Math. How do I help my ds??

I’m still doing some research and am looking forward to some help from an “expert” in CM math, but I’d like to share what I’ve come up with so far and see if it makes sense.  Plus, I thought this may help others who have similar questions about their children, in particular, when it comes to math.

As I have been scouring the internet looking for my son within in the descriptions (and reading an article sent to me), I found some interesting information about visual/visual-spatial learners.  I went to one site, that led me to another, and so on…and on one of them it actually mentioned Charlotte Mason’s method as being a great fit for these learners (and it had a link to this site, I believe)…so yeah, I’m already on the right track!!! 

And as I have been doing all this reading I felt the Lord lay on my heart/place in my head the idea that: Within the CM method we use Picture study (memorizing a “picture” by looking at it closely, really looking at it, then describing what we see, how the subjects may feel, etc.), Narrations by drawing pictures, then sharing what was drawn, Spelling by closely paying attention to the “picture” of how a word is spelled (picturing it in our mind’s eye), Nature study by observing, drawing pictures (detailed pictures), skits, hands on activities, etc. The list goes on and on of all of what CM wanted the children to see, feel, experience, draw, form relations with, etc.  I know this but (this is the part that the Lord shared w/ me)….I never thought of using those same ideas when it came to math for my ds who is incredibly visual.  It never occured to me that he would benefit from illustrations, acting out a problem, manipulatives (in a big way!) and so on.  I figured because he is visual that just seeing the numbers/problems on the paper was “seeing” them.  He “sees” a foreign language (almost) when he sees the numbers, he has not formed a relation to them like he has with his characters/drawings, even words, like poetry (which he loves because it’s “bouncy”). 

I hope this is making sense.  I just felt that I needed to share what I thought about math and why this method (CM) is so good for almost any child.  But, since I have not been applying the same techniques in regards to math (except for short lessons and some manipulatives) my ds has not benefitted.

I’m still researching and have not come to a concrete conclusion (which is hard when we are self-diagnosing), but I’m excited to see what we come up with. 

Oh, as I was doing some research and asking my ds some questions, he shared with me how dependent he is on pictures and how he pictures all of his readings (and dramatizes everything).  But he also shared how he felt as if he were “cheating” because he needed the visuals to help him understand what we were reading, to be able to picture the scene (words are just not enough). He felt as if he should have to do what others do, just have it read to them and answer/narrate.  Can you believe that???  A child feeling as if he were cheating and not wanting to say that he just doesn’t understand without the pictures. OR, just simply needs more time to “picture” it in his mind’s eye.

Sorry this is so long.  I have a long way to go in learning more about how my ds learns but I’m hoping I’m on the right track and that this may help others.