Playful Math 179: Our Sweet Sixteen Carnival

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Welcome to the sweet-16 birthday edition of the Playful Math Carnival. Originally called Math Teachers at Play, our first carnival was published in February 2009.

Each Playful Math Carnival offers 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.

There’s so much playful math to enjoy!

By tradition, we start the carnival with a math activity in honor of our 179th edition. But if you’d rather jump straight to our featured blog posts, click here to see the Table of Contents.

Continue reading Playful Math 179: Our Sweet Sixteen Carnival

Playful Math 178: Nicomachus’s Carnival

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Playful Math Blog Carnival 178

Welcome to the 178th 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.

There’s so much playful math to enjoy!

By tradition, we start the carnival with a puzzle/activity in honor of our 178th edition. But if you’d rather jump straight to our featured blog posts, click here to see the Table of Contents.

Continue reading Playful Math 178: Nicomachus’s Carnival

Puzzle: Henry Dudeney’s Pebble Game

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
photo of girl playing with pebbles on the beach

English mathematician and puzzle-meister Henry Ernest Dudeney once wrote:

“It may be said generally that a game is a contest of skill for two or more persons, into which we enter either for amusement or to win a prize. A puzzle is something to be done or solved by the individual.

    “The example that I give here is apparently a game, but, as in every case one player may win if he only play correctly, it is in reality a puzzle. The interest, therefore, lies in attempting to discover the leading method of play.”

    Below is the puzzle game as Dudeney explained it.

    Play it for fun at first, then see if you can solve the puzzle.

    Continue reading Puzzle: Henry Dudeney’s Pebble Game

    Holiday Countdown Craft

    Posted on by Denise Gaskins
    photo of calendar and hourglass timer

    Marking time is hard for children (and often for us adults, as well).

    I don’t mean telling time, which has its own difficulties. But waiting, marking time until the Big Day or Important Event arrives.

    Whether you’re counting down the days to Christmas, or the hours until New Year’s Day, or waiting for a birthday or visit to Grandma — it’s never easy to sit idly during the interim.

    Continue reading Holiday Countdown Craft

    Quick Note: Black Weekend Sale

    Posted on by Denise Gaskins
    Never Just One Way t-shirt photo

    This Weekend Only

    For US customers, ALL merchandise items at my Playful Math Store are on sale for the Black Friday/Small Business Saturday/Cyber Monday season.

    Display your mathy spirit for everyone to see. And they make great gifts, too!

    Plus, each purchase comes with a free bonus book — see product listings for details.

    Check it out:

    Playful Math Merch Sale

    Continue reading Quick Note: Black Weekend Sale

    Gratis Games and Playful Math News

    Posted on by Denise Gaskins

    Get your free copy today!
    Do you want to help your children learn math?

    Teach them to play.

    Grab a free copy of my Let’s Play Math Sampler: 10 Family-Favorite Games for Learning Math Through Play, which contains short excerpts from my most popular titles. It’s a great way to get started with playful math. 😍

    As a bonus, I’ll add you to my Playful Math News email subscription and send you monthly tips and activity ideas for playing math with your kids.

    From time to time, I’ll even throw in a free sample of whatever I’ve been working on — an early draft of something that will eventually show up in one of my books or printable activity guides.

    For example, check out this fun freebie I sent last April:

    Don’t miss out on all this mathy goodness. Sign up today!

    Get the Games Book Now

    New Book: Farzanah and the 17 Camels

    Posted on by Denise Gaskins
    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. 

    Continue reading New Book: Farzanah and the 17 Camels

    Get a Taste of Playful Math with Two Carnivals

    Posted on by Denise Gaskins
    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…

    Continue reading Get a Taste of Playful Math with Two Carnivals

    Celebrating Spring with Playful Math Carnival 172

    Posted on by Denise Gaskins
    Playful Math Carnival 172

    Welcome to the 172nd edition of the Playful Math Blog Carnival, a buffet 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.

    The carnival went on hiatus for a couple of months due to unexpected life issues facing our volunteer hosts. But we’re back now, and ready to celebrate!

    By tradition, we start the carnival with a puzzle in honor of our 172nd edition. But if you’d rather jump straight to our featured blog posts, click here for the Table of Contents.

    Click here for all the mathy goodness!