[BlogEntry] Parent Hack : Teaching "times"

It's funny how words work when you're 4 years old. You understand that "plus" means addition and "minus" means "take away". But "times" already meant something, it means repeating something some number of times, but when you say something like "three times five", it makes no sense. You wouldn't say to a person "I spun in a circle times three."

So as I teach Katherine her multiplication I've simply switched it to the end of the sentence. Instead of asking her "three times five" I ask her what "five three times" is. This is far more intuitive, she understands that "five three times" means "five and five and five". She can do that math.

I have no idea how to explain division yet. All I've got in my head is that old clip from the Beverly Hillbillies of Jethro talking about his "gazintas". Two gazinta four two times, two gazinta six three times, two gazinta eight four times…. 🙂