Part of the Count 10 Read 10 series to help parents connect with kids through math a little each day.
Did you know that the alphabet song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Baa Baa Black Sheep are all the same tune!?
Well, now there’s another!
Thanks to all the great folks who have public domain images out there that I could use for this.
Specifically
Everyone’s getting back into the schooling groove. So twitter is filled with questions like Cara’s:
And since my world revolves around math, here are my thoughts.
The Four Color Theorem says that if you only have four crayons, you’re good to color your map and not have any colors touching. (That’s the he kiddo version of the theorem.)
So get out your google and print out some map coloring pages. Choose ones with lots of borders. (As fun as it is to color Texas as a whole, use a map of Texas’s counties.)
Caution: don’t tell the children they’ll be using math. Let them figure it out.
And here’s the challenge: color the map with as few colors as possible so that no two touching territories have the same color.
While they color, you can talk about the names of the locations and some of the details. Even have them label them.
Once they finish coloring, have them remember how few colors they used.
Next time you talk about this map, ask them to use one less color than they did before. Continue labeling and discussing the locations.
After a while they’ll figure out that they can’t do it with three, but they can do it with four.
Kids are experimental. And they don’t believe that what works once, automatically works again (that’s why they drop Cheerios on the floor over and over and over again).
So you can do this with the next map when you’re ready to go to another part of the world.
Indeed, they’ll eventually figure out that four is the magic number. Then they can google it and learn all about the theorem!
How about it? Did it work? Share your experiences in the comments.
In an attempt to join the Wordless Wednesday crowd, I’m sharing this photo. But as you can see, for MathFour.com, this is only a Somewhat Wordless Wednesday.
Before this photo we were discussing size of shirts – a numeracy concept that is visually displayed through the inability for grownups to fit 4T nightshirts on their bodies. Count 10 Read 10 is part of our family’s afterschooling routine.
Written as part of the Count 10, Read 10 series.
For my 40th birthday, I bought myself this beautiful Lokta paper book from a fabulous little store in the Houston Heights called Write Now!
It has circles on it – one of my “things.” I love circles. But then I saw how the colors were laid out.
“Holy cow! This is a teaching opportunity!” I thought.
And it got even better at the Texas Home School Coalition’s convention this last week. I shared it with former math teacher and now-homeschooler Sharon Brantley and she saw even more goodies in it!
Anything that has more than one aspect/characteristic/color (pretty much everything) can be checked for patterns. Patterns are an essential, perhaps even the most important, building block for mathematical thinking and development.
Here’s what you can see in this book cover:
What Sharon pointed out to me was that you can draw an L from any dot to another dot of the same color!
Optional: This “L” thing links directly to the slope, by the way. Between any two points of the same color, the slope is either 1/2 or -2. Cool, huh?
Where do you see patterns in your world? Share it (and a link to the picture) in the comments!
Most parents aren’t professional mathematicians. But there are a few. This is the fourth in a series of interviews with mathematician parents with the goal of helping parents integrate math teaching into parenting.
I am honored to be able to interview one of math education’s leading minds, Marilyn Curtain-Phillips, author of Math Attack – How to Reduce Math Anxiety in the Classroom, at Work and in Everyday Personal Use. She also created the amazing playing card deck (also named Math Attack) where the numbers on the numbered cards are tiny expressions – the 4 of diamonds has 22 on it!
MathFour: Thanks so much, Marilyn for sharing some of you time with us. First, I’d like to ask about your background. What is your degree and career? How long have you been in math?
Marilyn: My bachelor of science degree is in mathematics. My master degree is in education with a concentration in mathematics and then an additional 30 hours of mathematics. I have been teaching mathematics for 21 years. I have taught grades 6 through 12. In addition I am now teaching on the college level at a local university for the past three years in the evenings while teaching high school during the day. Prior to teaching, I worked in government and banking for 10 years in the area of accounting.
MathFour: Wow, your life has been so full of math stuff! Tell me about your children. Are any of them more or less interested in math than the other children?
