Math Game Monday: Decimal Point Pickle

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Learn a new math game every week, for free

This game challenges students to think strategically about the meaning of decimal numbers and place value.

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!

Decimal Point Pickle

Math Concepts: decimals, place value, numerical order.

Players: any number.

Equipment: one deck of math cards, whiteboard and markers for each player, or pencils and blank paper.

Continue reading Math Game Monday: Decimal Point Pickle

Puzzle: The Eccentric Teacher

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
boy and girl ready to solve math puzzles

One of my favorite things as a teacher was to gather a group of children to play math together.

Call it a math club or math circle, the name didn’t matter, but the activity was always fun. We did non-schooly games and projects, and the kids enjoyed both the camaraderie and the experience of thinking hard in a stress-free setting.

If you’d like to pull together a math club/circle of your own, here are some tips.

Today’s puzzle involves an unusual teacher trying to collect students to participate in a group activity…

Continue reading Puzzle: The Eccentric Teacher

Math Game Monday: Greedy Pig

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Learn a new math game every week, for free

This game tests each player’s risk tolerance as they roll dice to rack up points.

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!

This game tests each player’s risk tolerance as they roll dice to rack up points.

Greedy Pig

Math Concepts: addition, probability of dice rolls, strategic thinking.

Players: two or more.

Equipment: two 6-sided dice, pen and paper for keeping score.

Continue reading Math Game Monday: Greedy Pig

Are You Smarter than a 3rd-6th Grader?

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
girl raising hand in math class

Recently, I stumbled on an old blog post featuring Singapore Math problems, and it brought back memories.

Back when my children were young, the original Primary Math series from Singapore was one of my favorite math curricula. I tweaked our school program constantly, so none of my kids had the same education, but three of them spent a good part of their elementary years in those books.

And I followed the Math in Singapore 2007 blog for its single season of publication. The blog has gone the way of many others, preserved only in the Internet Archive.

In the post I re-discovered, Patsy Wang-Iverson was reporting on a week-long seminar organized by Celine Koh, who offered the following problems (adapted from school exams and study books) for teacher discussion.

How many can you solve?

Continue reading Are You Smarter than a 3rd-6th Grader?

Math Game Monday: The Number That Must Not Be Named

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Learn a new math game every week, for free

This challenging game stretches everyone’s working memory and offers children the delightful possibility of stumping an adult.

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!

The Number That Must Not Be Named

Math Concepts: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, integers, fractions, factoring, powers and roots, prime numbers, and other number properties.

Players: two or more (a cooperative game).

Equipment: none.

Continue reading Math Game Monday: The Number That Must Not Be Named

Thinking Thursday: Triangular Numbers

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Thinking Thursday math journal prompt

Writing to Learn Math: Number play doesn’t have to follow school math methods.

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.

Continue reading Thinking Thursday: Triangular Numbers

Math Game Monday: Concentration with Math Model Cards

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Learn a new math game every week, for free

This game lays a great foundation for your child’s understanding of multiplication and fractions.

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!

Concentration with Math Model Cards

Math Concepts: multiplication or fraction models, visual/spatial memory.

Players: any number.

Equipment: one deck of math model cards.

Continue reading Math Game Monday: Concentration with Math Model Cards

Thinking Thursday: Comparison Puzzles

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Thinking Thursday math journal prompt

Writing to Learn Math: Measurement is our way of connecting numbers to the things we find in the world, in daily life.

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.

Continue reading Thinking Thursday: Comparison Puzzles

Math Prompt: True-False-True

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
girl writing in a notebook, sitting on couch with her corgi

Book, Charlotte Mason's Living MathOne of the stretch goals for my Charlotte Mason’s Living Math Kickstarter campaign is to add a math journaling prompt to the end of each chapter. So, I’ve been playing around with ideas to get readers writing.

Since the book’s all about how to build mathematical reasoning, I’m looking for ways to prompt creative thinking and flexibility in math calculations.

Check Out the Kickstarter

I found some fun ideas in Guy Gattegno and Martin Hoffman’s Handbook of Activities for the Teaching of Mathematics (which you can download here), including the following riff off a puzzle created by Lewis Carroll.

Continue reading Math Prompt: True-False-True