyDeleteAnd I love math, but I need some more tutorials.
Can Scott start a math blog to help me understand more?
No reason why Scott can't be the teacher of Math class at home. You can monitor and grade lessons :-) I am sure there will be plenty of resources when they get to Middle school level. Enjoy addition and subtraction for now
ReplyDeleteSo, I tell my husband that it was pi day on Monday and he says that it will not be more significant until 2015 and proceeds to tell me 3.141592 and then when we tell my FIL that it was pi day he tells me pi to the 11th digit...
ReplyDeleteR, Scott told me the same thing on Monday... we will have to have a BIG celebration come 2015!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha, not more significant! Hey Crystal, I will be happy to help your kiddos with math and science (especially chemistry) if you keep on homeschooling them, though I think you've probably got it covered with a husband like Scott to help teach them. :-) And don't forget, tutorials are a great way to support your kids in areas that aren't your strong suit for educating them.....that's what we'll do for grammar and art!
ReplyDeleteYou can do it! Haha, actually I know EXACTLY how you feel. My hubby found his PSAT test and score sheet a while back and we both tried to do it again. I scored great on the verbal parts, but when I started the first section of math my chest got all tight and I wanted to cry! lol I never finished the second math part, but I was proud of myself for completing the first and doing as well as I did. Math can be scary, but I think there is a lot to be said for having enough confidence to try, even if you aren't that great at it! I will be homeschooling our kids, and I HATE math, but I am willing to learn along with them. Hehe, I think my hubby will have four pupils to teach, not just our three kids :0)
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