Fabio Does Math
March 8, 2010
Oh how stubborn my little third grader is. Multiplication, according to him, is stupid. Memorizing multiplication tables is stupid.
I finally had to take matters into my own hands and offer up some good old bribery, uh I mean positive reinforcement. His class at school had a big ice cream sundae party to celebrate learning the multiplication tables. He was very excited by it. Even though he hadn’t actually MEMORIZED HIS MULTIPLICATION TABLES. I think, for him, the incentive of the party was too far in the distance and removed from the daily and weekly drudgery of memorization. Because, let’s face it, memorizing facts is boring.
So, we decided as a family that every week Fabio will memorize his multiplication tables. And on Friday night I will test him. If he gets 100% then he and all his siblings get to have ice cream sundaes.
See how I did that? I got his siblings involved. Now they get to nag encourage him along with me. And trust me, he does not want to endure the wrath they will dish out if he fails to deliver them their ice cream sundaes on Friday evenings.
This week it was the 3’s. So they got to have three scoops of ice cream.
They are most excited to get to the 12’s.
And yes, I realize that there are some awfully big ice cream sundaes in the future. But if it means that he won’t have to take his socks off to figure out the math on his SATs, it will be worth it.
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We used the sundae insentive here too!!! They had the big 3rd grade sundae party on friday!! Those kids were so proud of themselves:D I am sure the idea of icecream at school helped motivate them!! Have a great day!!
March 8th, 2010 at 10:18 ami love this “positive reinforcement” idea. I never would have thought to make the scoops equal to the table being memorized! I must remember this for my stubborn little guy too!
March 8th, 2010 at 10:32 amGreat idea!
Does he get tested in school too? My 8 year old has a times table test every week, which is set as part of homework. They started the school year with 10’s and move to a new table if they get 100% in their weekly test at school. My daughter did her 24x table last week (eek!), but now moves to the 100 question challenge and then mixed divisions etc. Seems to work really well, although I’m sure some kids find the 100% pass mark that is required to ‘move on’, a bit harsh.
March 8th, 2010 at 10:32 amYou could make ice cream nachos and have 12 different ingredients. We used waffle cones broken up as the nacho part. If you can find waffle cone bowls instead I imagine they would break up into bigger pieces, ours sort of crumbled. Also, the ice cream has to be pretty soft to spread around like cheese, but not totally drippy melted. They were really yummy and different.
March 8th, 2010 at 10:33 amMy third grader feels the same way about multiplication. I may have to use your incentive plan.
And in response to yesterday’s post - my living room is full of dirty laundry on its way to the basement, still packed bags from a weekend away and 100 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies that won’t deliver themselves. Also not pretty, but it is my life.
March 8th, 2010 at 10:35 amThe last picture is wonderful–his expression as the last of the sand dwindles in the timer is, as they say, priceless.
March 8th, 2010 at 10:44 amLove it! Family incentives. Also, my 16 year old son would love Fabio’s t-shirt! He pretends it’s all about him, all the time, but we know better. Heh!
March 8th, 2010 at 10:44 amAs a math teacher, I totally endorse your system. And oh, how I wish I could get ice-cream for knowing my multiplication tables…
March 8th, 2010 at 10:44 amNot only huge ice cream sundaes but some very hyper kids! Great positive reinforcement Mom!
March 8th, 2010 at 10:47 amI just want his t-shirt!
March 8th, 2010 at 11:03 amTell us about the egg timer… “You must spend THAT much time on your homework” ?? My kid would just watch the egg timer and not DO anything…
Chris says: That is all the time he has to do the problems. Encourages him to work quickly and NOT count on his fingers. He then had time to go back and check his work on his fingers.
March 8th, 2010 at 11:17 amMy gosh…what a good idea…my grade three son has no siblings…but ice cream is powerful mojo…I’m gonna try it! I love your son’s shirt by the way!!
March 8th, 2010 at 11:22 amFirst of all…LOVE Fabio’s shirt! I want one!
Second, I too struggled with multiplication. And division. And addition. I was not bribed…err…encouraged with ice cream. I was smacked. Like she thought that would help.
Most days 1+1=3 in my world. And I’m OK with that.
March 8th, 2010 at 11:25 amGreat plan!
