Wow!

Last year I started composition books with our two youngest. They each have their own. I would write a question and they would answer it. Then they returned it to me with a question. I answered, wrote another question, etc. (A sneaky way to get them to write.)

It was very interesting. They would ask some hard questions. And give some revealing answers.

This year I decided to use the books for math. I will give them problems to work and they will return the favor. I enjoy math but I figured sooner or later they will stump me. Sure enough Christopher went online with the search line, "hard word problems".

He got one for me that went clean over my head. I studied it awhile and decided to see where he got it. No help there except for the info, "Most tricky and tough algebra problems are covered here." Yikes!

Determined to master this, I searched for how to solve algebraic problems. (I'm the person who, if you tell me it isn't likely to be done, I'll master it. I was told in my younger days that, "Girls can't whistle with a blade of grass." Wrong thing to tell ME!)

So I settled down to GET THIS! I followed a couple tutorials online until it finally got through my head. A few simple steps and presto! There was the answer! Christopher said he hasn't seen me so excited in a long time. Well, I was! I can't describe the feeling of empowerment that came from mastering that problem.

And a piece of info I left out above from the "hard problems site"- "If you can solve these, you can probably solve any algebra problems." Obviously there are lots more on that site but to tackle and conquer something that seemed so impossible, was fantastic. Maybe I can do it again.

It was interesting to me how that feeling stayed with me even in other matters. Where something would before look impossible, I'm thinking, "Maybe I could get this!"

Here is the problem in Christopher's handwriting (he writes very faintly in pencil) and also copied and pasted from the site-

The cost of petrol rises by 2 cents a liter. last week a man bought 20 liters at the old price. This week he bought 10 liters at the new price. Altogether, the petrol costs $9.20. What was the old price for 1 liter?

Can you solve it?

Excerpt

The Great Escapes

Chapter 1

Freddy is a little chipmunk that lives in the big hickory by Old John’s house and seemed to have lots of adventures. But today seemed to be like any other day. So he jumped up and looked out the door. “Why it is snowing” he said “I must get some nuts”. So he went to get some nuts from the hole in the floor. Now it is winter so Old John needed a warm stove. He looked out the window and said “there is a big hickory I’ll go and cut it down.” So he went to the shed and got his axe.

Chapter 6

Freddy looked at the big round things. “What are these” he said. “There cheerios” Tom said. Freddy had never heard of the like. So he said “I think I will eat the roasted nuts that I got”. So he took out the roasted nuts from his cheek. He put them in milk and crunched on them happily. After breakfast Tom and Freddy went up to the attic through the wall. When they were in the attic Tom stopped. Then he said “We have to be very”-then he stopped; for there right in front of them was a big rat. It’s eyes were red and glimmered with an evil glow. Shadow The Killer was what Tom called him. Shadow screamed with rage and ran at Tom and Freddy.

Introducing my ten year old story book writer. The youngest of the family, he is very like his oldest brother. If he's not doing his work, he probably has his nose in a book or is somewhere outside. It's not uncommon for him to tell me about something he read or some creature he observed as we work together.

His speech is peppered with words the normal little boy doesn't use. Yesterday the boys were playing on the frozen pond. One said his knees were hurting today but Christopher said he has lusty knees. They were not bothering him at all. We had to look it up to see if it actually meant that. Sometimes his words don't fit his meaning.

He has a temper to match his hair. But he also has a very soft heart. It is hard work to keep up with your older brothers. And to have all of them correcting you. His is quite a life. I suppose those who are youngest in the family can relate to him in ways I cannot.

If the excerpt above interested you, come visit us sometime to read his complete story. (If it ever gets done! He just keeps adding to it daily.)  Or maybe you can purchase it if he decides to publish it. Big dreams.

Are you a story writer?

Do you enjoy a good book?