I absolutely agree with you. Exciting, relevant co...

2010-07-25T12:09:46.726-04:00

I absolutely agree with you. Exciting, relevant context combined with encouragement and confidence boost do magic.

Just today, on a weekend car trip, our son was nugging us: "When are we going to be there?". I saw a sign showing that destination is 8 miles away and told him: "Look, it says 8 miles. We drive with a speed of 60mph. How much longer do you think it is?" He thought a bit, then said: 8mins and didn't ask again...

And after you prime your kids brain, they start thinking in math terms as well:

After visiting a medieval castle in Northern Italy my 7 year old daughter asked: "If there is a person that lowers the bridge to the castle every morning and raises the bridge every evening. He earns 1 euro for each of the operations. I wonder how much will he earn in a year?" She was thrilled to learn how to add 365+365 in a column and thinking it is the coolest trick, asked for more of such additions on the next day.

Apart from getting very hungry when I look at all ...

2010-07-25T10:49:36.516-04:00

Apart from getting very hungry when I look at all your yummy fruit pictures, I keep thinking of how surrounded by things we are that are perfect for math. It makes it always so much more enjoyable when we give our kids something tangible to work with, rather than three circles plus two circles on a whiteboard, etc. The other thing that always works well with our kids is the storytelling; we have two girls, so I usually end up telling a story about a princess, fairy or adventuress who is stumped by some math problem. Works a charm (almost) every time.

Comments on The Math Mom: Math Fun with Summer Produce

I absolutely agree with you. Exciting, relevant co...

Apart from getting very hungry when I look at all ...