Math Journal: Playing with My Own Ignorance

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
photo of a girl wondering about math

Mary Everest Boole, wife of English mathematician George Boole, once described algebra as “thinking logically about the fact of our own ignorance.”

This definition made me chuckle. Like any human being, I am ignorant on many things, but I usually avoid thinking about that.

So I wondered what would happen if I took Mrs. Boole’s advice and tried thinking logically about my ignorance.

How far could I go?

Perhaps you’d like to try this experiment with your children. All you need is a pen and paper or a whiteboard and markers and a bit of curiosity.

Math Journaling Adventures series by Denise GaskinsAnd if you enjoy this exploration, check out my Math Journaling Adventures project to discover how playful writing activities can help your students learn mathematics. Preorder your books today!

Continue reading Math Journal: Playing with My Own Ignorance

Morning Coffee: When Math Makes You Feel Stupid

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Morning Coffee Lifelong Learning for Parents

One of the best ways we can help our children learn mathematics (or anything else) is to be lifelong learners ourselves.

Here are a few stories to read as you sip your morning brew. . .

Download your printable Morning Coffee journal

Continue reading Morning Coffee: When Math Makes You Feel Stupid

Why I Love the Math Journaling Adventures Series

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Mother and daughter doing homework outdoors

Math Journaling Adventures series by Denise GaskinsMy Math Journaling Adventures Series is now available on Kickstarter.

I love these books!

Writing is one of the best ways to learn math deeply, because wrestling our thoughts into words forces us to figure out what we really believe.

It’s the natural, no-stress way to build our children’s understanding and confidence.

Hit the button to visit the campaign and order your books:

Math Journaling Adventures Kickstarter ❯

Continue reading Why I Love the Math Journaling Adventures Series

Math Journaling Adventures Launched: Order Your Copy Today

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Math Journaling Adventures: Creative Logbooks for All Ages

And so it begins: the Math Journaling Adventures is LIVE on Kickstarter!

Check It Out ❯

⭐ Don’t delay! First-day backers get the best deals. Choose one of the Earlybird rewards:

  • Earlybird 2-Logbook Sets in Digital, Paperback, Spiral-Bound, or Hardcover
  • Earlybird Everything Bundles in Digital or Paperback

To have a successful campaign, we need plenty of people to back the project early. The more supporters we get in these early days, the more likely the Kickstarter platform folks will help spread the news for us.

Continue reading Math Journaling Adventures Launched: Order Your Copy Today

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

Morning Coffee: Professional Development for Homeschooling Parents and Other Teachers

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Morning Coffee Lifelong Learning for Parents

Lately, I’ve spent most of my writing time thinking about the value of narration—the Charlotte Mason approach to teaching by getting kids to put ideas in their own words.

For students, I’m writing a new series of Math Adventure Journals to get them thinking about math and putting those thoughts into words. If you’re interested, sign up to be notified when the Kickstarter goes live.

But we parents can harness the value of narration in our own learning. After all, one of the best ways we can help our children learn mathematics (or anything else) is to be lifelong learners ourselves.

To that end, I’ve decided to relaunch my “Morning Coffee” series of professional development posts for homeschooling parents.

Continue reading Morning Coffee: Professional Development for Homeschooling Parents and Other Teachers

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

Start the New Year Right: Playful Math Carnival 177 via Math Hombre

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Talking Numbers from Playful Math Carnival 177

If you’re looking for an entertaining way to weather the coming storm — or just curious about how learning math could possibly be fun — you’ll definitely want to check out the latest edition of the Playful Math Carnival.

It’s a collection of awesome blog posts curated by John Golden and published on the Math Hombre website:

The whole point of the carnival is to show that math doesn’t have to be tedious or repetitive. Through a bunch of fun and engaging posts, we celebrate math that’s playful, creative, and totally relevant to everyday life.

Because what could be more relevant than having fun while we learn?

Continue reading Start the New Year Right: Playful Math Carnival 177 via Math Hombre

Charlotte Mason Math: Practical Tips for a Living Math Education

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
“Young italian woman with two sleeping children on coast’ painting by August Riedel, public domain

Focus on the logic of reasoning.

Correct answers are important, of course, but as children explain their thinking, they will often catch and fix mistakes on their own.

“Two and two make four and cannot by any possibility that the universe affords be made to make five or three. From this point of view, of immutable law, children should approach Mathematics; they should see how impressive is Euclid’s ‘Which is absurd,’ just as absurd as would be the statements of a man who said that his apples always fell upwards, and for the same reason.”

 — Charlotte Mason, Towards a Philosophy of Education

“Most remarks made by children consist of correct ideas badly expressed. A good teacher will be wary of saying ‘No, that’s wrong.’ Rather, he will try to discover the correct idea behind the inadequate expression. This is one of the most important principles in the whole of the art of teaching.”

 — W. W. Sawyer, Vision in Elementary Mathematics

  • Tip: If you’re not sure how to draw out your child’s reasoning, read Christopher Danielson’s wonderful examples and advice on talking math with your kids: Talking Math with Your Kids.

Continue reading Charlotte Mason Math: Practical Tips for a Living Math Education