Marilyn: I have two children ages 23 and 18. My son, the oldest, has a degree in graphic design. His interest since elementary school has always been in art. Therefore he never showed an interest in mathematics and it was a bit of a struggle. My daughter has just graduated from high school and is going to college with a major in early childhood education. She has been much stronger in mathematics than her brother. But she doesn’t want to teach mathematics, of which I think she is really capable of.
MathFour: Did you have any worries about your children academically? In particular, did you think they will do better in math than in other subjects because of your influence?
I encourage them to do what they enjoy. I feel they have adequate mathematics skills and a good foundation due to my additional help provided at home. As a high school mathematics teacher, I have grown more concerned at the foundation that students are coming to high school with.
MathFour: How did you play with your kids? Did you incorporate math into your play?
Marilyn: We enjoyed playing board games such as checkers, chess, uno, sorry, playing cards. I wanted to use games that help thinking and reasoning skills. This made great family discussion times while having fun.
MathFour: Do you think you speak with your children or behave differently than other parents because you have a math background?
Marilyn: I have always spoken positively about mathematics. Many parents will say in front of children that they dislike mathematics or is not good at it. To me this almost like telling children that mathematics is something that is tolerated and should be dreaded and avoided whenever possible. As a mathematician I know how much mathematics is a gateway to many
opportunities. This is one of the reasons that I list careers in my book, Math Attack.
MathFour: Have you ever had any of your children express negative thoughts about math and how did you handle it?
Marilyn: Yes, my children have spoken negatively from time to time, mostly during test times. I offer advice and encouragement. It is important to stay positive and listen to their concerns and make suggestions.
MathFour: Have you ever disagreed with one of your children’s math teachers? What happened and how did you handle it?
Marilyn: Yes, I have had a different method of solving math problems. I talked with my children and let them know that many math problems can be done in different ways. Actually I prefer for my children elementary and middle school teachers not know that I am a mathematics teacher. I didn’t want my children to be graded on a tougher standard than other students.
I experienced this growing up in a small town. My mother was a high school mathematics teacher, I felt looking back that I was graded on a tougher level and was expected to be extremely strong in mathematics. My sister experienced this also. She is an artist and doesn’t like mathematics.
MathFour: Now to change direction a little to a more worldview of math. What do you see as the biggest challenge in math education today?
Marilyn: I feel that many students do not have a strong foundation and understanding of mathematics. I have far too many high school students who do not have their times table and or addition facts memorized. Many mathematics textbooks cover too many topics. Studies have shown that the United States textbooks are thicker than other countries that are stronger in mathematics. It almost feels like a cram session.
By the time students get comfortable with a concept it is time to move onto something else. I feel this makes students feel less confident about their mathematics abilities. I think these feelings continue throughout the rest of their adult lives. Which leads to many adults going into careers that require as little mathematics as possible.
MathFour: What do you see great happening in the world of math education?
Marilyn: I think that it is good that a more hands on approach to teaching mathematics is now being used. Teachers are teaching to the different learning styles. I think that it is good that more high schools are requiring students to have more mathematics credit before graduating from high school. Many states require students to have three or four credits of high school mathematics. Also many of the mathematics curriculum are teaching with everyday life application.
MathFour: What advice can you give to non-mathematician parents that might help them raise their kids to like and appreciate math.
Marilyn: I would suggest to non-mathematician parents to speak positively about mathematics. Let their children understand that mathematics is like anything else – it takes practice and patience. Just as parents tell their children to practice at playing sports, they should feel that mathematics takes the same time and effort. Also parents should show their children positive ways they use mathematics in everyday activities such as sewing, cooking, planning a family trip, budgeting and grocery shopping.
MathFour: I noticed that you also have a new math workbook Who is This Mathematician/Scientist? Can you share with us a little about it?
Marilyn: It is a workbook for grades 6 through 12, after reading the biography paragraph, students must solve the math problems to see who the bio is about. The activities can also be used as a way to promote multicultural awareness and appreciation.
