“One factor that has remained constant through all the twists and turns of the history of physical science is the decisive importance of the mathematical imagination.”
—Freeman Dyson
In the previous episode, Alexandria Jones discovered a mysterious treasure: three wooden sticks, like tent pegs, and a long loop of rope with 12 evenly spaced knots. Her father explained that it was an ancient Egyptian surveyor’s tool, used to mark right angles.
This game builds number sense and a playful approach to math.
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.
So what are you waiting for? Let’s play some math!
Math Concepts: number properties, numbers within 100.
Players: two players, child and adult.
Equipment: printed hundred chart.
Writing to Learn Math: Math journal explanations avoid the formality that turns so many students away from geometry proofs.
Do you want your children to develop the ability to reason creatively and figure out things on their own?
Help kids practice slowing down and taking the time to fully comprehend a math topic or problem-solving situation with these classic tools of learning: Notice. Wonder. Create.
And now for something completely different…
The intrepid Quote Investigator played around with math recently:
“You know, people think that mathematics is complicated. Mathematics is the simple bit. It’s the stuff we can understand. It’s cats that are complicated.”
—John Horton Conway
It reminded me of one of my favorite homeschooling exercises:
One of these exercises was a series of short quotations about cats, which my youngest daughter loved.
So in today’s post, I’ve put together an editing exercise you can share with your children, along with several links for playing with mathematical cats.
Enjoy!
This game uses the area model to visualize and build understanding of integer multiplication.
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.
So what are you waiting for? Let’s play some math!
Math Concepts: integer multiplication, area model for multiplication.
Players: two players or two teams.
Equipment: printed gameboard or square grid paper, playing cards, pencils or colored markers.
Writing to Learn Math: Problem-solving cares less about whether an answer is right and more about whether a solution makes sense.
Do you want your children to develop the ability to reason creatively and figure out things on their own?
Help kids practice slowing down and taking the time to fully comprehend a math topic or problem-solving situation with these classic tools of learning: Notice. Wonder. Create.
“I am inclined to believe that one of the origins of mathematics is man’s playful nature, and for this reason mathematics is not only a Science, but to at least the same extent also an Art.”
—Rózsa Péter
This week, we have the first mathematical adventure of Alexandria Jones, which takes place in the early days of her father’s archaeological expedition mentioned in the introduction post.
Herein we meet the one major character who is not named after a mathematician from history: Alex’s nemesis, Simon Skulk.
While my fiction doesn’t rise close to the level of “art,” I hope it offers a glimpse into the playful nature of mathematics for you and your children.
This game requires students to make logical deductions about number relationships.
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.
So what are you waiting for? Let’s play some math!
Math Concepts: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, algebraic reasoning.
Players: two players or two teams. Best with teams.
Equipment: printed gameboards (optional), pencils and paper, or whiteboard and markers.
Writing to Learn Math: What did the author mean? Put the thought in your own words. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
Do you want your children to develop the ability to reason creatively and figure out things on their own?
Help kids practice slowing down and taking the time to fully comprehend a math topic or problem-solving situation with these classic tools of learning: Notice. Wonder. Create.
“Using mathematics to tell stories and using stories to explain mathematics are two sides of the same coin. They join what should never have separated: the scientist’s and the artist’s ways of uncovering truths about the world.”
—William Frucht
It began with some 4th-8th grade friends who met in my dining room to work math puzzles and play games. At first, a few of the kids wondered how anyone could have fun with math. But we did enjoy ourselves, and Math Club grew until we couldn’t fit anyone else around the table.
When one girl had to move away, I thought, “Why not send Math Club with her?” Thus was born Math Club by Mail newsletter (later renamed Mathematical Adventures), a 4-year snail-mail newsletter that brought puzzles, strategy games, art projects, historical tidbits, and more to readers as far away as Hawaii.
Never very many readers, I admit—certainly never enough to make a profit—but it was a blast while it lasted.
So I thought you might like to read Alex’s story from the beginning, as my original math club kids did. The stories will appear sporadically, scattered between my more typical math-activity and teaching tip posts.
I hope you will have as much fun reading these adventures as I had writing them.
Continue reading The Mathematical Adventures of Alexandria Jones