March 8th, 2010 at 11:32 amI’ve been bribing my kids with Girl Scout cookies all month. Pathetic, yet effective.
March 8th, 2010 at 11:36 amLOL when they get up to 12 use a melon baller as a scoop. That is what I did when I taught 3rd grade. LOL
March 8th, 2010 at 11:48 amFabulous Fabio
I started to giggle when i clicked on the feed just the title alone told me whom the post was about and yes i really did giggle. then i clicked on the feed and read the post and have a grin on my face a mile wide for two reasons.
reason 1 what a great title for the post
reason 2 what a great way to motivate a child who does not
see a reason to memorize (stupid stuff)
You are a great mom-teacher
March 8th, 2010 at 11:56 amGreat plan and I love the nickname
March 8th, 2010 at 12:03 pmI think that is brilliant! I see many ice cream sundaes in our future as we tackle division….
March 8th, 2010 at 12:03 pmThat’s hilarious, didn’t work on mine cause his only sibling DOESN’T LIKE ICE CREAM. I know, what kid doesn’t like ice cream!?!?!?
And second/third/fifth/who knows…where’d Fabio get his shirt???
March 8th, 2010 at 12:15 pmI used Jump Math with my guys and it had some great strategies to learn multiplication here:
http://jumpmath.org/program/basic-number-sense
March 8th, 2010 at 12:16 pmWill beginning using this bribe on FOURTH grade son today.One of his four LD’s is discalculia–he is one year behind in math, but still plugging along-very unhappily. This may make it better! Thanks!
March 8th, 2010 at 12:35 pmYou Rock!
March 8th, 2010 at 12:51 pmWere there any promises made about the size of scoops? A melon baller would be great when you get up to crazy sized sundaes.
March 8th, 2010 at 1:14 pmFabio is so Fabulous that he won’t neeeeed math skills - he can just BE - can’t he?
Seriously - good ‘R+’ idea - and Jessica - what a totally evil and awesome solution to the 12 times table!!!!!
Sigh - if only we could make them understand that Multiplication is NOTHING compared to ‘Algebra and Trig’…
March 8th, 2010 at 1:22 pmTrig being the one thing I still can’t figure out why we had to learn. I do, however, use Algebra often!
Great idea! And my 4th grade son has that same shirt.
March 8th, 2010 at 1:41 pmMy son has that shirt. I’m pretty sure he would wear it every day if I let him.
March 8th, 2010 at 1:46 pmThird graders? Heck, I still feel the same way about multiplication.
When my brain was being assembled, they forgot to put in the math section.
Fabio! - cracked me up!
March 8th, 2010 at 1:53 pmHas he gotten a lot blonder since you’ve been in TX?
And I thought it was a miracle when my son passed his level 12 math facts. Looked like that would be impossible for a very long time….
March 8th, 2010 at 2:00 pmMaybe that’s how I should plan my work week. If I get through the week without wanting to harm someone in sales, it was a good week. Hello, ice cream. Except, well, that damn lactose intolerance thing!
March 8th, 2010 at 2:02 pmSounds like a great idea to me! I’m going to have to keep these ideas (the egg timer, too) for my 3rd grader, who suddenly thinks it’s okay to use a calculator to do his multiplication… not.
I was thinking something similar to what Jessica said above - figuring you’ll use a tablespoon measuring spoon instead of an ice cream scoop soon!
March 8th, 2010 at 2:05 pmBrilliant.
March 8th, 2010 at 2:19 pmMy mom would do flashcards with me on our deck in the summer. We couldn’t go back in the air conditioning until I got each stack perfectly. It was a really, really hot summer.
March 8th, 2010 at 2:29 pmHilarious!
March 8th, 2010 at 2:34 pmThat’s an awesome idea….think I may be trying that with Chick!!!
March 8th, 2010 at 2:55 pmIn 3rd grade here the kids are encouraged not to memorize the multipliction facts. Just as they are not allowed to add multiple digit numbers by starting with the ones column, carrying to the tens, then on to the hundreds, etc. They don’t want rote memorization but a true understanding of how the numbers relate, etc.
As for bribery. Anyone who comes home with a perfect spelling test on Friday gets to pick the topping for take out pizza that night. No one has had more than one word wrong all year!
