Number

Counting, skip counting, fractions, negative numbers, and more.

Learning to count

Learning to count

I am fascinated by watching children learn to count. There are many surprising twists and turns kids take along the way. Even more surprising, perhaps, is that what seem like crazy mistakes to us adults are completely sensible attempts at getting it right for kids....

Armholes

Armholes

We were packing for a trip recently. I have developed a system for getting the kids packed. It is beautiful. Here's how it works: Send kids to basement to get suitcases.Keep suitcases on first floor.Send kids upstairs to get one type of item at a time. E.g. Three...

Lobsters

Lobsters

Griffin turned 9 the other day. His birthday dinner request was lobster. We live in Minnesota, where lobsters are not native. They do not come cheap. Tabitha, who is 6, announced in advance that she would not be having any lobster. My mother joined us for dinner. A...

Things that come in pairs

Things that come in pairs

Talking math with your kids takes two forms: (1) seizing opportunities the kids initiate, and (2) creating opportunities where there might previously have been none. This is story of creating an opportunity—first with my four-year old, then with my seven-year old....

Uncle Wiggily

Uncle Wiggily

Tabitha was $latex 3\frac{1}{2}$  years old when we were playing a game of Uncle Wiggily. In case you are not familiar with the game, I’ll briefly describe it. Uncle Wiggily is a board game with 100 spaces along a twisty path. Players draw cards; each card has...