Our World Is Filled With Math
Counting cookies, sorting pennies and estimating jelly beans in a jar are a few of the ways to teach children that math can be enjoyable and relevant.
“Math is everywhere,” says LeVar Burton, host of the award-winning television series “Reading Rainbow.”
“It’s in our natural world. It’s in our homes. It’s in our daily routines.”
Burton says parents and caregivers can help a child learn math by using the child’s natural curiosity to problem solve, along with math tools such as estimating, finding patterns and noticing relationships between objects.
“Reading Rainbow” will focus on math in several upcoming episodes and gives these suggestions for math-related fun:
Around the house, search for odd and even numbers with your child, such as one sofa, two beds, three toothbrushes. Have the child look for items that typically come in 2’s, 3’s, 4’s or a dozen. Look for shapes and numbers on doors, mailboxes and curbs.
In the kitchen, estimate quantities of sugar or flour and then measure with cups and spoons. Estimate lengths of noodles, then use a ruler to verify. Practice addition and subtraction when setting the table using plates, utensils and napkins.
On the road, have children keep a tally of things they see along the way such as trains, billboards and out-of-state license plates. Encourage them to count their tally marks by 5’s and 10’s. Have older children keep a travel expense log and calculate the total trip cost.
At the store, older children can compare prices between different sizes and quantities to determine the best buy. Younger children can count fruit, measure dry goods and sort groceries by shape or size.
“Reading Rainbow” offers a “Math is Everywhere” poster listing activities to help children enjoy math. It also includes gift ideas to promote interest in math and some suggestions for parents in becoming their child’s learning partner. To order the poster, send $2 payable to: GPN, Math is Everywhere Poster, P.O. Box 80669, Lincoln, NE 68501.
To encourage a child’s interest in math, the program is sponsoring its first “Math is Everywhere” contest.
Children between the ages of 5 and 8 may submit essays of 100 words or less describing how they use math in everyday life, such as measuring ingredients for a recipe, counting the coins needed to buy a Popsicle or sorting stickers in an album.
Entries may be accompanied by illustrations. Only one entry per person.
Each contest participant will receive a certificate of merit signed by Burton.
The top 10 entries will be selected by a panel of judges based on originality and creativity, and those winners will receive a “Reading Rainbow” library set and a copy of the book “How Much is a Million?” by David Schwartz.
To enter, send the essay, along with your name, address and phone number to: Reading Rainbow “Math is Everywhere” contest, 411 Park St., Upper Montclair, NJ 07043.
The contest deadline is Nov. 15. For a complete set of rules, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the address above.
, DataTimes MEMO: The Family Track is a weekly column of notes and information for families. Send items to Lynn Gibson, Features Department, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210-1615, or fax (509) 459-5098.