March 8th, 2010 at 3:02 pmI love it! What a great idea and a perfect way of “encouraging” the family to “support” him with his homework.
March 8th, 2010 at 3:24 pmi teach third grade. and multiplication tables. my incentive is a pizza party…just think, if your child was in my class each of your children would get 12 slices of pizza by the end!!
hehe
March 8th, 2010 at 3:26 pmThat is such a great idea!! I wish my parents had believed in positive reinforcement with regards to math. But I got to take my SATs in the calculator-use-allowed era, so it all worked out for me in the end
March 8th, 2010 at 3:38 pmMy daughter’s teacher just threw the kids a pizza party last week. Her note home to the parents explaind the party was because the kids have been “getting spring fever” and not consentrating on their work like they should. The party was so they could be excited about doing better.
Um… yeah…
March 8th, 2010 at 3:58 pmBrilliant.
March 8th, 2010 at 4:22 pmI love the incentive and encouragement from the siblings. Mine would be all over that. I loved the post before this one. I feel the same way.
March 8th, 2010 at 4:26 pmWe also do math walks. Line the kids up on one wall and call out math problems. If you get one right, take a step. (If you are slow, you stay still.) There is a treat on the opposite wall. If you are into competition, a limited number of treats, but I like one for everyone so everyone eventually gets across the room.
Also, I think math facts stick better if you aren’t always sitting down while you learn them.
March 8th, 2010 at 4:38 pmI’m ancient and I still remember those multiplication tables pounded into my head in grade school. No ice cream for us way back then, our incentive? We had drills where we had to write them on the board in front of the whole class. Failing was not a happy thought. They worked though as I can still remember every one.
Now if only I could remember what I came into the kitchen looking for……
March 8th, 2010 at 5:07 pmSometimes a mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do as long as it doesn’t cause anyone bodily injury.
March 8th, 2010 at 5:12 pmI love that you are calling him Fabio.
As a finger counter, I wish I had been bribed.
March 8th, 2010 at 5:39 pmLove the idea! I will have to remember that - although my youngest (almost 4) is already immune to bribery and she has only one sibling to “help” her get into the spirit of things. What am I going to do with her, I ask. Le sigh.
March 8th, 2010 at 6:30 pmGreat motivators…….
don’t forget the flash cards.
Also I had placemats with the time tables printed on the front. And later the periodic table of the elements.
I think they really helped.
Good luck
March 8th, 2010 at 7:23 pmCan I come when its a 12 scoop sundae?
My third grader is doing this now also.
WOW, Texas is bleaching his hair!!
March 8th, 2010 at 7:29 pmahahahahahaha!
Fabio!
I love it!
My oldest daughter used to count by touching each finger to her chin kind of like Robert on everybody loves Raymond does with food!
Great idea!!!
March 8th, 2010 at 7:53 pmFunny. We just got done doing times tables with my son when I read this. It is brutal. I just want to bash my head against the wall. I can’t stand it, I really can’t. I just want to scream, LEARN THEM ALREADY, HOW LAZY AND DUMB ARE YOU?” But I know that would be counter-productive.
March 8th, 2010 at 8:07 pmI’ve always wondered what Miles older brother’s name was…:)
March 8th, 2010 at 9:36 pmStrategic sibling pressure usually does the trick…nice one! By the way, love the tulips on your kitchen counter.
March 8th, 2010 at 10:27 pmThank you for the great idea!!! My 3rd grader has declared multiplication tables stupid. I explained stupid is what people are when they don’t know their multiplication tables. That did not score me any points either.
March 9th, 2010 at 12:18 amClever, clever incentive. As a teacher, I am familiar with using peer pressure for a whole-class incentive, but still– sibling pressure? Brilliant!
March 9th, 2010 at 1:20 amHa my reward for learning my multiplication tables in 3rd grade was getting my ears pierced. Then a couple years later, my parents allowed my sister to get HER ears pierced from something else school-related (not multiplication tables)…but she was younger at that point than I had been when I got mine pierced, and OH, I would love to go back as a fly on the wall for THAT conversation. I know I was pretty rip shit about it, but I can only imagine that I was a righteous spoiled diva biyotch (the likes of which my parents had never even imagined was possible) about it…whoops
March 9th, 2010 at 1:23 amOh, I remember that feeling! I missed the 3rd grade pizza party as a conscientious objector to the idea of memorizing multiplication tables! If it’s any consolation, I caught up and ended up out of college at 20 - I’m sure he’ll be fine.
