Monday, November 3, 2014

Playing with Math

I embrace math as one of my favorite subjects, but I know that it is one that a lot of other parents dread. There are so many great resources for math play in the early years!

RightStart Math - this is our main math curriculum. RightStart teaches using manipulatives and games. The curriculum is scripted, which can make it easier for math-averse parents to feel comfortable. The approach is a blend between Singapore/Asian math methods and Montessori.

Toss Up! - This is a strategy dice game. Each die has red, yellow, and green sides - green rolls are worth points, red sides can make you go bust. The goal is to score 100 points faster than your opponents and the math is primarily in the scoring.

MathStart series by Stuart J. Murphy - These books are divided into three levels. In general, the first level is preschool-kindergarten math, the second level is K-2 math, and the third level is grades 2-4. Short, easy reads, with each book covering one topic.

Fill or Bust - a combination of cards and dice. The cards give you a goal or a potential reward for each turn, the dice are the scoring mechanism - 5s are worth 50 and 1s are worth 100, goal is to reach 10,000 first. I have adjusted the scoring for younger players to divide the typical scoring by 10 - 5s are worth 5 and 1s are worth 10 in this system, and you play to 1000.

Time-Life I Love Math series - each book in this series covers a wide range of math topics and problems.

Can't Stop - requires adding of single digit numbers, and you end up learning a bit of probability as you go along. This is an older game, no longer made; I grabbed the board my mother had from when I was a child.

Math Dice and Math Dice Jr. - you roll a target number and then try to match it using the other dice and any math operator you wish.

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