MathFour: I can’t wait to check it out! Thanks again for your time and sharing with us.
How about You? Got any questions for this week’s mathematician parent? Ask them in the comments and we’ll drag her in here to answer them.
As with all good mathematics, I just spent hours pondering how to set up my super cool Cuisenaire Rod quadtuple.
It was a great experience. Made me wonder why I was being so selfish in keeping it to myself.
This is a perfect thing for kids to do!
Seems simple enough. Make a picture on 1cm square graph paper with Cuisenaire Rods. Then write down the coordinates of the rods. Voila! You have the coordinate representation of your picture. Furthermore, you’ve practiced coordinates!
Cool, right?
The rub is that you have to correctly identify the orientation of the rods – are they up-and-down or side-to-side? Or worse – at an angle!
So now we have four things to identify: size/color, angle of rotation, x coordinate, and y coordinate.
Since the rods have width, we can’t just say “put it at (3,2).” What part of the rod goes at (3,2)? One of the four corners? The midpoint of one of the sides?
My official Cuisenaire Rod Ordered Quadtuple (CROQ) looks like this:
(size of rod, angle of rod, x-value of anchor, y-value of anchor)
The size of the rod is easy.
The angle of the rod is clear, but we have to define what is zero (up-and-down or side-to-side) and how we rotate (always clockwise, counter-clockwise, either way, etc.).
I picked up-and-down to be zero degrees. It is the way I naturally look at the rods. Like this:
See the bright green dot? That’s the anchor point. It stays there (in your mind) and is the bit that you’ll put on the (x, y) point.
Which means that as you change the orientation (or rotate your rod), it sticks around. Like this:
This rod is (5, 90, 0, 0) because it is 5cm long, rotated 90 degrees (clockwise) and the anchor is at (0, 0).
Check out the 45 degree one:
This one has the 4-tuple (6, 45, 0, 0). Notice that the rotation is always clockwise.
When we graph (typically), zero degrees is horizontal. And sticking out to the right of the origin.
Perhaps the best way to represent the rods on the plane is to use this type of set up. But it wasn’t the natural choice for me.
It doesn’t really matter. Unless you’re running a contest (which I think ETA Cuisenaire is putting together).
Try this at home. It simulates what researching mathematicians do everyday:
This is exactly what mathematics is all about. Not which is right, but which feels best. And which one will we agree on.
When ETA Cuisenaire puts together their contest, they’ll have the rules clearly defined. “Right” will only be according to how they set it up. When you enter, they’ll recreate your art based on their rules.
I like my rules. So much so, I’m going to use them next week to give the coordinates for the image at the top of this article. Wanna compare? Do it and post your CROQs in the comments.
(Notice there’s a whole-lotta math goin’ on in that image – not just coordinates!)
![[50 Word Friday] A Conversation Between Parents After a Homeschool Convention](https://mathfour.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/image-148.png)
“That homeschool convention was wonderful!” she says to him.
“Yes, and it wasn’t anything like I expected! Daughter is only two, but I’m already thinking about homeschooling.”
“What changed your mind?” she says.
“Everything it has to offer – not only great teachers, but all the right content. It’s awesome!”
Learn more about 50 Word Friday here.
I have since shot another video showing this with number tiles instead of playing cards.
In response to a post on the Living Math Forum, here’s a way to teach long division with playing cards.
Whatcha think? Will it work? Let me know if it does!
Originally published as a guest post on MathForGrownups.com, a math blog by Laura Laing.
A couple of weeks ago, a fellow freelance writer wrote me about her foray into graduate school. She needed to brush up on some math skills, and she wasn’t sure how. I have a feeling that her questions weren’t unique. Whether you need to learn a little extra to help your kid with his homework or you need to take a math class to further your education, learning math again (or for the first time) can be daunting.
Luckily, my friend and fellow math blogger, Bon Crowder offered to write a guest post on this very topic. I swear, Bon and I were separated at graduation or something, because we approach math education in very similar ways. Plus she’s fun. (See? Math folks aren’t always boring and difficult to understand!)
