Got some sidewalk chalk lying around? Tired of watching your kids draw the same old flowers and rainbows and such? Get mathy with that chalk! Recently I drew a timeline on the ground. Not the usual kind of timeline, though. I drew 5 long lines parallel to each other on the ground and labelled them... Continue Reading →
The kids no longer believe that the ice cream truck is a music truck. That was a cute idea for a while, but they've wised up to the ruse. They want their ice cream novelty item, and they want it NOW. On my way home the other day I passed the ice cream truck as... Continue Reading →
Infinity is such a fun, crazy, mind-expanding, mind-boggling concept. It's a topic that some kids will gleefully try wrapping their thoughts around. I've been noodling on how to play with it in a rich and interesting way with pre-schoolers. (If you have ideas, please share.) In the meantime, though, I'm finding ways to touch on... Continue Reading →
Literacy is important. Numeracy is important. So...why not combine literacy and numeracy while learning about real people and real events? I get giddy when I enter the children's section of the library or bookstore these days because there are SO many wonderful books to discover. Here are two books I recommend reading to your child.... Continue Reading →
Here's another way to reinforce multiplication concepts with your elementary school kids. You just need a hundreds table and some markers. You can present it like a puzzle. Or you can be fancy and tell your kids that they're going to make the Sieve of Eratosthenes. Yes, that will get their attention. Here's the quickie... Continue Reading →
It's the type of question young children are always asked: "How many animals do you see?" "How many cars are there?" "How many children are in your class?" "How many sheep are in this picture?" These are good questions. They usually have a clear and correct answer. That's nice. What if they didn't? What if,... Continue Reading →
In an earlier episode...the 5-year-old told his father that I had said there was no 15 when skip-counting by 5's. I laughed and let it go, figuring this would be a self-correcting issue. And it was! Here's how it happened... The 5-year-old has a 7-month-old cousin. He loves her. He holds her. He snuggles her.... Continue Reading →
What can you do instead of flash cards to practice multiplication facts with your kids? Multiplication and division fluency is a cornerstone of developing a strong mathematical foundation. The middle and high school students I tutor often struggle with the time and effort it takes to retrieve a calculation fact they were assumed to have... Continue Reading →
It's good to have quick and easy mathy moments at your fingertips for young children. Especially the kind that look like fun games. Today the 5-year-old was being...well...a 5-year-old. He was just home from school and his 8-year-old brother didn't want to play with him. So he lay on the floor and cried. I asked... Continue Reading →
"Pam. We're having a mathy moment over here. You'd better write about it." Thus spoke my husband. And he was right. He and the 5-year-old were spending quality time with the measuring tape. The measuring tape (the kind that a builder uses, that self-retracts) is a brilliant, simple, and effective way to get mathy with your... Continue Reading →
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