Pi and Semi Circles

This morning's math session. I wrote this post during this hour.

In our home education, we study Singapore Math.  I chose this six years ago because I interpreted the research  to indicate that Singapore was among the more rigorous math curricula available to us.  My kids were only in Kindergarten and second grade, so how difficult could math at that age be?  I figured that I could always switch to a different program if it was too challenging for us.  I feared going into a more rigorous program later would be more difficult.

I pretty much hated math as a public school kid.  But because I sought a finance degree in college, I suffered... (I mean really suffered).. through two years of university calculus which did not entirely prepare me for sixth grade Singapore math.

My daughter is studying pre-algebra and perimeter of semicircles which totally involve Pi.  Remember Pi?  3.14 or 22/7.  I needed a refresher on that one.  I'm pretty sure I didn't cover these things in sixth grade.

As soon as I saw Pi was coming up in the curriculum, I had her close the math text and we did some quick internet research about Pi, and who done it.  I mean, before I started the drudgery of having to explain to eldest daughter the concept of Pi and why on earth she needs to know this, I wanted to show her WHO in history first discovered Pi and how and why that helped humanity.  In about five minutes of scanning Google and Wikipedia, we had a lot of info about historical mathematicians who made the Pi discovery or improved upon it (it really was a cool discovery in the natural world) and the historical context.

This helped her Pi experience seem worthwhile to both of us.  It was really cool to be able to problem solve using this amazing number and insert it into formulas.  She cruises through area and perimeter of circles and semicircles like a little mathematician.  I have pride helping her with something I experienced as trauma in my youth. 

We spend about an hour a day on math.  It is the one subject we get to daily even if our science, literature or history fall by the wayside.  I'm writing this as I constantly hover around the table for all four children.  Three are on Singapore and the littlest is circling, tracing and counting at the preschool level.  Math is also one of those subjects I spill into summer with or jump start the following year sometimes during summer break because then we do not have to spend weeks in the fall remembering what on earth we finished up with last year.  One year and text book flows into the next.

Since we are in mostly review mode for the rest of our school year, Cassidy and I needed a refresher this morning on Pi and the formula for perimeter of a semicircle.  A quick Google of the topic produced this great video!  Meet our new home education math tutor!

Ciao-Pi!