Experiencing New Math. Social Distancing Provides Freedom
By: Brenda Mahler
Tags: Life Lessons, Nature, Grandparents, Children, Math

Experiencing New Math

Social Distancing Provides New Ways to Learn

Girls with a Drill

Our granddaughters moved in with us at our cabin in the woods. The walls on their house were closing in, and since we had all been isolated for enough weeks with no possible contact with infectious diseases, we loaded them in the car and headed to the mountains.

The oldest is thirteen and her sister is nine. We promised to have them do their online homework, read the required minutes and do chores. In other words, we promised not to spoil them rotten and send them home. (My toes were crossed, but I figured we would try.)

When we arrived at the cabin, the driveway was covered in snow which lured them outside for sledding and snowballs. However, the cold pushed them inside before long. It didn’t take long for them to learn that life at the cabin requires different skills and moves at a more relaxed pace. Thus, finding time for reading wasn’t a problem. Old people (grandpa and grandma) retire about eight o’clock to read, leaving the kids few options, so they read. I would like to say we were simply modeling good practices but at that time of the night there wasn’t enough energy for anything else.

The second morning, when hunger announced its presence, the new math began. We shared tasks in the kitchen as we prepared breakfast: measuring ingredients for waffles (nothing taken from the freezer and popped in the toaster), warmed up the huckleberries from the freezer and mixed in the correct amount of sweetener.

Before getting to play, we mixed the bread dough so it could rise on the fireplace mantle, made the jello, and prepared the soup in the crock pot. Each task required more measurements, especially important when doubling the recipe for cookies.

Spring came practically overnight. Grandpa ventured outside first, with a plan in his head to disassemble the deck so that he could cut down the pine trees that had outgrown their space. To our astonishment, the girls wanted to help and to their surprise, they were handed drills and instructed on how to remove the screws that held the boards in place. Who knew a teenage girl would find so much pleasure in a power tool!

Before long they had determined each board contained 48 screws, calculated how many boards in total, multiplied the number and estimated there to be approximately 1250 screws. They didn’t tackle the task as a job or a math problem but as a puzzle to solve. With excitement they worked as a team and made it into a game.

By the end of the day, they had completed a day’s work feeling satisfied with a job completed. That evening, both girls were excited because grandpa told them he would fell the tree in the morning. With their heads together, he explained how to calculate where the tree would land. They discussed angles, how the tension on the rope pulled the trunk and how to cut the base so to accurately predict the placement of the massive pine on the ground.

“Timber!”

We all stood by and yelled, “Timber!” when the tree swayed, then heard the final crack of wood splintering. With excitement, we worked the rest of the day to cut the limbs, pile the debris, and burn the slash. At one point we wove a science lesson into the day by explaining to the youngest granddaughter how to determine the age of a tree. She meticulously counted and announced we had just killed an 80 year old tree in 30 minutes.

As retired school teacher, my husband and I both understand the importance of formal school. However, we also recognized the value of real life experiences and the teachable moment. During this time with our grandchildren, we have been working hard but also enjoying our time as we make memories and absorb positive energy of the kids.

I am reminded of the power of nature coupled with a positive attitude and hard work. Love being a grandparent!