I love lazy math. Not the kind of lazy math that students do when they don't show their work or document their reasoning, but the kind of lazy math parents do when we inspire our children's curiosity without having to do a lot of planning or instruction. It is one of those unwritten rules of... Continue Reading →
I got rid of our blocks the other day. I sent them over to my sister's house so that they could clutter her space rather than mine. Oops. What I mean to say, really, is that I sent them over to her house so that her nearly one-year-old child could enjoy them as much as... Continue Reading →
It's April Vacation here in Massachusetts. Parents all over the state are excitedly or frantically looking for activities for their kids. Lots of us are heading to the local library for...well...books. And maybe a DVD or two. Or four. The other day, I took the kids to the Amesbury Pubic Library. What I thought would... Continue Reading →
If you have Magna-Tiles hanging around your house, you no doubt have seen a lot of cubes built. Maybe you've even made a few yourself. In my house, these cubes become Hot Wheels garages and airplane hangars. Today they became a spatial reasoning and visualization tool. Take 6 square tiles and lie them down in... Continue Reading →
I've said it before. I will say it again. Games and puzzles are really and truly the best way to have mathy moments with your kids. First and foremost, they allow you to spend time with each other. Then there's the math part, which can be sneaky, right? I mean, you and your kid are... Continue Reading →
I remember working very intensely in engineering school, and doing well, but thinking if only I had grown up playing with trucks and mechanical things I would have had a more natural understanding of what I was doing. No doubt I'm exaggerating that memory, because I did like playing with my father's Erector Set and... Continue Reading →
A few posts ago, I commented on the brilliance of using car time, when your kids are locked down and not going anywhere, to talk about math. Well, bath time is like that, too! While your kid is not locked down (right? right), he is doing something he has to do anyway. Use that time... Continue Reading →
The 7-year-old caught the norovirus the other day. After a rough night and a weak day following, he stayed home from school today "just to be sure." Which means I had a seemingly healthy child sitting around the house wondering how to occupy himself. A few months ago I bought two weaving loom toys in anticipation of... Continue Reading →
mathy moments 