Single hen

[little chickadee]

I'm a child of the 70's when handwriting, grammar and multiplication tables were inexpicably deemed unimportant. I have never known my tables, which made teaching top set year 6 maths quite terrifying!

 

Anyway, my 9 year old daughter appears to be multiplicationarily challenged too. She has managed somehow to land herself in top set maths at middle school and is flailing around in the dark with her tables.

 

That is until we found this site. www.bigbrainz.com

 

There is FREE software which is absolutley amazing. I'm not guaranteeing that it won't blow up your computer, but mine is fine It has reviews all over the place on other sites and I really really recommend it. It's in the style of a modern computer game and is totally addictive, which, unlike normal computer games doesn't matter as it's teaching times tables. Hurrah!

 

Do you know your times tables? I'm getting better now thanks to this game. I can't do much at a time because of my eyes, but it really is fab.

 

You can also pay an extra few pounds to purchase different graphics for the other levels (there are 3 differnet environments on the pay software but only one on the free one, it's still great though) If you do want the pay for version, ask for the free one first, then you get a voucher code for $10 off.

[Egluntyne]

Yep...I had mine drummed into me and am eternally grateful for it, and my children were lucky enough to go to a school that did the same.

[Lesley]

Same as Egluntine (same age! ) - so do my children and so now do my grandchildren - I was pleasantly surprised that they were learning them as I thought times tables weren't taught much now.

 

I'll still take a look at the site though - I love numbers............

[Angels4]

Luckily I have my fingers and toes to help out. Math has ALWAYS been my worst subject.

[Tessa the Duchess]

When I was a child we had to chant our times tables and the result is I know them off by heart. My children don't know theirs, and my grandchildren are too young yet. I find knowing them incredibly useful in all sorts of ways.

 

Tessa

[Bassett]

Hi,

 

I'm in my late 30's and had my times tables drummed into me at school, I can still remember chanting them in class and feeling terrified in case I forgot them, as the punishment was standing on the desk and trying to chant them to the rest of the class!

 

My DD is 7 and has been learning them at school since whe was 6. She knows them quite well, but the school now wants them to have instant (within 2 seconds) recall of any multiplication/division fact and they have a test each Friday. So I'm off to check out your website, as I like to have a variety of strategies to help her become faster. Thanks.

[Helly Welly]

Thanks for this chick.

 

DD's school still teaches them but they are supposed to know them on context rather than have to chant through the whole verse to get to the sum you need, which is what i have to do Anything that helps learn them is great!

[Phonix]

When I was at school we HAD to know them lol

 

We had to learn each one at home and recite to the teacher to move up the ladder.

 

Also we just had them fired at us randomly in class so unless you like to look stupid you had to learn them lol

 

xXx

[Omletina Kyckling]

I was also at school in the 70's/80's and I know them back to front, but our headmaster was very into maths, music and history so we came out of that primary school with those things drummed into us!!

 

When I was teaching late primary in the 90s I used to get my class to learn their times tables - each morning when I was doing the register, I'd get them to do times tables tests against the clock and they recorded their scores each day - there were different levels for different children and they loved the challenge. Some of the real bright sparks ended up learning their times tables up to 17/18 etc.....

 

I think that being able to do simple calculations is the basis of a lot of problems solving so times tables are sooo important!

[Shirl]

Being very late 30s I too had to recite times tables in class.

 

I'll keep the link to the website for when DD has to learn hers. She only started school 2 weeks ago so it'll be a while before they start her on them though.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I kind of know mine by heart - but if anyone challenges me with a sum, my brain freezes with fear .

 

I'm very good at the 9 x table (using my fingers, fantastic tables tool, that ).

[Lesley]

How odd! - I find the 9x really easy (once you know the trick) but I still get stuck on the 7x and my brain freezes as well

[Ana's flock]

I went to a nuns' school and had to learn them by heart, recite them in front of the class (about 10 girls were picked up daily at random) and if you failed one number you had to copy the whole table 500 times at home in the evening, ready for the following day... ... so yes, I do know the times tables!

 

My boys, on the other hand are 7 and 10 and don't know them (or show much interest either ) so thank you lots and lots for that link as I'm going to 'slip' it in amongst their playing time activities . I hope it's more successful than trying to slip worming tablets into cat food Wish me luck!

[Willow]

Thanks for the link !

