I admit it, I am not a math minded person.  I never have been.  Considering that I'm a musician, I've always felt a bit odd that I don't like math more.  After all, the music notation system is all based on fractions.  (My younger students just love it when I tell them that.)  I know that J likes math, but still has her struggles with it, and from what I observe, most of the struggles come from using logic. 

Fortunately, she does like puzzles.  We regularly complete the crossword puzzle in the LancMoms section of the newspaper when it shows up, and she likes Sudoku puzzles.  A few years ago, I acquired her a set of Tangrams.  Tangrams are a set of geometric pieces (five triangles, one square, and one rhomboid) that when placed together, can make certain shapes.  The object is to replicate shapes found in a book or online using all of the "tans" or pieces.  The figures can be random shapes or look like animals or people.  Some of them are REALLY challenging. 

It's a game you can do by yourself or with others.  You can time each other to see how long it takes to figure out the puzzle, or work together.  I found several websites about Tangrams, but this one has lots of free downloads of printables, software, and history of Tangrams, which came from China.  www.tangrams.ca. 

Although I haven't tried it with K, I'm sure even she would like Tangrams.  I know that she would just use the shapes to make her own creations, like she creates her own "words" with Bananagrams.  That's fine.  It's still stretching her mind without her even realizing it, which is my goal with all of these summer activities.

One other small revelation:  J said to me in the car today, "You know, mom, it's not good to be too obsessed with one thing.  If you are, you miss out on a lot of other new experiences."  Wow.  Maybe some days I do get this parent thing right after all.  I'm going to enjoy the moment while it lasts. 

Thanks for reading, and enjoy those little moments.