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...
A very snowy winter is turning to a long, slow spring here in Minnesota. It is the kind of spring that makes us joyful for sunny 45° days. So I went for a long walk Sunday afternoon. Together with a meaningful percentage of the population of the city of Saint Paul, I...
Getting ready for the new year, I decided to look back at the history of my newsletter (which comes out about 8 times per year; you can browse the archives and subscribe at this link.) I found this post from almost three years ago, and it feels very true to thing I'm...
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...
At Math On-A-Stick, we have a puzzle table for the youngest fairgoers. The table is low to the ground, near an entrance to the space, and filled with colorful, chunky shapes—durable and sized for chunky toddler hands. Here are three typical states of the puzzle table...
I wrote last week about the release of 21st Century Pattern Blocks on a much larger scale than before. This week, I want to share five fun math adventures that begin with these blocks. 1.Scaling Which 21st Century Pattern Blocks can you use (any number of)...
After seeing Hana Murray's lovely study of rectangles made from 21st Century Pattern Blocks, I started playing and noticed that many of them seemed to involve the small green triangles. Pretty soon, I had formed a conjecture. Using copies of these at least two...
I am very excited to let folks know that Dan Finkel of Math for Love has scaled up 21st Century Pattern Blocks production and availability. They've been available here on this site for a few years now. At first I was making them on a maker-space laser cutter, then I...