Moms Inspire Learning

When Coins and Picture Books Collide, Part 2

Before children move on to nickels and dimes (I'll show you how here next week), it's important for them to just get used to the idea of money and coins. If you work on the activities I mentioned yesterday along with your children, it will provide them with a strong foundation for understanding how money works.

Learning about math will come to children naturally if they have numerous, playful experiences with it. That's why, when it comes to coins, there is no way that a worksheet could even come close to the recreation of a make-believe store.

Today, we will take your young entrepreneur into the kitchen, where they will start to understand that food does, but doesn't, "grow on trees." You'll be amazed at how one simple picture book could take learning to a whole new level.

When Coins and Picture Books Collide, Part 1

Money. Money. Money. It brings out the best and the worst in people, doesn't it?

These days, I don't think anyone could argue against teaching children about the value and use of money. If adults are having so many problems understanding it, just think about how confused our children must be!

Money is a confusing subject, but it's also one that can be taught from a very early age. The more real world experiences children have with money, the better off they will be when they go off on their own.

Literacy, Play, and Math Connections

I seem to have lost my picture book focus in the past couple of weeks, so today I'm happy to inform you that I am returning to math-related picture books this week. I've also decided to add a category specifically relating to math resources.

As a non-practicing certified public accountant, I have a strong interest in math. Combine that with my love of literacy and what do you get? Someone who loves to find picture books which integrate subjects like math, language arts, social studies, science, and art.

An Inch, A Foot, and A Picture Book!

Finally, I get to go back to math! So many subjects, so little time....

As a non-practicing certified public accountant, I have a strong interest in math, and I love to find picture books that will help students understand this often intimidating subject. It's just as important for parents to surround their children with math as it is to surround them with great children's literature. So, why not put the two together?

Calling All Parents of Children Between the Ages of 4 and 8!

© iStockphoto/Don Bayley RapidEye

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There was an interesting article circulating on Twitter this week.  Culture, not Biology, Underpins Math Gender Gap,  by Terry Devitt, once again calls our attention to the ongoing debate over gender differences in math. Whereas many Americans believe that children are either born with talent in math or not, it is believed in many other cultures that math skills directly correlate with effort.

Having Fun with Multiplication

I used to be so turned off to social studies because most of my teachers seemed to focus on rote learning. I would memorize the information for the test, and then forget it soon after. Since I had not been required to really think about the subject (which I now find fascinating, by the way), I really had no reason to commit it to memory. I had made no personal connection to the material, to the world, or to the textbook we were forced to study out of.

There are so many other ways to more effectively teach this subject. The best teachers try to find creative ways to help students to remember facts and equations so that they'll remember them long after the school year is over. 

Sometimes, though, there is a place for rote learning to be used in conjunction with critical thinking and hands-on activities. For example, there is no getting around the memorization of the multiplication tables, but children do also need to understand what it means to multiply, and why we use it in real life. That's where picture books come in.

Math to World Connections, Part 3

What do these floor tiles make you think of? They make me think of math.

Math to World Connections, Part 2

What comes to mind when you think of a square?
Do you think of:

• a post-it?
• a tile on your floor?
• a window to the outside world?

Believe it or not, this shape has inspired the learning of math, reading, writing, and even history, for centuries. The best example I can give you is of an ancient Chinese puzzle called a tangram.

Math to World Connections, Part 1

It's National Math Awareness Month in the USA, and parents need to find any way they can to help their children to connect math with the real world. Many students struggle with this subject, and find it hard to apply to real life.

If you take time out to think about it, we all use math every day. We just don't think of it as math. Every time we look at a clock, measure ingredients for a recipe, go to the cashier to make a purchase, or even look at a "stop" sign while we're driving, we have come face to face with math.