I’m thrilled to partner with Zap Zap to announce their new Zap Zap Kindergarten Math app!
It’s no secret that kids love playing games on their screens, and they will practice math facts if it’s presented in the form of a puzzle or game.
All posts in Math
Kindergarten Math Summer Learning Fun
The Mystery of Pi for Pi Day!
What do you get if you divide the circumference of a jack-o’-lantern by its diameter? Pumpkin π. Joke from comedian John Evans from 50 Interesting Facts About Pi
PickyKidPix came home from school after Pi Day last year determined to memorize 100 digits of Pi. Her math teacher offered 1 point of extra credit for learning Pi. He rarely offers extra credit so she decided that she was going to learn 100 digits of Pi.
Our 10 Favorite Math Picture Books
My son has always been the math-iest of my three kids but now my middle, PickyKidPix, has proclaimed two years in a row now that math class is her favorite, though her most challenging. I have had a love of mathematics; with a math professor for a father, my childhood was fraught with extra math homework and pop quizzes in the car. I’ve always preferred stories.
But now there are math picture books that bring a story to a math concept, making it friendly and easy to absorb. Some of these books pose as mysteries, others as adventures. All are captivating entertainment that draw kids into math.
I think if I were raised on these kinds of stories, I would have had a different relationship with math. Less adversarial. Less black and white. My son and I have had read dozens of math picture books to bring you our favorites here.
How about you? What are your favorite math picture books? Thanks for sharing!
The History of Mathematics: The Story of Zero, Getting Something from Nothing
#BigFatNotebooks Ensure Middle School Success
My son started middle school this year and this is my year to evaluate his study spaces now that he will be getting more homework. What’s interesting is that good study spaces are not what I thought: it’s better to mix it up rather than study in the same place all the time. This New York Times Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits article by Benedict Carey upends that idea that a specific place, a study room or a quiet corner of the library is good for retention. The research finds just the opposite.
Instead of sticking to one study location, simply alternating the room where a person studies improves retention. So does studying distinct but related skills or concepts in one sitting, rather than focusing intensely on a single thing.
My son likes to study in different spots around the house. The perfect study space for my tween is actually many locations: his room, my office, and the kitchen.
He likes to read, draw, or do homework in his bedroom lying down.
The reading nook in my office is a sunny spot to work on homework, and I’m near by if he has a question or wants me to quiz him on something like Spanish words.
He likes to do project work here, especially anything messy or arty. It’s really sunny and bright so it’s a nice creative work space.
Making Pie for Pi Day: 3.14.16 (rounding up!)
My mathematician dad would be proud that I’m celebrating Pi Day today and have been for the past few years. Last year, I found Pi Day cartoons which I found hilarious. I looked that the relationship between Pi and The Golden Rule and how Pi tells stories. I even celebrated Tau Day which is 2x Pi.
Image from Randomly Yaya
Let’s Celebrate Pi Day: March 14, 2016. That’s 3.14159 (rounded up) to 3/14/16!
Pi Day is March 14th! It’s the only number with its own holiday! Most scholars consider Pi to be the most important and fascinating number in all of mathematics. Technically, the mathematical constant pi is an irrational, or never-ending number, created by dividing the circumference of a circle by its diameter. It is a number that begins with 3.14 but then goes on and on never repeating itself for infinity.
Did you know?
- Pi Day (3/14) turns out to be Albert Einstein’s birthday!
- Pi, more commonly known by the 16th letter of the Greek alphabet, is the most widely-known mathematical constant in the world.
- Pi was not easy to calculate. People died trying to figure it out!
Mosaic Paint Chip Art Project for Kids
I was fascinated by this video of artisans creating terra cotta tiles. It’s such an involved process to make a single tile, especially shaping each one. This makes me appreciate mosaic tile artworks much more!
Read more…
How Early Learning Resources Can #SparkAMind of a Child
This post was sponsored by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central.
How do you as a parent encourage a lifelong love of learning in your child? Houghton Mifflin Harcourt believes that everyday moments of curiosity can spark an interest in kids, motivating them to dig for answers. Asking questions and learning how to find answers is the key to creating a desire to learn.
As a mom with three kids, I’ve found that my children are polar opposite when it comes to what drives their curiosity. My oldest, now 16 years old, has always had a love for art. For her, we brought her to art museums, got her art books, and provided her with art materials so that she could draw, draw, draw every single day. Her progress is captured here: Grasshopper and Sensei. It’s no surprise to us that she wants to attend an art and design college.
A recent drawing by my oldest. Read more…
One Cut STEM Shape Fun
My son and I watched mathematician Dr. Katie Steckles cut a square with just one cut. This is an idea that dates back to 1721 in Japan: The Fold and Cut Theorem. My son was fascinated by the one cut idea so we decided to try it out ourselves. Read more…
Pattern Block Creativity & Kid Lit Blog Hop
I have to say that I got my money’s worth out of the pattern blocks toy manipulative that I’ve had for ages. All my kids loved playing with them. I kept them in an old diaper wipes box, decorated with stickers and I found that my son, now 11 years old, will still occasionally pull them out!
Pattern blocks are a great math toy; math is the science of finding patterns! There are also patterns in language too! You could say that finding and understanding patterns is the secret to unlocking the world around us. Read more…
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