Teenage Mutant Ninja Math

Sometimes we allow a few of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Spiderman, and the odd Transformer to join us at math time. If I step away and leave Cullen to a little independent work with these guys at the table, he usually takes the role as teacher, explaining the processes and operations very patiently to each of the characters in turn. Of course, this stretches the allotted time for math out ridiculously, but there is value in allowing him to "teach" in order to anchor what he is learning in his own mind. It is enlightening and entertaining to hear his problem-solving process out loud. An added bonus has been hearing the echo of my own words, speech patterns and inflections when he slips into this mode! Who ever would've guessed he listens that closely?