Sunday, October 1, 2017

Providence St. Mel Parents Workshop, October 14, 2017

Parent Resources for Encouraging and Enriching Math at Home

from Ways a Parent Can Help with Math


Websites and Readings for Parents



Strength in Numbers | National Numeracy Challenge helps adults learn the math needed for everyday life. A good place to start if you yourself are not comfortable with math.

High School Math Review Tutorials Problems - a free resource with examples, problems, explantions and exercises.  Parents can use these free resources and problems to help your child learn math.

Maths activities for children | Family Maths Toolkit has collections of activities for age ranges 3-13. Topics include: around the house, math and money, games, out and about, books and TV. From UK.














Technology

ONLINE


Here's an example of an app that's available online from NCTM. It's pitched at grades 3-8, but I wouldn't hesitate to share this with much younger children--it provides an exploration of algebraic thinking about equations using a balance scale:

Pan Balance – Shapes

Here's a screenshot:


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If you remember LOGO or Turtle Geometry from the early days of home computing, you'll like Turtle Pond. This introduces children as young as pre-K to rudimentary coding.

I also like Pick-a-Path (one of my favorites, suitable, at the higher levels, for grades 3 and up), Isometric Drawing Tool, Tessellation Creator, Equivalent Fractions.



Several good online games are available at PBS Kids Odd Squad Games. In particular, I liked "Down the Tubes." The underlying math includes number stuff (different sums to make a particular target length of tube) and geometric transformations (turns and flips). The levels build slowly, but eventually get mathematically interesting. The graphics are sufficiently eye-catching so your child will have the patience to continue to a challenging level.

MOBILE DEVICES

NOT free:

DragonBox - Discover the game of Math 

The game claims it "secretly teaches algebra," which is true, but I think there are advantages to having a parent or teacher ask the occasional question or suggest recording what is happening in the game on paper so the algebra can be made more explicit. A good description of the game variations can be found here: DRAGONBOX ALGEBRA - The game that secretly teaches algebra.



DragonBox Algebra 12+ - The award-winning math learning game on the App Store $7.99

DragonBox Elements - Geometry Proofs on the App Store (iPad  $4.99)




Get both:  DB Advanced Math Pack on the App Store $9.99 and worth it. 

 Where to buy DragonBox for Android – Customer Feedback for DragonBox.

 Mystery Math Museum  $3.99 on iTunes.  (It has occasionally been offered at no charge. I was lucky that way!)  My granddaughter asks to return to this one. I'll show you why I like it enough to spend $ on it.



Greater Gator on the App Store $1.99 Currently (as of Oct. 1 2017) on sale for $ .99

24 Game – Math Card Puzzle on the App Store $1.99 Also available daily FREE online.

*Links to free mobile device versions of pick-a-path, equivalent fractions, and others from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics here.

Big Seed is one of my favorites. It develops visual-spatial skills as you flip shapes to cover the presented puzzle. I find it much more challenging than my granddaughter does!

BigSeed on the App Store on iTunes FREE

Matific - Educational Math Games For Kindergarten and Elementary School on the App Store offers hundreds of math activities, grades K-6.

Sushi Monster on the App Store

 Geoboard, by The Math Learning Center on the App Store

Daily SET Puzzle on the App Store; alternatively, Combinations on the App Store;
The Daily SET Puzzle | America's Favorite Card Games®

Daily set game puzzle online

LetsTans Classic presents an outline to fill in, the seven tangram pieces in rich colors, and a mechanism (tapping a piece) for rotating. Many puzzles and many play options. I think this is the winner in the category. Free. iPad and iPhone. 
http://bit.ly/letstansclassic  
There are variations: Classic 2, Contours, Kids ("for the youngest solvers only"), and Silhouette (challenging! the shape you must create is NOT presented at the full size) are available as separate downloads.

Khan Academy 

GeoGebra on the App Store

Educreations Interactive Whiteboard on the App Store



Collections












Games








Maths bingo (mobile app)


Everyday Activities





Cooking helps counting!

Act like an architect: Draw your bedroom | GreatKids


Math and Literature

mathmarsha blog: Math and Literature: Books and Suggestions/Links for How to Use Them

Math and Children's Literature -- a GREAT resource!

Math Read-aloud Books

List of recommended titles

Fruit fractions | GreatKids

Math Literature, Math Resource Book, Math, Mathematics, Elementary Math sorted by math topic--excellent resource

Good Books for Problem-Posing Extensions

Teaching mathematics through literature shows how to use the book Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg to explore probability, for grades 5-6.



Arts/Music/Crafts



Holidays and Seasonal






Pumpkin Math Estimates (grades 8 or 9)

Skill Practice


























Problem Solving and Puzzles














BOOKS

For starters, go to my blog entry on Mathematics and Literature. You'll find suggestions for books that have mathematics in them available to your learners and ways to guide that math learning.

And, please, read the story that I have written and posted here Yes, That's My Mother! and let me know what you and your child think of it. So far I have received some useful suggestions for improvement, so I'll be posting a revision when I've had time to mull over the new ideas and create a new version.

Stuart J Murphy has written a plethora of easy readers for young children that address math topics. I'm not wildly enthusiastic about them, but they do contain pages of activities and games for parents to use to go beyond the stories. His website has free pdfs.


How to access Math Expressions online:  start here and follow the directions for your child's grade level book and resources.


Links verified on October 1, 2017.

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