Did you know that April is Math Awareness month? Math is fun, right? For me, it always has been. My 5 year old loves it too. The other day, I was on Google Analytics and he came into my office, looked at one of the graphs and remarked “That’s Cool Mom! You do connect the dots for work”. I guess he’s right. That’s one way to put it. In Math all dots indeed connect and all problems have definite solutions unlike life’s uncertainties. And, maybe that’s also why I enjoy it so much.
Regardless of whether Math is your friend or enemy here are 5 fun and simple ideas to share with your kids acknowledging the importance of numbers in our everyday lives.
5. How about humming along to your favourite numbers’ song?
Have you heard Canadian Artist and Songwriter Feist’s Sesame Street version of 1-2-3-4? It’s catchy and she has a fantastic voice. Take a look:
4. Reading your favourite counting book?
Eric Carle’s ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ is a classic beginner’s counting book. Sandra Boynton’s ‘Fifteen Animals’ is funny and fun too (and hey it’s a song too if you prefer that). My toddler loves counting the different animals all named Bob, of course. And our family favourite, ‘The Water Hole’ by Graeme Base. This one is so much more than a counting book. Beautiful illustrations and wonderful story about the diminishing water supply and the life cycle of water.
3. Baking your kids’ favourite recipe?
Is there a more practical and fun way to learn about fractions than to measure a cup of flour, 1/2 a cup of sugar and 1/3 cup of cocoa?
2. Make a counting craft
Shapes: Draw or cut out various shapes. Count the sides of the shapes like squares, pentagons, octagons and hexagons. My toddler loves this exercise.
A Tulip garden: Tulips are right around the corner and I thought it would be fun to cut tulips out of different coloured construction paper and paste on green paper. Then your toddler can count all the tulips in his or her tulip garden.
1. Fun facts about Math or Mathematicians.
Do the kids know that:
Sir Isaac Newton discovered the laws of physics. That when an apple fell on his head it made him think about the universal laws of Gravity.
- or that we owe a lot about planets and their orbits to Galileo and his discoveries on the subject
- or that Pi is an irrational number that never ends or forms a permanent repeating sequence
If your kids would be interested, you can share some of your childhood favourites or find great facts and quotes on the internet. Let’s celebrate Math Awareness Month!
1,2,3,4… Monsters knocking at your door! My 5 year old used to love that song and video… I remember having to listen to it over and over again throughout his whole second year.
Amanda, AW! Love nostalgia. My 2 1/2 year old just got out of the listening to it over and over phase. Although now he is really into farm animals (Favourite being the pig)and so its Old MacDonald had a farm over and over. Personally I prefer Feist and the monsters and penguins at your door etc. 🙂
Thanks for reading and thanks so much for your comment.
My grandson loves #s and counts everything
With Tv and the internet,its so easy to find ways to count plus the everyday play and music
That’s funny—I’d never heard of a Math Awareness month before; but I think this post explains it satisfactorily.