With the chill in the air, I want to grab my sweater and go outside. But I find that sometimes the kids want to rest after school, especially before their extra-curricular activities. What can we do (after the PBS Kids show) that involves learning but relaxes the kids at the same time?
MathArt! Through MathArt, kids access math in a non-threatening way. They learn math concepts while doing art projects!
Children love using their hands to create, and this book allows us parents to serve as a guide to activities we actually want to do, without freaking out. For example, we can make art using materials from nature. During the day, I usually take the youngest guy on a nature walk. We find the most beautiful fallen leaves. Today, the older kids will be using the most symmetrical of the leaves to create nature symmetry prints (supplies: construction paper, tracing paper, crayons/colored pencils, and leaves. Totally doable, right?). Tomorrow, we will make pyramid gift boxes for my dad’s birthday, and next week we’ll graph a wall hanging, with God’s grace. My middle child looked through the MathArt book and decided he wanted to make the multiplication table houses, so I’ll guide him in that endeavor as well.
Bonus: Want more math (in addition to the Kumon books your kids already have)? Try Bedtime Math!
Wouldn’t it be great to solve interesting math riddles together, riddles differentiated by age so that the little kids don’t feel left out and the older kids aren’t bored? Wait no more! Check out Bedtime Math today!
It’s funny that I’m writing about books which which help me teach math because when I see numbers, I don’t automatically want to embrace them, saying “I love you guys!” like my daughter does. I got my 5 in AP Calc because I had an excellent teacher who reached me and because I did a lot of homework. My kids are still relatively young and impressionable, and I want them to have a positive view of math. And just because math is not my favorite thing in the world shouldn’t keep them from learning it. Using MathArt, a book that pairs math with something I really love, and Bedtime Math, a book with riddles I can still solve joyfully, I’m helping the kids play with numbers and enjoy something that doesn’t come naturally to me. So, for that, a big thank you to the authors of these books. You make math something I look forward to teaching!
peace and love,
Elena Kryzhanovskaya