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
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
Special Sunday Edition: Debt, deficit and debt ceiling
I don’t usually post on Sundays, but with Geithner’s debt-ceiling deadline looming on Tuesday, I wanted to share this really great video. Using some math and graphs, the narrator explains the debt, deficit and debt ceiling in ways that even your 4th
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
Math Secrets: A round up
I’m on vacation this week, so I thought I’d do a quick round up of Math Secrets to date: Math Secret #1: There’s More than One Way to Skin a Math Problem: Most math teachers teach that that there’s one
Summer Session: What your rising first grader should know
Math for Grownups blog readers tend to fall into two camps: grownups who are not parents and really hate math (or think they’re not good at it), and parents who are worried that they’re going to pass along their math
Film Friday: Vi Hart, Doodling in Math Class, Binary Trees
You really don’t have to know or care what “binary trees” are to appreciate Vi Hart’s genius. And I’m so excited to finally introduce you all to her. Vi calls herself a “recreational mathematician.” In other words, she plays with
Math Secret #3: You can skip the love
When I was a camp counselor after my sophomore year of college, I had a standard response to kids who asked, “Do I have to?” Whether they were complaining about sweeping out the cabin or taking a hike, I’d look
Film Fridays: As the pendulum swings
Over the last year, I’ve come across lots of great math-related videos, and now that my blog is up and book is out, people are sending me links to many more. I thought Fridays would be a great time to share them.