Dear Families,
Math is marvelous! Math is all around us. We can see math expressed in art and in nature. Now that temperatures outside are nearing 100 degrees, we may be wishing for the onset of cooler weather, and perhaps even the arrival of some snow! You probably have heard that each snowflake is designed just a little bit differently. It is amazing and true! Like people, each snowflake is uniquely designed, and each one is beautiful. Math is part of snowflakes, too. Snowflakes are composed of never-ending patterns called fractals. Here is a great video where you can learn even more about fractals from Science Out Loud: What is a Fractal?
As you continue to learn and grow and adapt to the many changes this year has brought us, we want to remind you that we are here for you. We invite you to join us for one (or all) of our events. Please stay safe and well and cool!!
With appreciation,
KLRN Education Team
education@klrn.org
Here are fun learning activities around the theme of Marvelous Math for your child of any age!
Infant Toddler Math Activities
- Play Money en español Dinero para jugar
Pretend play is a great way to practice spending habits and using math skills such as addition and subtraction.
Hacer representaciones es una buena manera de practicar a gastar dinero responsablemente. - Count Ladybug Spots With Your Child
Explore counting and animal knowledge with your child by creating ladybug art. - Count Your Chickens
Just like Peg and Cat in The Chicken Problem, your child will search for chickens while practicing counting and recognizing numbers 1-10.
Preschool Math Activities
- Practice Counting With Your Hands
Help your child learn how to count forward and backward by 1’s, 5’s, and 10’s with their hands. Counting forward and backward by 1’s lays the foundation for addition and subtraction, while counting by fives helps prepare children for multiplication. - Book Monkey Sorting Activity
Color these books and have your child sort them by, color, shape or number. Sorting objects, matching shapes, colors and then pictures helps build visual perception and thinking skills. - Peg+Cat Treasure Hunt
Count, measure, and practice spatial vocabulary while having fun with a game of Peg + Cat treasure hunt.
Elementary Math Activity
- Equal Amounts of Gold
In this video segment from Cyberchase, the CyberSquad must help Pin and Pan divide fifteen gold bars equally between them. Many of the bars are different sizes, however, and the CyberSquad must add up fractional parts of the gold bars in order to give both Pin and Pan their fair share of gold. - Decomposing Fractions
Learn a variety of ways to decompose fractions. - Multiplying Fractions by Whole Numbers: Recipes
In this blended lesson supporting literacy skills, students watch videos and complete interactive activities to learn about fractions and learn how to perform certain operations with fractions. Students develop their literacy skills as they explore a mathematics focus on multiplying fractions by whole numbers. During this process, they read informational text, learn and practice vocabulary words, and explore content through videos and interactive activities.
Middle and High School Math Activities
- Dividing Fractions
It turns out that dividing by a fraction is the same as multiplying by its reciprocal! In this lesson, you'll discover why that's true, and then get some practice with this interactive video from the School Yourself Algebra series. - Strange Shapes: MIT’s Science Out Loud
In school, you learn about shapes with sides and edges - but there are weird shapes out there (beyond our 3 dimensions) that defy our normal idea of geometry. QuanQuan and Jenny explain, knit, and 3D print their way through these strange shapes! - You Pour, I Choose: Volumes of Cylinders
Compare the volume of varied cylindrical glasses filled to different heights. This interactive exercise focuses on using what you know about cylinders to make a prediction about their volume and then requires calculating the actual volume to see if your prediction was accurate. - Can You Solve This Pier Puzzle? Physics Girl
This math brain teaser challenges you to find a simple, elegant solution to a seemingly complex problem! Can you figure it out? - Popcorn Picker: Volumes of Solid Shapes
Experiment with the volume of two cylinders made from the same size paper. This interactive exercise focuses on using what you know about cylinders to make a prediction about their volume and then requires calculating the actual volume to see if your prediction was accurate.
We hope you enjoyed some of these activities. If you follow KLRN on your facebook account please be sure to share your activities and use the #KLRNeducates and #KLRNLearnatHome tags.
Tune in next week for more learning fun with your favorite PBS Kids programs.