#0017: Finally!! I found why hated maths.

Reading time: 8.0 min

Hey 👋 - Hello, there!! Hope you had a great week.

This is not the day I want to remember, I was in grade 4 and It was maths class immediately after lunch. Everybody in the class would be tested on tables and the teacher would pick any random student I knew that one of them would be me and like they say if you ask for something you get it by the laws of secret.

So mam asked me to recite multiples of 4 and I was standing there like a deer in the headlight I knew that if I don't answer this question correctly I would be beaten with a ruler in front of the whole class.

The teacher was really mad at me and she asked me to go to the back of the class and face the wall for the entire period, I was actually relieved.

Now when I am helping my son with maths I realized that maths is actually not that hard, it's just the way it was taught to me. I wish I had someone to show me how easy it is, I would have loved maths a lot more. I tell my son these few things when he is learning maths:

1) Take your time, there is no rush- we need maths for a lifetime, why do we need to learn it all in a hurry?

2) Have fun with it- If you are enjoying what you are doing, learning is so much easier. Let's see maths in an everyday pattern like when we buy something from the shop, we are using maths. When we cook, again we use maths. There is so much more to it than just numbers and equations.

3) Mistakes are okay- We learn from our mistakes, so don't be afraid to make them. The more mistakes you make, the better you'll get at maths. I tell him many examples from my childhood when I had made mistakes and how I corrected them.

4) If you don't understand something, ask me again and again - I will explain it to you in a different way until you understand it. I tell him that even grownups need to ask for help sometimes, there is no shame in it.

5) Practice, practice, practice- We have a fixed schedule to practice maths so that we can face his fear positively.

6) And finally, have fun with it- As I mentioned earlier, if you are enjoying what you are doing, learning is so much easier. So let's see maths in an everyday pattern like when we buy something from the shop, we are using maths. When we cook, again we use maths. There is so much more to it than just numbers and equations

If you want to read the full article on this topic, find the link at the end

My son and I have read some great books about World War II together. Many of the books talk about World War and I felt he needed some context for what he was reading. I prefer reading to him than showing videos. I have tried to discuss the below perspective with Adi

- The devastation of the war and how people were affected

- The different sides in the war and why they were fighting

- The key events in the war and how they shaped its outcome

Here are some of the books we have read recently favorites:

1. World War II - 12 things to know

2. World War II - Thomas K Adamson

3. The causes of World War II- Alexander Offord

Connecting over Travel:

After a long time, I planned a road to travel with my son and my niece. I was really freaking out as I have no idea what to do when traveling with kids in the car. But, then I found some tips which helped me a lot and now I am sharing those tips with you all so that you can also make your travel more enjoyable.

We started our journey early in the morning and reached our destination by evening. We stopped for lunch and snacks in between.

My niece is not comfortable with long travels, she gets nauseatic. So, I take a vomit bag along with me whenever we travel. This has helped me many times.

Here are the tips which can help you while traveling with kids:

1. Start your journey early. This will help you to avoid traffic and reach your destination on time.

2. Make sure that your children are well-rested before the journey. This will help them to stay calm and relaxed during the drive.

3. Bring along some snacks and drinks for them to munch on during the drive. This will help to keep their energy levels up and prevent them from getting cranky.

4. Plan some fun activities for them to do during the journey. This could include things like coloring books, word games or even watching a movie on a portable DVD player.

5. Make frequent stops along the way so that your children can stretch their legs and use the bathroom. This will help to break up the journey and make it more bearable for them.

6. Finally, try to stay calm and patient. Remember that children can sense when you are feeling stressed out and this can make them more agitated. If you can remain calm, it will help to keep them calm as well.

I hope these tips will help you while traveling with kids. Do share your own tips in the comments section below. Happy journey!

cheers, Priyanka

Epic App is a great resource for reading books, The books I have mentioned in the Level up for your kids section are from Epic.