“The Principality of Mathematics is a mountainous land, but the air is very fine and health-giving, though some people find it too rare for their breathing. People who seek their work or play in this principality find themselves braced by effort and satisfied with truth.”
Math was not one of Charlotte Mason’s primary interests. She didn’t think or write as deeply about it as she did other subjects.
She even wrote, “It is unnecessary to exhibit mathematical work done in the P.U.S. as it is on the same lines and reaches the same standard as in other schools.”
This leaves us modern parents and teachers having to read our own interpretations into her words. It should be no surprise when we come to different conclusions. Someday, perhaps, I’ll publish my own vision for a Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling math.
In the meantime, the following articles describe a method that allows even the youngest children to explore the Principality of Mathematics:
In the years since writing those posts, Sonya and Lacy combined all their ideas into an easy-to-implement program that I think Mason herself would have enjoyed. Here’s my review:
Did your device hide the video? Find it on YouTube here.
How Is This Math?
The idea that math is only about numbers, calculations, and textbook exercises is one of the greatest lies we learn in school. Of course, nobody ever comes straight out and actually says that. But the whole system teaches us every day what counts for math and what doesn’t.
James Tanton’s math salute is a physical puzzle.
How in the world did he do that?
Physical puzzles don’t fit into our cultural understanding of math. But the process of figuring out the puzzle is the same problem-solving process we use to figure out other puzzles — including the puzzles we call math.
In fact, real mathematics is all about figuring out puzzles without a teacher showing you what to do. Problem-solving is a universally useful skill.
As master teacher W. W. Sawyer said:
“Everyone knows that it is easy to do a puzzle if someone has told you the answer. That is simply a test of memory. You can claim to be a mathematician only if you can solve puzzles that you have never studied before. That is the test of reasoning.”
So tackle the puzzle of the math salute. Show it to your kids. (And don’t be surprised if they figure it out before you do!)
[THE FINE PRINT: I am an Amazon affiliate. If you follow the link and buy something, I’ll earn a small commission (at no cost to you). But this book is a well-known classic, so you should be able to order it through your local library.]
Since my publishing house opened its online store last month, I’ve been busy stocking the shelves with printable math activities for all ages.
It’s a fun collection of low- or no-prep ideas for playing math with your kids.
And it’s still growing. I’m pouring through old notes of my favorite projects from years of playing math with the kids in our math clubs and homeschool co-op enrichment classes, looking for ideas.
Which One Will You Try?
We’ve kept our prices as low as possible to fit struggling family budgets — less than a cup of coffee at my favorite cafe, back when we could still go out for a sweet, creamy cuppa.
Just go to our online store and click the “Printable Activity Guides” button to check out all the mathy fun.
Someday, I hope to combine these books into a creative math “uncurriculum” for homeschoolers. Stay tuned to this blog for more news about that. Eventually…
Or check out David Butler’s wonderful Solving Problems Poster, which encapsulates Pólya’s system in a visual, easy-to-follow way that works with younger students, too.
CREDITS: “Professor” cartoon (top) by André Santana via Pixabay.
THE FINE PRINT: I am an Amazon affiliate. If you follow the book link above and buy something, I’ll earn a small commission (at no cost to you).
Denise Gaskins' Let's Play Math 