It’s my firm belief that stubbornness is a greater predictor of future success than multiplication tables - And peer pressure can move mountains
March 9th, 2010 at 1:33 amGreat idea! Will have to try it out. I know my 8 year old’s siblings would looooove 12 scoop ice cream sundaes!
Which one of your boys is in the background? In the first picture it looks like your second son, in the first it looks like your eldest? Or both? Ha ha!
March 9th, 2010 at 4:28 amThat is an AWESOME idea, incorporating scoop number and all. I may be stealing that for our 3rd grader!!
March 9th, 2010 at 10:53 amYou’re a clever one Chris!
March 9th, 2010 at 12:27 pmPS - There was a long period of time when ‘memorization’ was out. I am glad to see it returning - even though I am so feeble-brained now that I don’t do anything beyond addition without a calculator!
March 9th, 2010 at 12:33 pmI have a fourth grader who is STILL counting on her fingers. I’m totally using this trick!
March 9th, 2010 at 2:46 pmMy husband also helps our 4th grader by playing a modified version of ‘war” with a deck of cards - and concentrating on certain numbers if needed. It really has helped.
March 9th, 2010 at 3:19 pmI may have to steal the ice cream idea for other things though…
Absolutely brilliant!!
March 9th, 2010 at 3:40 pmYou know what? I’ve been on the fence for a while now as to whether we should have more children. I think this post may have just clinched it for me. YES.
When I tell my husband, I’ll be sure to give you credit.
March 9th, 2010 at 5:55 pmIf math doesn’t work out, he can always be a hair model. It’s really quite nice.
March 9th, 2010 at 7:17 pmYou are awesome. You are my parenting guru. I should print these out because you know I will be using them when my kids get to the ages yours are.
March 10th, 2010 at 4:19 amAlso, I love that you call him Fabio. HA HA!
March 10th, 2010 at 4:19 amI LOVE that idea. I am stealing it!
we have the same style and color kitchen cabinets.
March 10th, 2010 at 12:33 pmHi, I’ve commented once or twice, but always left the WRONG url. Oh, the brain cells I have no longer. Anyway, when we went thru the tables with our daughter, she could only recite them when she skipped and danced around the room. Cute, but odd.
March 10th, 2010 at 1:09 pmBRILLIANT! And you’re thinking ahead, too. I’ve had that SAT math nightmare twice this year, and let me tell you, those SAT’s come way too soon!
March 10th, 2010 at 9:04 pmUm, his real name isn’t Fabio is it? I’m assuming because of the long lustrous lockes of hair pouring out of that kid’s head you refer to him as this. He looks too boyish to be a “Fabio”. Must be a hockey player with all that hair….except it’s not feathered and coiffed ala Farrah Fawcett….like the young boys here in good ol Minnesota.
March 11th, 2010 at 12:02 amAnd oh my gosh, his claim to “Awesome ends with me” IS purely awesome. I’m dying:)
March 11th, 2010 at 12:04 amIn second grade my eldest Kate was dragging her heels in the memorize math facts category. One day while we were practicing them she announced to me very seriously that if she never passed her 2 minute addition test she’d not have to do subtraction and then she’d never have to take multiplication or division. She had it all figured out! She’s my child with a double major in English and Drama…Go figure!
March 11th, 2010 at 10:31 pmmak
We too have had trouble with motivation for this paricular task. Does he have a DS? My Personal Math Trainer for the DS has been a great tool for us. The kids actually write their answer with the sylus, it has settings for right and left handed kids, and for some reason studing math facts is more fun this way.
March 12th, 2010 at 4:18 amMaking math related to real life, and they will love it.
Sundaes and Math is yummy combination.
Math + Real life examples=fun.
March 13th, 2010 at 6:08 pmWhat a great idea! Getting the kids involved is priceless.
March 14th, 2010 at 10:40 pmWe are loving multiplication tables here too. I have two third graders, one who gets it, one who doesn’t. I make them test each other.
March 15th, 2010 at 10:00 pm