Okay, that was fun! I handed my group of kindergartners and first graders tape measures (the non-metal kind) and told them they could measure whatever they wanted. What a hit! On so many levels. First, I showed them how they could measure how far they jumped. After being stuck inside all day due to rain, this was the perfect way to get them to move around a bit and still sneak in some great math. Once I showed them how…
Part of figuring out how to help kids grow up comfortable with math, is to understand what math is. If you ask a group of first graders to describe math, the responses are very similar. Math is adding and taking away. Older elementary students will add multiplying and dividing. When prodded to include more, there are often long pauses followed by kids giving the same answer but in a different way. Rarely does anyone describe math as shapes or patterns…
3 easy activities you can do with your children or students to help build a strong mathematical foundation. CCSS: K.CC.1; K.CC.3; K.CC.4; K.CC.5; K.CC.6; K.CC.7; K.OA.1; K.OA.2; K.OA.3; K.OA.5; 1.OA.1; 1.OA.3; 1.OA.4; 1.OA.5; 1.OA.6 .
See how simple objects like tiles, stickers, rubber stamps, dice, and graph paper help teach students important concepts in number theory: factors, primes, composites, and square numbers…not to mention the great reinforcement of multiplication facts. Grades 2 – 5 To get the pdf version, click here. If you do any of these activities with your kids/students, let me know how it goes!
WooHoo! Free Money! Okay, so technically there’s a little work involved. But the kind of money we’re talking about here is definitely worth the effort. The PTAs Take Your Family to School Week is sponsored by the AXA Foundation and includes 45 $1000 grants. One of them could be yours if you take action before October 28, 2011 by completing the short application. Of course, we’re going to want you to use that money to purchase our Nifty Numbers Family…