As spring approaches, it’s time to update readers on what’s going on behind the scenes at Talking Math with Your Kids.
The blog
The pace of posting has slowed way down in recent months. Rest assured that we’re still talking math around the house, and that my dedication to helping others do the same remains strong. I have lots to write, but not much time to write it because…
Math On-A-Stick
Two years ago, I began to wonder how to expand the work of this blog beyond the parents who have the time, technology, and inclination to read blogs.
One year ago, I pitched an idea for this to the Minnesota State Fair.
And last summer we inaugurated what is now an annual event: Math On-A-Stick. Planning is under way for year two, with help from the Minnesota Council of Teachers of Mathematics, The Math Forum, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the Minnesota State Fair, and the Minnesota State Fair Foundation.
The number one question at the Fair was Where can we buy the turtles?
At the time, the answer was “Nowhere”. We had asked permission from their designers, Jos Leys and Kevin Lee, only to cut them for Math On-A-Stick. Soon afterwards, I got permission from Jos to make and sell these turtles. I also got permission from Kevin who adapted Jos’s design for laser cutting using his own software (which is a ton of fun, and which you can buy from him) Tesselmaniac.
The store
The Talking Math with Your Kids Store opened late last fall with tiling turtles as the main offering. It is now stocked with a number of things to support parents and children in math activities and conversations—Pattern Machines, Tiling Turtles, Spiraling Pentagons, a gorgeous coloring book, and more on the way soon.
Click on through and have a look if you haven’t done so yet.
A book
I recently submitted the final manuscript for Which One Doesn’t Belong? A Better Shapes Book. There will be both a home/student edition, and a companion guide. It is being published by Stenhouse this summer.
More
The big ideas continue to flow, and further collaborations are in the works. Keep an eye on this space. In the meantime, you can expect a few new posts in the coming weeks as my attention shifts from book-writing mode.
And don’t forget to follow the fun on Twitter at the #tmwyk hashtag, where people share young children’s beautiful ideas and questions on a daily basis.