What do these floor tiles make you think of? They make me think of math.
Many children have a hard time remembering the difference between area and perimeter. Patterns of squares, like floor tiles, can really help them to learn about this important math topic.
One picture book, Spaghetti and Meatballs for All!, by Marilyn Burns, uses a funny, real life scenario to help children to connect these concepts with the real world. It's the story of a family reunion, where the seating arrangement takes center stage.
The Comforts have to seat 32 people for a meal. Mrs. Comfort separates all of the square tables so that there is seating for the exact number of people (the sides around the table showing us the perimeter of each table).
When people start arriving, they move the tables and chairs around, and there suddenly are not enough seats for everyone. The tables and chairs keep being arranged until the final guests arrive, and they have to change the arrangement back to the way it was originally. Children will see that even though the area of the tables does not change when you move them around, the perimeter does.
The author gives many other table arrangements and examples at the end of the book for parents and children to have some fun experimenting with. If you cut out squares, or even use a square cereal (like Chex), for "tables," and maybe some toothpicks, or even beads, for "chairs," you can have some fun making your own arrangements, and calculating the area and perimeter of each. There's also a web site you can try, called mathplayground.
What I love about this book is that it will appeal to three different types of learners. Visual learners will love to look at the illustrations in the book, and will appreciate it if you later let them experiment with arrangements of their own. Auditory learners will love to hear you read the book, and talk about the concepts. Kinesthetic ("hands on" experience) learners will love to play around with their own table arrangements after you read the book. Which type of learner is your child?
Children in the intermediate grades will especially appreciate this children's book, but so will younger children. Even if you make no mention of math at all, this picture book will subtly get your child to think about how math and the world connect. Isn't that what we all want for our children?
Enjoy!
