“Cultivating thinking skills is the main reason for teaching math. It is the mind’s perfect playground for shaping up.
…
To begin developing thinking, you must first have a child who is curious. For without curiosity, there is only forced thinking.
…
The problem with traditional math is it jumps to the punchline.
…
Absolutely no mystery or suspense is developed in traditional math books. Why? Apparently, someone thought math was without mystery. That math is a definitive subject of rules and algorithms that all have been discovered.
…
We must persuade children that math is a worthy pursuit through interesting stories, examining quirky math properties, and asking good questions.”— Lacy Coker
5 Tips to Cultivate Math Curiosity
The Mind’s Perfect Playground
My K-2nd-grade homeschool co-op math class will be following many of the tips in Lacy’s article.
Our topic is “Math Storytime,” so we’ll be starting with picture books, exploring the ideas they bring up, and finding things to notice and wonder about.
I’m looking forward to it.
But picture books aren’t just for little kids. They can be great discussion-starters at any age. Have you enjoyed math books with your students?
I’d love to hear your suggestions!
CREDITS: Background photo courtesy of Bekah Russom on Unsplash.
Denise Gaskins' Let's Play Math 
Awesome video
I wish we had so much fun when I was in school
More evidence that there’s no such thing as a “math person”!
I think I learn something new every time I watch this video. Or get reminded of something I know but too easily forget. There’s a LOT going on in kids’ minds — we just need to give them the opportunity to show it. 🙂