Parents and Math
By Sandy Meagher

Many times in education we talk about the teachable moment. Parenting is a constant teaching moment. When it comes to math there are so many daily activities that include math. We need to take the time and have lots of patience to include kids in such activities. A wonderful series by Weekly Reader, "I Use Math" is great for parents and kids. It includes I Use Math at the Doctor's, I Use Math at the Game, I Use Math in the Kitchen, I Use Math at the Store and more. Go to www.garethstevens.com for details.

These are great books to keep in the car. Use them en route to games, when going to the doctor, the store, and simply add the questions to your conversation. Kids love to help in the kitchen and measuring, pouring and stirring are active ways to learn. There was a time I was certain a hard bleacher was attached to me after attending all the sporting events with our four children, but there on the bleacher is the perfect place to do math together.

For the pre-school set learning to count is so much fun with 1.2.3 Look at Me by Roberta Grobel Intrater (Price Stern Sloan, 2005, ISBN 0-843-10852-5). Lifting the flaps and learning makes numbers more hands on.

All children enjoy games and "Number Match Games" from www.crystalsprings.com can be played just about anywhere. The set includes 10 different ways to represent numbers 1 through 10 – as a numeral, with its number name, as a tally mark, as a Roman numeral, with dice, with coins, as an hour on a clock face – just a myriad of activities. There are also some manipulatives that are helpful such as "Place Value Disks" and "Place Value Strips." Check them out – they might make math fun for the whole family!

Sandy Meagher is the Library Department Chairperson and School Librarian in the Wayne Highlands School District, Honesdale, PA.