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Playful Math Store Grand Opening Sale

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Family hiking in the mountains

I’ve just launched the Denise Gaskins’ Playful Math Store!

The Grand Opening Sale runs through April 20 — add the discount code GRAND_20 at checkout to save 20% on your first order.

We have plenty of fun mathy goodness on hand, so I hope you’ll take some time to browse our collections. Don’t miss the math art collection, or the journaling resources, or my classic Math You Can Play series. And of course, there’s the merch.

Even better, we have both digital and print books, which is something my previous store couldn’t handle.

So many ways to celebrate the joy of mathematics.

May your family always enjoy the adventure of learning!

Shop Now

Calendar with sale dates marked

You Can’t Find These in Bookstores

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Family game night with the Tabletop Math Games Collection books by Denise Gaskins

This is your final notice for the Tabletop Math Games Collection Kickstarter.

Thank you so much to everyone who has backed these fun books. Your encouragement and support keep me going!

For procrastinators, get thee to the Kickstarter:

Order Your Books Now ❯

Sample game pages from the Tabletop Math Games Collection by Denise Gaskins

Regular Bookstores Won’t Carry These Books

Most of my books eventually show up in the regular online bookstores, making it easy to delay purchasing because you know you can find it later.

But these are not typical paperback or hardcover books. Instead, they’re designed to lay flat so players can use the gameboards or easily refer to rules as they play.

The regular online bookstores will only stock standard paperbacks, NOT the saddle-stitch and spiral-bound versions that lay nicely flat.

We’ve got less than 36 hours left on our Tabletop Math Games Collection Kickstarter campaign.

Do you really want to miss out?

Scroll down for a peek at what other people say about my math games.

Then order your copy today, and have fun playing math with your kids!

Continue reading You Can’t Find These in Bookstores

Math Games Kickstarter: It Keeps Getting Better

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Friends playing math games

Did you know that, with our recent stretch goals, the Tabletop Math Games Kickstarter now features more than 90 amazing ways to play math with your kids?

And every pledge pushes us closer to the next new bonus, which means more new games and playful math goodies for every backer.

Don’t miss out on the excitement. Order your copy today:

Visit the Math Games Kickstarter ❱

How Are These Books Different?

I love how the challenge of a well-fought math game pushes players of all ages to think more creatively and build fluency.

So my Tabletop Math Games Collection is designed to make it easier than ever for busy families and over-stressed teachers to play with math.

All you need are common household supplies like cards, dice, and scratch paper. Children can open a Tabletop Math Games Collection book to any page and start playing right away, and the digital files make great classroom handouts or learning center games.

Continue reading Math Games Kickstarter: It Keeps Getting Better

Why Thinking Thursday?

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Thinking Thursday math journal prompt

There’s a new math journaling prompt this week.

Have your kids tried it yet?

This week’s prompt features one of my favorite quotations to get kids thinking (and writing) about the value of mistakes in learning. Or you might prefer last week’s prompt, featuring a classic math brainteaser and encouraging students to create their own related puzzles.

Or, if you’re reading this post later and missed those, there’s another great new prompt this week for you to explore.

Check it out:

Visit Thinking Thursday

Continue reading Why Thinking Thursday?

What’s So Special About Math Games?

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Family playing math game with dominoes

To everyone who has supported my Tabletop Math Games Collection Kickstarter project: thank you ever so much! We’ve blown past our funding target and made it into Stretch Goal territory.

Now every pledge just makes the project better, earning new games and bonuses for every backer at the $5 level and above.

If you haven’t backed the project yet, check out what you’re missing:

Visit the Kickstarter ❯

Math games build mental flexibility and strategic reasoning in players of all ages. And even people who hated math in school can enjoy the friendly challenge of a game.

I love how the challenge of a well-fought math game pushes players of all ages to think more creatively and build fluency.

Continue reading What’s So Special About Math Games?

