Things that make many kids anxious: a new school, big dogs, the deep end of the swimming pool, bees, strangers, nightmares, math. Did you notice something there? For many children, math and bees are equally frightening or at least nerve-wracking.
Early Math for Babies and Parents
When my daughter was born more than 11 years ago, I knew a few things: Physically connecting with her would help us bond, breastfeeding is best, and reading to her—even at a very young age—was critical for later language development.
The Arithmetic of Allowance
You probably find it pretty darned easy to encourage literacy. In fact, there are countless magazine articles and books and workshops out there on this very subject. And so all good parents read to their kids every night, play word games
Math Secret #2: You Were Born This Way (take 2)
All summer long, we’ve seen some pretty amazing research on math ability and education. We’ve been told that understanding geometric concepts may be innate and that elementary-aged students with a good sense of numeracy do better in math by the 5th grade. And yesterday
The Math of Parenting
So you think you don’t use math on a daily basis? Think again. You may not be solving for x, and the distance formula may not roll off the tip of your frontal lobe—mainly because you haven’t used it in years
Vacation Math for Kids and Grownups
My daughter just bought a hot-pink slap watch. She thinks it’s cool because it’s a slap watch, that’s pink–with tiny Diamonique stones encircling the face. I think it’s cool because it’s not digital. Like most middle school kids, my daughter
Food for Thought: 5 Ways Hurried Moms Can Make Math Easy
Boy, do I remember those early days of parenting my daughter. I was working full time, coddling a strong-willed toddler, trying to serve balanced meals, selecting great books to read to her and trying to keep my house and yard
When It Comes to Math, Parents Should Chill
What’s the one thing most parents have in common? We push our kids. “Eat your veggies.” “Do your homework.” “Unload the dishwasher.” And even though it sounds like nagging, these lessons are the ones that help our kids grow into
Virtual book tour: Frisco Kids
Today, I’m visiting Frisco Kids, a blog written by my friend and fellow freelancer, Debbie Abrams Kaplan. She has posted a Q&A with me about Math for Grownups, and as well as my thoughts about kids and math. I hope you’ll visit and
Film Friday: Sneaking in some summer learnin’
Okay, so most parents really do understand how to encourage literacy. We read signs, the backs of cereal boxes, the comic section and of course classics like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. But injecting a little everyday math into long
Guest Post: Grownups can learn new tricks!
Bon Crowder, another math evangelist couple of weeks ago, a fellow freelance writer wrote me about her foray into graduate school. She needed to brush up on some math skills, and she wasn’t sure how. I have a feeling that
Nothing But Net
A few years ago, I got this idea that I wanted to learn how to sew. My mother in law bought me a lightweight machine at a yard sale for $10. So I decided it was time to teach myself