Binary hopscotch and six-year-olds inspired by calculus: Newsletter September 30, 2013
I am Moby Snoodles, and this is my newsletter. I love to hear from you at moby@moebiusnoodles.com
Blogs and networks
In the #StreetMath collection at our Facebook page, check out binary hopscotch from Dr. Mike’s Math Games. Do try it at home, and share your cute hopscotch ideas with us!
Denise of Let’s Play Math came up with a mirror activity for her Math Circle during our WOW! Multiplication online course. Denise writes:
As usual, the moms enjoyed the activities at least as much as the kids. One expressed surprise at how easily her son understood the basic idea of multiplication, which she had expected would be too hard for a 1st grader. We talked a bit about how much the kids enjoy learning through activities, and yet how prone we all are (especially when we get tired or too busy) to return to the idea that filling out a workbook page is “doing math.”
Are you a blogger? This October, Moebius Noodles will be hosting the 67th Math Teachers at Play blogger carnival. It’s a virtual celebration of your blog posts about math play with kids! By October 10th, submit your blog post via a 2-minute form.
Inspired by Calculus begins October 2 in Apex, NC. Start a local group too!
The first Math Circles for our young calculus program are launching at Apex, NC. Drop us a line if you are interested in making a Circle happen for your kids. Meanwhile, here is information about the two Circles we organized.
Why: Make math your own, to make your own math!
Where: Camp MusArt, 616 West Chatham, Apex.
Who and when: Tuesdays October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, and November 5, 5:45-6:45 pm for 9-11 year old children. Thursdays October 3, 10, 17, 24, Friday November 1, and Thursday November 7 5:45-6:45 pm for 6-8 year old children. Parents are welcome to help.
Price: $95. Need-based scholarships by application.
Register: 6-8 year olds or 9-11 year olds.
What is bigger than infinity? Can I build an arch or a spiral staircase with Lego blocks? How could Zeno not see that a fast runner will definitely catch up to a slow turtle? Why does the Fibonacci sequence pop up in nature? How can I draw beautiful fractal doodles?
Kids ask the same general questions that inspired the invention of Calculus. With a bit of hands-on exploration, children begin to appreciate finer points of fast and slow motion, series of shrinking and growing things, or curved shapes made of non-curvy blocks.
Join our young calculus adventures this October and November. Our Math Circles are for curious, inquiring, playful families. Children will do a lot of drawing (such as a portrait of infinity), make models out of paper and blocks (such as a Lego parabola roller coaster), and pretend-play (to resolve Zeno’s turtle paradox once and for all). We invite you and your kids to be inspired by calculus!
Sharing
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Talk to you again on October 15th!
Moby Snoodles, aka Dr. Maria Droujkova
Posted in Newsletter
Is the young calculus program something we can get into online? My local math kids would probably enjoy those activities. We’re expanding a bit (adding a couple of new families) at both the upper and lower ends of our age range.
Denise, we will definitely open an online course for that, similar to our other courses. We need to test and develop activities first. We will try to hurry up!