Friday Night Lights (A Guest Post by Chris)

So, most red-blooded American families probably spend Friday night cheering on their local high school football team, and, while we can hear the local team playing from their stadium less than half a mile away, it is seldom that we actually venture out to see a game. Occasionally, Angie or I will take in a game to see former students in all of their athletic glory.

This Friday night, was not one of those nights, though. So what did we do? Did we take a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood enjoying the slightly cooler weather? Did we all pile on the couch for a family movie night? Or maybe we ran down to dairy queen for ice cream after dinner....

No, this is what we did this Friday night:

Yeah, that's math. And not only is it math, it's the same problem done three different ways. Because, you know, good mathematicians need to have lots of ways to solve a problem.That's how we roll.

Now, before you boo and hiss and call me some sort a tyrant, math-teacher father, let me explain. We got some not so great news about the girls' most recent math test today, and so I decided to do a little mini-lesson while the girls were finishing their blueberries at dinner. You know, kind of like a math pep talk. But then this happened:

Yeah, they pretty much begged to do a math problem on the wall. Pro-tip: your kid doesn't want to do their homework, practice their math facts, do sight words, etc.... let them write on the wall (chalkboard paint recommended).

So now that they have proven to me that they can multiply multi-digit numbers using multiple methods and various strategies,  we just have to figure out how to get them to do it on the test as well as they did it on our wall. Do you think if I emailed these pictures to their teacher, she'd give them extra credit?

A few weeks ago, someone commented on one of Angie's posts that Friday nights will never again be what they used to be, and I think this is proof of the rule.