You won't be hearing much from Griffin and Tabitha this month. Instead, you'll hear from other children and their parents who have talked math and have shared their conversations with me. It will be a ton of fun to get a peek into these other households, and to see...
Results for "People"
Two competing theories, resolved
I wrote about two competing theories recently. Each is an answer the question Why do you never see a square on the rectangle page of a shapes book for young children? That question stands in for lots of other specific questions, such as Why do counting books tend to...
Two competing theories
Why do you never see a square on the rectangle page of a shapes book for children? This is the sort of book I'm talking about. I asked this question of a colleague this summer. It turns out that my colleague and I have different answers to this question. I'll share...
A Very Mathy Gift List
I am obsessed with this shape toy I saw in the gift shop at the Science Museum of Minnesota last week. Seen from above in the first photo, the triangle looks like a triangle. Seen obliquely, we notice that the triangle is embossed on a half-sphere, and so the sides of...
On Being a Math Person (or Not)
One of my favorite parts of Math On-A-Stick is that it creates opportunities for positive conversations about math with adults. Ask any math teacher, and they'll confirm that when meeting a new person and revealing the work that they do, there is a high probability...
Come Take a Virtual Tour of the TMF
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...
Pattern Machines: What They Are and Why You Need One
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...
The Circle Game
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 size...
Stepping Stones and What Comes before Zero
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 stepping...
Ask follow up questions
Asking questions keeps the conversation going, and that’s where the learning happens.