My books

Murphy Strikes My Paperbacks :(

Posted on July 23, 2015May 6, 2021 by Denise Gaskins

The colors are supposed to go all the way off the edge. They worked just fine in the pre-publication proof…

Murphy’s Law struck today, and the paperback books that looked so good in the proof copies turned out to have a cover glitch, at least in the ones I ordered from Amazon. I’m working with CreateSpace to make sure it gets straightened out—but that means the books may show up as “unavailable” for awhile.

As with any print-on-demand glitch, if you got a badly printed book you can ask Customer Support to replace it.

It could be worse. The interior of the book is fine, at least in my copy. And of course, the ebook versions are totally unaffected.

If you are trying to use the discount code for newsletter subscribers, remember that it’s good through the end of the month. I may even extend the expiration date, if this cover problem persists, but I sure hope to have it fixed in a couple of days.

They’re Here! Math You Can Play Weekend Sale

Posted on April 24, 2015February 8, 2024 by Denise Gaskins

Featured photo above by Richard Riley via Flickr (CC BY 2.0).

Finally, the first two books of my math games series are finished and loaded up on Amazon.com (and the other Amazons worldwide). ~~To celebrate, I’m offering an introductory sale price this weekend: US$2.99 per book, now through Monday.~~[Sorry, expired.]

Math Your Kids WANT To Do

Are you tired of flashcards and repetitive worksheets? Now your children can practice their math skills by playing games.

Math games pump up mental muscle, reduce the fear of failure, and develop a positive attitude toward mathematics. Through playful interaction, games strengthen a child’s intuitive understanding of numbers and build problem-solving strategies. Mastering a math game can be hard work, but kids do it willingly because it is fun.

Continue reading They’re Here! Math You Can Play Weekend Sale

Fun with the Impossible Penrose Triangle

Posted on February 12, 2015May 13, 2022 by Denise Gaskins

I found this delightful animation today:

The ball is traveling around a shape that can’t exist in our real world: the Penrose triangle. This illusion is the basis for some cool art, like Escher’s Waterfall. And I’m using it in my Math You Can Play books as a design on the back of my playing cards:

Want to Play Around with the Penrose Triangle?

Here’s a few links so you can try it for yourself:

Penrose Lego by Erik Johansson (CC BY 2.0)

Book Update

I’ve sent the first two Math You Can Play books to a copy editor (she edits the text part), so my focus this month is on finishing the illustrations and downloadable game boards. And designing the book covers — I think I’ll call this latest iteration done.

If everything stays on schedule, both Counting & Number Bonds and Addition & Subtraction should be available by mid- to late-spring. Fingers crossed…

Monday Morning Surprise

Posted on September 16, 2013September 12, 2023 by Denise Gaskins

$2013-09-16 number1 in teaching math, closeup$

This is a good way to start the week. Amazon rankings are like a roller-coaster ride, so this won’t last for long — but I’ll enjoy it while I can. 🙂

If you’re curious about my book, here is the introduction and first chapter, free to download:

Excerpt of Let’s Play Math book

Sample Chapter from Let’s Play Math Book

Posted on August 30, 2013December 30, 2024 by Denise Gaskins

As I’ve been working on the layout for the paperback edition of Let’s Play Math: How Homeschooling Families Can Learn Math Together, and Enjoy It!, I thought, “Why not post an excerpt?” So here is the introduction and first chapter, free to download:

Excerpt of Let’s Play Math book

This excerpt isn’t exactly how the paperback will look, because it’s based on the current ebook edition. For the paperback, I’ll be adding plenty of new illustrations — not quite a picture on every page, but close. (Yes, that’s one reason it’s taking soooo long to finish!)

For Example …

Here is one of the new illustrations, along with its caption:

Fractals are self-similar, which means that subsections of the object look like smaller versions of the whole thing. Your children may enjoy making a Sierpinski triangle with tortilla chips.

Want To Buy the Book?

Let’s Play Math should be available wherever you usually buy books.

Back to School Sale

Posted on August 26, 2013September 12, 2023 by Denise Gaskins

Princess Kitten, way back in the beginning.

Our homeschool runs a bit off-schedule from the rest of the U.S. school system, as we are still finishing up last year’s work. Even so, we’re calling this month the “beginning” of Kitten’s high school years, which seems to me like something to celebrate.

Therefore, I’m launching a one-week sale on my math book:

Let’s Play Math at Amazon.com Regularly $5.99, marked down to $3.99. No coupon code required.
Sale expires September 2, 2013.

Please feel free to share the coupon code with your friends.

Update: I’ve just opened up a Ganxy showcase with the sale price, for anyone who would prefer to buy the ebook (in pdf, mobi, and epub) directly from me:

Let’s Play Math at Ganxy Buy directly from me, no coupon required.

Continue reading Back to School Sale

Homeschooling High School Math

Posted on April 18, 2013November 20, 2025 by Denise Gaskins

Feature photo (above) by Sphinx The Geek via flickr.

Most homeschoolers feel at least a small tinge of panic as their students approach high school. “What have we gotten ourselves into?” we wonder. “Can we really do this?” Here are a few tips to make the transition easier.

Before you move forward, it may help to take a look back. How has homeschooling worked for you and your children so far?

If your students hate math, they probably never got a good taste of the “Aha!” factor, that Eureka! thrill of solving a challenging puzzle. The early teen years may be your last chance to convince them that math can be fun, so consider putting aside your textbooks for a few months to:

Subscribe to Games magazine.
Read Brian Bolt books, or work through Raymond Smullyan’s What is the Name of This Book?
Design your own tessellation T-shirts for Christmas gifts.
Remodel the house. From financing to floor coverings, that is real math in action.

On the other hand, if you have delayed formal arithmetic, using your children’s elementary years to explore a wide variety of mathematical adventures, now is a good time to take stock of what these experiences have taught your students.

How much of what society considers “the basics” have your children picked up along the way?
Are there any gaps in their understanding of arithmetic, any concepts you want to add to their mental tool box?

Continue reading Homeschooling High School Math

My Ebook: Kindle & Smashwords Updates Available

Posted on April 4, 2013September 12, 2023 by Denise Gaskins

If you bought an early edition of my ebook Let’s Play Math, you can now update your copy to the latest version.

This update includes:

typo whack-a-mole (fixing all I could find)
toc.ncx navigation (the ebook magic that lets you skip ahead to the next chapter)
additional living book and internet references in the appendix sections
new quotations: insights from W. W. Sawyer, Malke Rosenfeld, and Maria Droujkova
an expansion of the Homeschooling with Math Anxiety section
How to Recognize a Successful Homeschool Math Program
and several new sections in the high school math chapter, which I hope to publish on the blog as well (maybe next week?)

How To Update

If you bought at Smashwords, the latest update is always available for download at their site.

If you are an Amazon.com customer, you can get the updated version of this book by going to your Content and Devices page. Find the book in your Kindle Library, click on the “Update Available” link next to the book’s title, and then follow the update prompts. After you do this, all of your Kindle devices that have the ebook currently downloaded will be updated automatically the next time they connect to wireless. If you tucked the book away in a folder, the update will replace it there, rather than cluttering up your home screen.