New Book: Farzanah and the 17 Camels

illustration from Farzanah and the 17 Camels

Now’s your chance to promote creative math for kids, with Sue Looney’s new book on Kickstarter: Farzanah and the 17 Camels.

You can order the book in digital or paperback format, get multiple copies for a classroom or book club, or just donate to support the project.

Visit the Kickstarter

Farzanah and the 17 Camels celebrates the excitement and the rewards of solving a challenging and intriguing math problem. Set against the backdrop of the ancient Silk Road, with bustling markets, stunning carpets, fun characters, and camels, the story draws readers into the magic of Farzanah’s surroundings. 

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Get a Taste of Playful Math with Two Carnivals

Carnival food court

Here is SOOOOO MUCH GREAT MATH!

Each monthly carnival brings you a new collection of ideas for playing math from preschool to high school. It’s like a free online magazine of mathematical adventures, helpful and inspiring no matter when you read them.

Explore with your kids or on your own…

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Memories: Improper Fractions

notebooking math with fraction pieces - photo

Homeschool Memories…

My eight-year-old daughter’s first encounter with improper fractions was a bit more intense than she knew how to handle. And I hadn’t learned yet how to use the Notice-Wonder-Create cycle to help kids think about tough problems.

Sometimes I wonder how our children survive their parents’ learning curve. It’s a good thing God made them resilient enough to thrive despite our mistakes!

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Podcast: From Right Answers to Adventure

Notice and Wonder podcast logo with quote by Denise Gaskins

If you find a free hour this week, you may enjoy listening to my latest Notice & Wonder podcast discussion with Sonya and Della about the power of playful math:

We share plenty of tips, stories, and practical advice for bringing a sense of curiosity and exploration into your math lessons.

Plus, the Best Math Game Ever!

I love this podcast, because it always feels like sitting down to chat over coffee with good friends who love kids and love teaching.

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Memories: Percent Problems

Homeschool math - photo

Homeschool Memories…

Can your students solve this problem?

There are 20% more girls than boys in the senior class. What percent of the seniors are girls?

This is from an old discussion of the semantics of percent problems and why students have trouble with them, going on over at MathNotations. (Follow-up post here.)

Our homeschool co-op prealgebra class had just finished a chapter on percents, so I thought my son might have a chance at this one. Nope! He leapt without thought to the conclusion that 60% of the class must be girls.

After I explained the significance of the word “than”, he solved the follow-up problem just fine.

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