I wanted to title this “Being a Great Adult Learner.”
But that’s dumb. All adults are great learners. If we weren’t, we’d be stumbling around, bumping into doors, starving and naked. We know how to learn, and the proof is that we’re still alive.
And dressed.
The question is “What makes you learn?”
Confidence involves two things: feeling worthy and knowing you have the ability.
When people feel they’re entitled to something, they’re more likely to feel confident in getting it. Hang around any Best Buy service desk and you’ll see this in action. People say all kinds of strange things when trying to return a broken product, and these things are said with a sense of entitlement. BY GOLLY they’re going to get their way!
So how do you gain worthiness and ability? You’re worthy of it because you already have it. And you’re able to do it because you already do.
You have it all. It’s just hidden behind a wall of words you or someone else (or both) has told you for years. Now’s the time to ignore everybody, even yourself.
Because here’s the gosh-honest truth: There is not a single thing within a mathematician that is not within you.
You’ve done math since you were a kid. Even before you were in school. You knew at a deep level that if there was one toy and there was another kid around, you’d better run like the dickens to get it. There’s no dividing that toy evenly between kids.
You balance your checkbook (or you would be in jail right now), you probably have some rough idea of your gas mileage, and you know that if you have 12 people coming over, you’re going to have to double or triple that recipe for shepherds pie. You know math. Now’s the time to admit it.
So say this every night before your prayers. If you don’t pray at night, say it twice:
I do math. Today I woke up on time because I calculated how long it would take to get dressed. I knew how much money to spend because balanced my checkbook. I figured out how much weight I needed to lose – and I used math to do it.
Modify this statement to fit your lifestyle and run with it. Every night.
Once you’ve tapped in to the realization that you’re inherently good at math, you need the right learning environment.
This includes location, timing and the other people involved. If you have to drive too far away after working all day and all you get is a lousy quarter-pounder-with-cheese, you’re going to be tired, grumpy and irritable. If your class is full of teenagers fresh out of high school and the professor is 400 years old and believes in death by PowerPoint, things are not going to go well.
How do you know the right environment?
Look at all the learning experiences you’ve had through the years. List out the good ones and the bad ones. And then dig deep – what made the good ones good? Why were the bad ones so detrimental?
Include timing, location, student body, temperature in the room and details of the instructor. List out the attitude of the instructor, his/her teaching style, voice intonations – even how he wrote on the board.
Pick out the deal-breakers and the nice-to-haves and write them on a special piece of paper. This is your official “Environment Requirement” page. Laminate it, put it in Evernote, tatoo it to your bottom – whatever you do to keep it close so you can refer to it often.
How do you make sure your Environment Requirements are honored?
Here’s where that sense of entitlement comes back into play. If your class has a deal-breaker environment element, do something about it. Think, “If this were a faulty remote control that I bought at Best Buy, how would I handle it?”
Ask the instructor to manage the loud students better. Ask building maintenance to change the temp of the room (or bring a sweater). Don’t sign up for a class during a time when you’ll be tired, hungry and irritable.
And if you can’t change the environment – leave. Drop the class. Get your money back.
If it were a crappy remote control, that’s what you’d do, right?
You’re dressed…
And fed. You learn all the time. And you do math.
Now go find a class that fits and have fun!
Bon Crowder publishes www.MathFour.com, a math education site for parents. But that’s not all! Bon has launched a really, really, really cool initiative called Count 10, Read 10. While parents are encouraged to read to their infants, toddlers and preschoolers, we’re rarely encouraged to inject a little bit of math into the day. Bon will show you how. Take a look at her blog for more information on developing math literacy (or numeracy). I’ll be writing about this more in the coming months.
Questions or comments? Leave them in the comments section below!
I’m heading to the Texas Home School Coalition’s Convention this weekend in The Woodlands, close to Houston, Texas. The excitement I have for it makes me think of the excitement due to math…
(and I have on Husband’s Roger Creager shirt that is faded brown – I’m NOT naked.)
