Mathemagician

I couldn't go to bed without recognizing the conversation that I had with my son tonight. I definitely need to remember this one!

So, my dear boy, Colin...only 9... pointed out how well he's been doing in math and science recently. He claims he is the "smartest" in the class - I cautioned him when using this term, and reminded him that there is always more that he can learn (ie. don't be so cocky!)...but, nonetheless, I was pleased to see that he has a positive outlook on math.

Apparently the kids in school think that he will always be good at math, because he has a math teacher for a mom! Little did they know that math is in our genes! Mike did well at math, and both his mom and brother were math majors in college. His dad is an electrical engineer. My brother is a computer engineer. So...math runs deep.

So, the conversation started out with why the area of a circle = pi x r squared. He totally got it. He then proceeded to talk through how we'd find the surface area of a cylinder, by showing me on a can of beans. He recognized that the surface of the "label" is really just a rectangle that has an area of the length of the can x the circumference (although, he doesn't know that term yet).

It really does amaze me how much he knows, and gets! And, I love that he passes on his passion for math to his sister. Emmy is so proud of herself because she has figured out some multiplication rules (yes, she is only in Kindergarten!) - She loves multiplying by 0, 1, and 10. And, 5's are easy because all you do is count by 5's (Duh! Geesh, Mom!)

On a side note...one of Colin's friends was asking about Colin's sisters. Colin told him that he only had one sister, and one brother. Apparently, the friend then asked, "But, wasn't that your older sister that dropped you off at my house?"...Colin's response, "No! That was my mom!!" Heh...That made me feel good (especially after my wrinkle problem last night!)

So, we'll end the evening on that note. In the eyes of a fourth grader, I look like an older sister:) Cute!