My husband tucked the 4-year-old into bed tonight and relayed this story: "Oh, you're going to like this, Pam. He asked if twenty-ten was a real number." "Well, what did you say?" (Do you sense the wariness in my question? No doubt Husband did.) "I told him it was, of course. Twenty-ten is a... Continue Reading →
Sometimes it's nice to manipulate “quality time” with your kid to also be “happy time” for yourself. So I periodically suggest to the kids that we ride our bikes or walk or, yes, even ski to a local coffee shop (okay, the ski option does not present itself often, but it did happen once, so I can... Continue Reading →
Another bedtime math conversation with the 4-year old: “Good night, kid. I love you.” “I love you.” “Hmm, who do you think loves whom more?” “I love you two.” “I love you four.” Pause. Pause. There appeared to be thinking going on. I was expecting a 6, but then... “Mom. Why does 4 not come... Continue Reading →
Last night the 7-year-old asked me what 3^7 equals. Seriously??? How does he even know this math language? Did I try to teach him exponents one day, and now I can't remember? (That might actually be the case...) Then he says, "Is it 2,187?" Hmm. This is strange. I check it on my calculator (thank you, ever-present... Continue Reading →
As a parent, I just didn't understand why that card game had to be called War (you know the one: split the deck in half, then flip cards off the top. Player with the high card takes both cards. If it's a tie, players each lay 3 cards face down, then the 4th determines who... Continue Reading →
The car is a great place to talk to your kids, because they can't get away from you. I have definitely used it for many challenging topics (“So tell me again where you think babies come from?”) Yesterday as we were driving home from school, I decided to try out the idea of mathematical functions... Continue Reading →
Tonight while putting the 4-year-old to bed, he told me that he didn't think he knew math. He said that he thought his 7-year-old brother was very good at math, but that he was not. Oh my. We need to nip this kind of thinking in the bud. But best to be careful about how... Continue Reading →
mathy moments 