 

I know my tables (40's) but I remember it being painful (and math was my subject ). My youngest (9) is struggling with his and this would be really useful as anything computer game like would grab his interest.

[little chickadee]

!

 

My boys, on the other hand are 7 and 10 and don't know them (or show much interest either ) so thank you lots and lots for that link as I'm going to 'slip' it in amongst their playing time activities . I hope it's more successful than trying to slip worming tablets into cat food Wish me luck!

 

It is much more successful than trying to slip worming tablets into cat food Dogs are so much easier to fool!

[Seagazer]

Interestingly I have only just bought a book and cd to try to get my youngest to learn his as he is really struggling. I learnt mine by rote (although I don't always remember straight away ).

 

YS has a tutor once a week to help with his confidence in school and he recommended the book/cd. We have put it onto YS's ipod and I try to get him to listen to it a couple of times a day. I think at his school they don't learn it in the same way because if he repeats it he will say 2,4,6,8 instead of 1 x 2 = 2, 2 x 2 = 4. I think his way won't help him know which number goes with which (does that make sense?).

 

I will get him to have a look at this tonight after school. Thank you.

[little chickadee]

Darling Daughter has just got through her 2s, 3s and 4s on the computer game mentioned in my original post. The 3s and 4s were on a bribe for the last 2 years for something she wanted but couldnt' be bothered to work for so I'm well chuffed she's learnt them now. My 7 yr old son really wants to play, but finds it a bit scary unless I've got my arm around him. He's a whizz at his 2 x tables

[Bassett]

Thanks for the link, we tried it yesterday and DD(7) loved it - I think she will want another go tonight!!

 

Her school is really hot on times tables (although the responsibility is mainly on the parents to teach them at home) and suggest that they do times tables every evening at home from the start of Year 2 onwards, ready for the weekly Friday test.

 

I use a variety of workbooks, CD, nintendo DS maths training, maths Shark, www.mathszone as well as reciting from memory and firing random questions at her (poor girl!!!), so I'm always glad to find other resources so that she maintains her interest in them.

 

Thanks.

[Ardene5]

Hi

I am of the old school repeat after me

1x12= 12

2x12= 24

2x12= 36 Etc Etc

right up to 12x 12= 144

 

So I tried to teach my son this on 2 x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, 7x, 8x, 9x, 10x, 11x, 12x all going up to 12. School were cross with me because they only go up to 10 they stated the 11 and 12 were done in secondary school ...... pardon, what a load of twaddle no wonder maths is so poor in school.

 

When I was growing up we did not have calculators just maths done in your head and this is the way we should go. Back to basics, no calculators learn it like a parrot. Add ups done in the head.

Old School rules OK

 

Best regards

 

Ian

 

Ian & Valerie

William & Harry

Missy & Millie dogs

9 Hens

+ + a large covered run

[Looney]

I learnt all the times tables off by heart and was tested on them.....and can't remember them anymore!

[Bassett]

So I tried to teach my son this on 2 x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, 7x, 8x, 9x, 10x, 11x, 12x all going up to 12. School were cross with me because they only go up to 10 they stated the 11 and 12 were done in secondary school ...... pardon, what a load of twaddle no wonder maths is so poor in school.

 

 

Luckily my children's school encourages them to learn up to 12x12. But apparently this is not the done thing these days, and friends who teach at other schools have been quite disbelieving that a school would go beyond 10x10 !!!!

[little chickadee]

Darling daughter is now on her 6x tables and is always desperate to get back on the computer. Anyone else had any luck with the game

[Steve.]

Thanks ... I need to learn mine coz I'm rubbish.

 

I daren't tell you what I do for a living

[Tina C]

I was thinking about the only up to 10 thing today (we have been doing up to 12 but I noticed Layla's book only went up to X10)

 

Is it because we no longer 'need' the x12 as much now we are decimalised and (allegedly) have gone metric?

 

OH and I both know them and use them and we will drum them into Layla the old fashioned way. Times tables are just such a good foundation for maths. Fortunately she loves maths.

 

I had a really strict teacher in what would now be Year 5 and he used flashcards every day before the bell went. If you got yours right you could go home (but he knew who would get them right first time so would never 'flash' us until the bell had gone).

[Bassett]

Darling daughter is now on her 6x tables and is always desperate to get back on the computer. Anyone else had any luck with the game

 

We finished the 4x tables today. DD has been keen to get onto the computer each day to practice!