I was invited recently to give a talk to Reach Out and Read Minnesota, a lovely organization that supports early literacy development by connecting with children and caregivers in medical offices. They are beginning to explore similar work for early math...
I am thrilled to offer you a quick tour of the TMF (the Turtle Manufacturing Facility). Let's start outside, near a bustling street corner here in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In the street-level windows, we have a small Public Math project. We have rendered a scaled-up...
If you have children in your life who are between the ages of four and ten, you need a Pattern Machine. I'm going to tell you what a Pattern Machine is, and then tell you why you need one (or more). What Is a Pattern Machine? A Pattern Machine starts out as a...
I have read a lot of books in the last year. There have been some lovely novels, a bit of nonfiction, parts of a textbook about the mathematics of patterns. Through it all, one page sticks out vividly in my memory, from Grace Lin's The Last Marshmallow. Simple....
The Circle Game was new at Math On-A-Stick this year. Here's how it works: Pick your circle. We have small (4 inches in diameter), medium (6 inches), and large (8 inches).Fill it with bottle caps of various sizes and colors, but without stacking or squashing.Each...
At Math On-A-Stick, we have several plastic bins full of colorful plastic eggs, and a large collection of bulk egg trays—each with five rows of six egg cups. They are very popular with the young ones. When young children approach the eggs table, it is clear to them...
At Math On-A-Stick, we have a series of stepping stones, numbered 0 to 23, and winding their way from the sidewalk into the heart of the space. It is delightful to watch strollers roll in, toddlers getting unbuckled, and then jumping their way down the...
Each solid fits in at least one cutout, and each cutout fits at least one solid. Which is which and how do they fit?