Denise Gaskins' Let's Play Math

Math Game Monday: The Great Escape

Posted on November 15, 2021January 17, 2022 by Denise Gaskins

This cooperative game challenges students to use their number skills in escaping from a WWII prisoner of war camp.

“The Great Escape” is an excerpt from Prealgebra & Geometry: Math Games for Middle School, which is available as an ebook at my publisher’s store (where you get all formats for one low price, and I earn higher no-middleman royalties) or through other online retailers, or by special request through your local library. Read more about my playful math books here.

The Math Game Monday posts will be available for one week only. If you missed this one, explore the links in the sidebar. There are more than forty free games scattered around the blog. Have fun playing math with your kids!

Homeschooling? Check Out These Math Goodies

Posted on April 30, 2021May 6, 2021 by Denise Gaskins

How to Homeschool Math: A long page full of my best tips on homeschooling math in a low-stress, creative, playful way. No matter which curriculum you use—unschoolers, too!

Get my email series “8 Weeks of Playful Math” plus regular activity ideas and other updates when you join my Math Reader’s Group newsletter.

My Let’s Play Math Sampler ebook contains short excerpts from my most popular books. Find out how to get it for free, no strings attached!

Math Game Monday: Secret Number Codes

Posted on January 17, 2022December 31, 2021 by Denise Gaskins

“Secret Number Codes” is free on this website for one week only. It’s an excerpt from 312 Things To Do with a Math Journal, available as a special pre-publication ebook edition at my publisher’s store or for preorder through many online retailers. Read more about my playful math books here.

Many parents remember struggling to learn math. We hope to provide a better experience for our children.

And one of the best ways for children to enjoy learning is through hands-on play.

This game challenges players to think flexibly so they can interpret clues and deduce their opponent’s secret numbers.

Secret Number Codes

Math Concepts: arithmetic, algebra, logical deduction.

Players: two players or two teams.

Equipment: pencil and paper, or individual whiteboards and markers. Calculators optional.

Continue reading Math Game Monday: Secret Number Codes

Math Game Monday: Spill the Beans

Posted on January 10, 2022January 17, 2022 by Denise Gaskins

This game offers a hands-on reason for children to practice adding numbers up to 1,000 — or whatever target you wish.

“Spill the Beans” is an excerpt from 70+ Things To Do with a Hundred Chart, available as an ebook at my bookstore (Thank you for cutting out the middleman!) and in ebook or paperback through many online retailers. Read more about my playful math books here.

Playful Math Carnival 151 via Math Hombre

Posted on January 6, 2022January 5, 2022 by Denise Gaskins

Would you like some great ideas to launch a new year of playful math?

John Golden put together a delightful collection of games, activities, and inspiration in the latest Playful Math Carnival:

Playful Math Education 151

You’ll find a fantastic collection of maker math, games, puzzles, activities, inspiration, and other mathematical delights.

What are you waiting for? Come join the fun!

Click Here to Read the Carnival Blog

Help Us Keep the Carnival Going

The Playful Math Blog Carnival wants you!

Each monthly Playful Math Carnival brings you a great new collection of puzzles, math conversations, teaching tips, and all sorts of mathy fun. It’s like a free online magazine of mathematical adventures, helpful and inspiring no matter when you read them.

The carnival is a joint effort. We depend on our volunteer hosts to collect blog posts and write the carnival each month.

Putting together a blog carnival can be a lot of work, but it’s a great opportunity to share the work of bloggers you admire and to discover new math-friends online. I love that part of being a host!

Classroom teachers, homeschoolers, college professors, unschoolers, or anyone who likes to play around with math — if you would like to take a turn hosting the carnival, please speak up!

CREDITS: Feature photo (top) by Sharon McCutcheon via Unsplash.com.

Math Game Monday: Math Model War

Posted on January 3, 2022January 17, 2022 by Denise Gaskins

This game helps children develop a strong foundation for understanding multiplication and fractions. Play it frequently until your students become so familiar with the pictures that they can use them to model any problem they encounter.

“Math Model War” is an excerpt from Multiplication & Fractions: Math Games for Tough Topics, available as an ebook at my bookstore (Thank you for cutting out the middleman!) and in ebook or paperback through many online retailers. Read more about my playful math books here.

Advent Math Activity Calendars

Posted on November 30, 2021November 30, 2021 by Denise Gaskins

Once again, the delightful Nrich Maths website offers a seasonal selection of activities to encourage your children’s (and your own!) mathematical creativity.

Click the images below to visit the corresponding December Math Calendar pages.

For Primary Students

Here are twenty-four activities for elementary and middle school, one for each day in December during the run-up to Christmas.

2021 Primary Advent Calendar

When you get to the Nrich website, click a number to go to that day’s math.

For Secondary Students

Here are twenty-four favorite activities for middle and high school, one for each day in December in the run-up to Christmas.

2021 Secondary Advent Calendar

When you get to the Nrich website, click a number to go to that day’s math.

More Holiday Math

I encourage you also to explore my HUGE holiday math post:

Holiday Math Puzzles and Activities for Christmas, Winter Break with an abundance of mathy activities to play with your kids.

Or check out these pages for more ideas:

Colleen Young has just updated her list of Mathematical Advent Calendars.

And she’s collected a whole page of Christmas Math Resources.

Sonya Post hosted the Let It Snow Carnival of winter math ideas.

Have fun playing math with your kids!

CREDITS: “Peanuts Christmas Panorama” photo [top] by Kevin Dooley via Flicker. (CCBY2.0)

“Black Friday” Shopping Season Discount

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Denise Gaskins

‘Tis the season for discount sales. I usually ignore the annual Black Friday push, because NOT shopping is an even better way to save money.

But this year, my publishing company Tabletop Academy Press has decided to join in the fun.

So if you’re looking for new math activities to play with your kids, I’ve just added several new books and discount bundles to our online store — including a huge variety of math journaling resources.

And for the next week or so, you can get 15% off anything in our store by using the coupon code TABLETOP15 at checkout.

Including:

Let’s Play Math, my original book on families learning math together
The Big Bundle of Geometric Coloring Designs, creative ways to play with math art
Diffy Inception Bundle, subtraction puzzles from primary math to prealgebra
Journaling Pages for Adventurous Students, in beautiful full color or ink-saving black & white
The Great Quotations Bundle, get your students writing about education and life
and the Math Journal Task Cards Mega-Bundle, my newest collection of playful math activities

But act fast! The discount code expires December 5th.

Math Game Monday: The Ten Cards

Posted on November 8, 2021January 17, 2022 by Denise Gaskins

This strategy game is fun for all ages. It’s a classic, from the imaginative mind of H. E. Dudeney.

“The Ten Cards” is an excerpt from Math You Can Play Combo: Number Games for Young Learners, which is available as an ebook at my publisher’s store (where you get all formats for one low price, and I earn higher no-middleman royalties) or through other online retailers, or by special request through your local library. Read more about my playful math books here.

Math Game Monday: Connect Four

Posted on November 1, 2021January 17, 2022 by Denise Gaskins

This delightful hundred-chart game features a perfect balance of number patterns and strategic thinking.

“Connect Four” is an excerpt from 70+ Things To Do with a Hundred Chart: Number, Shape, and Logic Activities from Preschool to Middle School, which is available as an ebook at my publisher’s store (where you get all formats for one low price, and I earn higher no-middleman royalties) or through other online retailers, or by special request through your local library. Read more about my playful math books here.