multiplication stories

Carter has not been fond of math.  He understands all the concepts and does quite well but he hates math facts and always has.  I used to drill him on addition and subtraction, give him extra pages of homework and use flash cards.  I bought a board game cleverly disguised as non-math and tried to play math games with dominos.  I dreaded the day when we would have times tables.  I  couldn't seem to find the favored memorization tool for him.  Some people are visual and some are audio and neither worked for him.

One day we decided to try something new. After reading a book called Frankie Pickle, a boy who hated math, we decided to make up stories about times tables.  3 turned on it's side is a vampire bat.  4 is a horse, 6 is a slide or roller coaster, 7 is a chomper, 8 is super 8.  Then the characters have different adventures together.  They started out Frankie Pickle style and ended up all original.

3 tries to bite 4 and misses and runs into a 12 monster. Super 8 steps on a 2 lever to trap 3 in a 4 garbage can (8x3=24). Super 8 goes down a 6 water slide and relaxes on a 8 chair under a 4 sun-umbrella that is drying his towel. 8 rides 4 horse up a 2 and lands on a springy 3 for 32. 7 tries to bite 8 so 8 gets in a monster truck 56 and runs 7 flat. 3 goes down a 6 slide and crashes into 18,  18 is on his side and looks like an angry face. 8 with his twin 8 go on a roller coaster 64. 7 and 7 are hungry and they eat a coconut popsicle and a spoonful of tomato soup. 7 chomps the reins of 4 horse and they chase a rodeo clown around 28.  7 and 3 have snacks a double chocolate cookie 2 and a tall glass of blood. And finally 7 chomper gets shot out of cannon 6 and bounces on 42.

Do you think I can patent my system?  I don't.  He remembers them because we made them together and he helped write the adventures.  I feel like its one of my few redeeming moments as a parent; instead of following my instinct to quiz over and over we managed to make it fun.