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June 2020
Welcome to Mathematics at Home!
We are excited to launch our new Mathematics at Home Newsletter. This is a space where we will share easy and fun activities you can do with your young kids at home. We understand the struggle to keep up with what is going on at school and support your child's learning. All kids are capable learners of math and encouraging them to engage in math does not need to be stressful. The activities shared are intended to be low/no prep, few/no materials needed, interactive and fun.
We hope that you enjoy connecting with and engaging your kids in math. We welcome your feedback and suggestions. Reach out to us anytime at jennifer.cronquist@k12.wa.us
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Math Choice Boards - Summer Edition
So often we get locked into the idea that math has to be taught by sitting down at a table and completing worksheets. We want to challenge that idea by providing you with some choice boards. These grids are filled with fun activities you can do at home while playing with your kids. We like choice boards because they give children choice while still setting specific parameters designed to encourage developmentally appropriate math skills.
We have set up the choice boards by grade bands. Each column focuses on a different math concept, and the activities dive deeper into the skill as you work your way down the board. This gives you the freedom to enter the board at a place that best suits your child, and provides additional activities to continue working on the skill.
Download the PDF choice boards:
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Tiny Polka Dot
Tiny Polka Dot is the playful way for children ages 3 – 8+ to fall in love with numbers. With eye-catching, colorful cards, Tiny Polka Dot is built to grow with your child, teaching critical skills in counting, arithmetic, and logic along the way.
All children can benefit from having a way to play with mathematics, so the creator, Math for Love, has put together this Tiny Polka Dot Starter Deck for free download.
- It features the core three suits, so it’s a little lighter and more focused.
- It also has white backgrounds, which makes it printer-friendly.
- Instructions come in English, but are also available in Spanish, French, and Chinese here.
You can find more information on Tiny Polka Dot free starter deck on the Math for Love site.
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At-Home Early Math Learning Kit for Families
By the DREME Family Math team
During the COVID-19 crisis and beyond, DREME seeks to help families with young children and the professionals who support them by offering free, research-based early math resources.
To support families with at-home learning during this challenging time, DREME is offering a quick-start kit of free early math resources. The resources are geared towards children from birth to age 8, but children of all ages will delight in the learning.
Included in the kit are:
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Tips for Reading: If you’re reading books with your children, here are some tips for bringing math into storybook time.
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Recipes: If you’re in the kitchen preparing food, these two easy recipes for cookies and personal pizzas allow families to start math conversations while cooking.
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Math Snacks: If you have just a few extra minutes as you go about your day, check out these brief ideas for uncovering and talking about math in everyday moments, like cleaning up toys or getting ready for bed.
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Card Games: If you have a deck of playing cards and 10-15 minutes, take a look at these directions for four card games that are fun and allow children to practice skills like adding and comparing numbers.
Download the At-Home Early Math Learning Kit in English (PDF)
Download the At-Home Early Math Learning Kit in Spanish (PDF)
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Exploring Math Through Stories
Great stories are a wonderful way to get young people of all ages excited and interested in mathematics. The annual book prize, Mathical: Books for Kids from Tots to Teens, recognizes the most inspiring math-related fiction and nonfiction books that bring to life the wonder of math in our lives.
Max's Math
Written by Kate Banks • Illustrated by Boris Kulikov
Pre-K through 2nd grade
Max and his two brothers hop into a car and go looking for problems they can solve. They cruise down highway number 4 on their way to Shapeville, but they see an abandoned number along the way. Is it a 6? Is it a 9? And what's it doing on the side of the road? Once the trio reach Shapeville, there's another problem: a flood washed away all of the squares. Max and his brothers show the town that putting together two triangles will bring their shapes back together, and then they follow the residents on a trip to Count Town, where they put the missing number back in its place in the countdown to a rocket's blastoff.
Key Math Concepts
- Math problems are all around
- Solving math problems is fun
Reading Guides
Want to enjoy Mathical books with the children around you? Feeling uncertain about guiding them through the math-related parts of the book?
These reading guides are designed for parents, librarians, after-school caregivers, and educators of all stripes. You don’t have to be a math whiz to enjoy exploring math with the kids in your life. Just plunge in, and see where the story takes you!
Each reading guide includes both math-centric and narrative activities to start discussions and activities with one child, a handful of kids, or an entire classroom.
Click here to see the reading guide for Max’s Math.
Copyright © 2019 All Rights Reserved. Mathematical Sciences Research Institute.
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Mindset
The idea of a growth mindset was founded by Stanford Professor Carol Dweck, Ph.D. and since then a great deal of of research has gone into its study and the implications it has on children and their learning. Whether you are new or experienced in the idea of growth mindset, in each newsletter we will provide resources to help deepen your understanding and give you tools to use with your kids in developing their belief in themselves as capable doers of math.
Growth Mindset Parenting
Eduardo Briceño
Many of us want our children to understand that we love them, and to believe that life can be fulfilling. Developing those beliefs will help them prosper. There is another powerful, research-based belief that will help children thrive. It is called a growth mindset...
Click here to read the rest of the article.
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Your Fantastic Elastic Brain
by JoAnn Deak Ph.D. and Sarah Ackerley
This book teaches children that they have the ability to stretch and grow their own brains. It also delivers the crucial message that mistakes are an essential part of learning. The book introduces children to the anatomy and various functions of the brain in a fun and engaging way.
Here is a set of lesson plans that were created to go along with the book. While these lesson are targeted to a classroom teacher, there is a wealth of great activities that you can do with your child at home.
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From the Early Learning Team
Serve and Return
Child-adult relationships that are responsive and attentive—with lots of back and forth interactions—build a strong foundation in a child’s brain for all future learning and development. This is called “serve and return,” and it takes two to play! Follow these 5 steps to practice serve and return with your child.
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For more information or questions about Early Learning, contact OSPI Director of Early Learning, Karma Hugo at karma.hugo@k12.wa.us or 360-725-6153.
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ALL STUDENTS PREPARED FOR POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS, CAREERS, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.
Led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Our mission is to provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.
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