Tabletop Math Games Kickstarter: Order Your Copy Today

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Friends playing math games

And so it begins: the Tabletop Math Games Collection is LIVE on Kickstarter!

Check It Out ❯

To have a successful campaign, we need plenty of people to back the project early. The more supporters we get in these early days, the more likely the Kickstarter platform folks will help spread the news for us.

To give you a feel for the Tabletop Math Games Collection books, I’ve put together a free printable sampler file, with 4 ready-to-play card games you can enjoy today.

I think you’ll love it!

Download the Sample File ❯

Kickstarter Sample Games Download

Continue reading Tabletop Math Games Kickstarter: Order Your Copy Today

I’ve Never Done This Before: Merchandise!

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Active Learning Mug on table

The second volume of my newest math book series, the Tabletop Math Games Collection, launches exclusively on Kickstarter next week. I can hardly wait!

And I’m trying several new reward options I’ve never done before. In addition to the math game books, you can show your mathy spirit for everyone to see with three cool merchandise rewards.

(The “rewards” on Kickstarter are all the various things you can buy with your support pledge.)

Here’s a quick peek at the new things to come.

This is going to be so much fun!

Continue reading I’ve Never Done This Before: Merchandise!

Can You Help Me?

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Tabletop Math Games Kickstarter coming soon

I’m finishing up my plans for the new Tabletop Math Games Collection Kickstarter project and pledge levels, which launches in just under two weeks. Where did the time go?!

But I need help.

Could you please take a few minutes to look over the project page and give me some feedback?

  • Preview & Comments Page
    (NO account required to see the preview, but you may need to log in if you want to leave a comment.)

It’s so hard to edit myself because my mind knows what the text is supposed to say, so I miss too many mistakes. Having new eyes on the page would be a great help in catching typos and making sure the descriptions make sense and are as clear as possible.

Continue reading Can You Help Me?

Coming Soon: The Tabletop Math Games Collection, Volume Two

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Family playing math games, with book by Denise Gaskins

Coming Soon! On March 11, I’ll be launching the next installment in my new book series, the Tabletop Math Games Collection.

And the Kickstarter prelaunch page is now live. That means you can sign up to get an email from Kickstarter as soon as the campaign launches:

Visit the Prelaunch Page ❯

(Yes, if you missed last year’s Kickstarter, you’ll also be able to get Volume One.)

Test Out Four Free Sample Games

Math games build mental flexibility and strategic reasoning in players of all ages. And even people who hated math in school can enjoy the friendly challenge of a game.

I’ve put together a free printable sampler file, with four ready-to-play card games you can enjoy today.

I think you’ll love it!

Download the Sample File ❯

Continue reading Coming Soon: The Tabletop Math Games Collection, Volume Two

Playful Math Education Carnival 171: Modern Math Artists

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Welcome to the 171st edition of the Playful Math Education Blog Carnival — a smorgasbord of delectable tidbits of mathy fun. It’s like a free online magazine devoted to learning, teaching, and playing around with math from preschool to high school.

Bookmark this post, so you can take your time browsing over the next week or so.

There’s so much playful math to enjoy!

By tradition, we start the carnival with a puzzle/activity in honor of our 171st edition. But if you’d rather jump straight to our featured blog posts, click here to see the Table of Contents.

Try This Puzzle/Activity

171 is a triangular number, the sum of all the numbers from 1 to 18:

  • 1 + 2 + 3 + … + 17 + 18 = 171.
  • Can you think why a number like this is called “triangular”?
  • What other triangular numbers can you find?

Also, 171 is a palindrome number, with the same digits forward and backward. It’s also a palindrome of powers:

  • 171 = 52 + 112 + 52
  • 171 = 23 + 43 + 33 + 43 + 23

So in honor of our 171st Playful Math Carnival, here is a palindrome puzzle that leads to an unsolved question in math:

  • Does every number turn into a palindrome eventually?

palindrome number activity

Click here for all the mathy goodness!