Math Facts

(My Mom is my witness on this) The other day Sam came up to me & said, "2+2=4."  I said, "That's right, who told you that?" "Papa."  So, just to be silly I said, "Then what is 2+3?"  She thought for a minute & said, "5"  Uhhhhh, WHAT?  Mom & I looked at each other in total shock!  I might have even said, "That had to be a coincidence."

The next day Dad came over & I told him about what happened.  Sam was sitting in the kitchen & he turned to her & started quizzing her.......

Dad: What's 2+2?
Sam: 4
Dad: What's 2+3?
Sam: 5
Dad: What's 1+3?
Sam: 2 (which is obviously wrong)
Dad: Maybe this will be easier...what's 3+1?
Sam: 4
Dad: What's 2+1?
Sam: 3.  I'm done.

& that was the end of that.  But we were definitely all shocked.  I knew she was really good with numbers but to just bust out with the answers to abstract math problems was WAY beyond what I thought she was capable of.  I'm always doing that.  I just don't want to be one of those Mom's who is always pushing her kid to be the smartest.  I just want her to learn at her own pace at this point.  I guess the negative side of that is that I don't push her to try anything that is above her "level."  Anyway, I probably wouldn't have even shared that if I didn't have a story to tell that goes along with it.

I'll preface the story by telling you that we have been working on Sam using her "imagination."  She has a VERY hard time with this (as do I.....so I'm not a great example) so I have been trying to encourage her to use her imagination to play.

While we were at the doctor's office today I was trying to think of productive ways to spend the 2 LONG hours we were there.  I thought maybe she would like to do some "math facts" since she seemed to enjoy answering my Dad the other day.  The conversation went like this:

Me: What's 2+2?
Sam: 4
Me: OK, so what's 2+3?
Sam: 4!
Me: Um, were you even listening? How can 2+2=4 AND 2+3=4? 
Sam: With my imagination!!!!!

Hahaha....my daughter is so clever!.....or maybe a smart-aleck? LOVE that girl!