Author: Denise Gaskins

Are you looking for playful ways to help your children enjoy math and writing? We’ve just posted two free learning guides:

• How to Solve a Math Problem
  Teach your children to use this 4-step, common-sense method to think their way through math stumpers.

• Where Do Writers Get Ideas?
  Inspire your budding writers with tips from homeschooled teen author Teresa Gaskins.

If you’d like to claim your copies, click here to read our Get Your Free Booklets page. And as a Tabletop Academy Press Updates subscriber, you’ll be one of the first to hear about new books, revisions, and sales or other promotions.

For those of you who have already subscribed to our newsletter, I’ll add a link to these files in the next issue.

Happy reading!

From Denise:

The July “Let’s Play Math” newsletter went out yesterday to everyone who signed up for Tabletop Academy Press math updates. This month’s issue focuses on math proofs without words. What fun!

If you’re not on the mailing list, you can still join in the play:

• July 2015 archive page.
• Sign up for future newsletters.

And remember: Newsletter subscribers are always the first to hear about new books, revisions, and sales or other promotions.

A Preview

Math Snack: Proofs Without Words
Playful, no-preparation math activities for all ages

Our first proof is a diagram from Paper Sloyd. Fold a square in half diagonally, both ways. Unfold. What do you see? Can you say anything about the shapes, lines, or angles? How do you know? Now, fold in the four corners of the paper square so they meet at the center. What new relationships can you find?

When using proofs without words, don’t try to force your kids in a particular direction. What I see here is that the tilted square (formed by connecting the midpoints of each side) has exactly half the area of the larger square—‌but your students may find something else. The point is to have a good discussion. Begin with Annie Fetter’s key questions: “What do you notice? What do you wonder?” or similar idea-generators: “What is going on? Have you seen something like this before? Are there other ways of looking at it?”

Here’s another picture with squares…

From Denise:

The May “Let’s Play Math” newsletter went out Monday morning to everyone who signed up for Tabletop Academy Press math updates. This month’s issue focuses on math games for all ages. What fun!

If you’re not on the mailing list, you can still join in the play:

• May 2015 archive page.
• Sign up for future newsletters.

And remember: Newsletter subscribers are always the first to hear about new books, revisions, and sales or other promotions.

A Preview

Math Snack: Two Math Games
Playful, no-preparation math activities for all ages

Math games pump up mental muscle, reduce the fear of failure, and develop a positive attitude toward mathematics. Through playful interaction, games strengthen a child’s intuitive understanding of numbers and build problem-solving strategies. Mastering a math game can be hard work, but kids do it willingly because it is fun.

The easiest no-prep strategy game for all ages is the finger game Chopsticks. You don’t need any equipment, so it’s a great game to keep in mind for when you and your kids are stuck in a line or waiting room. Math concepts: counting up to five, thinking ahead.

And one of my all-time favorite games is…

From Denise:

The April “Let’s Play Math” newsletter went out Monday morning to everyone who signed up for Tabletop Academy Press math updates. If you’re not on the mailing list, you can still join in the fun:

• April 2015 archive page.
• Sign up for future newsletters.

A Preview

Math Snack: Math Treks
Playful, no-preparation math activities for all ages

Created by Maria Droujkova, a Math Trek is a “virtual reality” game, played at the intersection between the real world and your imagination. Participants explore their towns and communities, start noticing mathematics everywhere, and grow their math eyes.

Math Treks are like scavenger hunts for math. Gather a group of friends, choose a topic, and go for a walk to see how much math you can find. Take pictures to share and compare. My math club families have enjoyed a Multiplication Trek (looking for things in groups and arrays) around our local library and a Symmetry Trek through the woods.

If you have time for a little preparation, Maria posted several Math Trek game sheets you can download and print. …

From Denise:

The March “Let’s Play Math” newsletter went out this morning to everyone who signed up for Tabletop Academy Press math updates. If you’re not on the mailing list, you can still join in the fun:

• March 2015 archive page.
• Sign up for future newsletters.

A Preview

Math Snack: Why Pi?

In math, symmetry is beautiful, and the most completely symmetric object in the (Euclidean) mathematical plane is the circle. No matter how you turn it, expand it, or shrink it, the circle remains essentially the same. Every circle you can imagine is the exact image of every other circle there is.

This is not true of other shapes. A rectangle may be short or tall. An ellipse may be fat or slim. A triangle may be squat, or stand up right, or lean off at a drunken angle. But circles are all the same, except for magnification. A circle three inches across is a perfect, point-for-point copy of a circle three miles across, or three millimeters…

From Denise:

The February “Let’s Play Math” newsletter went out this morning to everyone who signed up for math updates. If you’re not on the mailing list, you can still join in the fun:

• February 2015 archive page.
• Sign up for future newsletters.

A Preview

Math Snack: Fractal Valentines

What better way to say “I love you forever!” than with a pop-up fractal Valentine? My math club kids made these a couple years back, and they turned out great.

To make your card, choose two colors of construction paper or card stock. One color will make the pop-up hearts on the inside of your card. The other color will be the front and back of the card, and will also peek through the cut areas between the hearts. Fold the papers in half and cut them to card size.

Set the outer card aside and focus on the inside. The fractal cutting pattern is simple: press the fold, cut a curve, tuck inside, repeat…

From Denise:

I just sent out my first newsletter to everyone who signed up for math updates. If you’re not on the mailing list, you can still join in the fun:

• January 2015 archive page.
• Sign up for future newsletters.

A Preview

Math Snack: Calendar Patterns
Playful, no-preparation math activities for all ages

A new year is a great time to investigate patterns on the calendar. If you don’t have a printable planner, then download your favorite calendar style. Let’s play…

Young children can use the calendar as a number line to do addition and subtraction beyond what they might normally handle. Look for addition and subtraction patterns. 3+5=? Now go to 13+5, and 23+5. What do you notice? What do 11-7, 21-7, and 31-7 have in common? Take turns finding and describing patterns.

Older children can practice their times tables. Mark the numbers you hit when you count by 2. What pattern do they make? Make the counting-by-3 pattern, or mark the 7s, etc. Which counting-by patterns are your favorites? What happens if you start at a weird number, like counting by 6s but starting at 5?

Try some of Cynthia Lanius’s algebra calendar puzzles. Can you explain why they work? What other patterns can you discover?