Natural Math authors invite you for beta testing – Newsletter January 16
#MathPunday
Math Punday is Monday: the day to share math jokes on social media. I love Zeno’s paradoxes, and hope this recent post makes you and your children smile:
Math pun by JoeGP.com
Beta Readers
All activities in Natural Math books are play-tested many times, not only by the authors, but also by our beta readers. These adventurous and caring early reviewers help authors make books better. Beta readers are parents, teachers, and math circle leaders who want their math materials to be beautiful, useful, enjoyable, and human-readable. As a beta reader, what do you get?
- You influence math materials, making them fit your needs. The book is customized by and for you, and your children.
- You and your children are the earliest users of the newest books even before they are off the press. It’s like test-driving concept cars before they are even announced to the market.
- You spend quality time with interesting people. In the context of the book, you talk with authors about your children and your ideas on learning. Imagine the possibilities!
- In the book, the authors will thank you by your name or an alias of your choice.
Read on for two upcoming beta reader opportunities, one by email and one live.
The Fantastic Five
Photo: Bard Math Circle
Meet new Natural Math authors Sam Coskey, Paul Ellis, and Japheth Wood. The working title of their book is The Fantastic Five. The book is for teachers, parents, and math circle leaders with students ages 10 and up as well as younger friends. It offers rich and original problem-solving activities in the contexts such as a trip to Mars or traditional Sona storytelling from Angola/Congo area. The authors write:
We are collaborating on a book of five math circle activities that we plan to publish with Natural Math. We would love it if you would agree to be a “beta-reader” of one chapter (or more, if you have time). If you have an appropriate forum in which to try the activity (such as a math circle or family math at home) that would be wonderful. If not, we would be happy if you would just read the chapter and provide feedback by email.
You are welcome to provide feedback in any form that you like. However, if you wish to have some guidance, we’ll suggest questions that we brainstormed together.
Sam Coskey, Boise Math Circle
Paul Ellis, Westchester Area Math Circle
Japheth Wood, Bard Math Circle
RSVP to reach.out@naturalmath.com to test The Fantastic Five.
Math Talk: Math Roots
Alfreda Poteat is a Natural Math author who is passionate about the roots of modern mathematics in the world history, multiple cultures, and people’s stories. On January 23 at 7 – 8:30 PM Eastern (New York) time, Alfreda will lead a live online workshop. She invites parents and teachers of middle school children to join the workshop and play-test activities from her upcoming book with the working title Math Talk: Math Roots.
Alfreda’s thoughtful, playful, and kind book is especially suitable for a struggling learner. Children who’ve had some math grief or math anxieties are welcome to try accessible math activities. The book invites children to meet and pretend-play with the friendly geeks from the cave-people to modern-day scientists.
In the workshop, participants will improve on Euclid’s work, go on a math scavenger hunt in a cute board game, and explore mathematics of clay pottery.
Email reach.out@naturalmath.com to sign up for the online Math Roots workshop.
See you online!
Dr. Maria Droujkova, and the Natural Math crew
Questions? Ideas? Email reach.out@naturalmath.com
Posted in Newsletter
Valentine’s Craft Day at Natural Math – ages <3 and up
Make Valentine’s Day crafts to celebrate loving one another… in the context of mathematics!
Grow your math eyes on these little field trips inspired by topology, dynamical systems, and algebraic geometry for the young, the very young, and the young at heart.
Know another romantic math craft? Tell us in the comments!
Half a heart is a teardrop… so, love! (Age 2+)
Make math: Fold paper in two. Sketch a teardrop in such a way that the fold forms one side of its triangular top part. Cut it out, open, and decorate the heart-shaped greeting card. My teen and I decorated with a cardioid (see below).
Grow your math eyes: What interesting shapes can you fold or unfold into other interesting shapes? What if you fold more than once? Choose shapes to experiment, on paper or in your imagination.
Topic: Mirror Symmetry. Inspired by Big Math: #14 Algebraic Geometry, #53 Differential Geometry.
Bonus:
Mobius Hearts: Interlocked! (Age 3+)
Make math: Cut out two strips of paper and glue them together to form the + sign. Attach the opposite ends, with a twist, as if making Mobius strips. Cut the strips through the middle, and Mobius Hearts will happen! Video instructions:
Grow your math eyes: Try twisting two or more times. Try cutting 2/3 of the way rather than through the middle. What other surfaces can you make by connecting, twisting, and cutting paper strips?
Topic: Surfaces. Inspired by Big Math: #54 General Topology, #57 Manifolds.
Bonus:
Roses are red. Violets are approximately blue.
A paracompact manifold with a Lorentzian metric,
can be a spacetime, if it has dimension greater than or equal to two.
By Sarah Kavassalis
Exponential Love: Heart Fractal (age 5+)
From participants in the Multiplication Explorers course
Make math: Draw a heart. Mark two or more points around it, for example, up top. Draw smaller hearts there. Mark the same points on them, and draw even smaller hearts. Keep going. Decorate your heart fractal, put it on a wall, or use as a greeting card.
Grow your math eyes: How tiny can your hearts become? Will you run out of space on paper if you keep going and going and going? How many hearts do you add to your fractal at each step of the process? For more versions, choose how many hearts to add at each step, how much to shrink at each step, how to turn the hearts around – then observe what happens.
Topics: Fractals and exponential growth. Inspired by Big Math: #11 Number Theory, #37 Dynamical Systems.
Bonus:
Cardioid Greeting Card: Make Heart-Like Curves from Straight Lines (age 5+)
Make math: Trace a plate on scratch paper and cut out the circle. Fold it in half a few times, as if for making a snowflake. Unfold; your circle is now split into equal parts.
Trace the same plate on cardboard. Then use your folded circle as a guide to mark your new circle. You may need to insert more dots by hand.
Image by Cory Poole/WonderHowTo
You can also print out a marked circle, or use a protractor to mark it. Then follow instructions from MathCraft for drawing, or Almost Unschooling for string art. The craft involves skipping the dots by one and two, again and again. The repetition feels meditative, and there is a beautiful surprise at the end. The heart-shaped curve emerges as if by magic! Decorate it and put it on the wall or use as a greeting card.
Grow your math eyes: What other curves can you make out of straight lines? Choose your own “recipe” for skipping dots around a circle, and see what happens. What if you used a triangle or a square instead?
Topic: Curves. Inspired by Big Math: #14 Algebraic Geometry, #52 Discrete Geometry.
Bonus:
Math-o-grams: Graphs of Love (age 5+)
Make math: Customize variables and make your own greeting cards out of pretty graphs. Go to Desmos Math-o-Gram site to play and share the love.
Grow your math eyes: Peek behind the scenes to experiment with the equations. Replace numbers or functions in them and see what happens. Young children can start experimenting without knowing much (or anything) about the functions.
Topic: Functions and graphs. Inspired by Big Math: #14 Algebraic Geometry, #33 Special Functions.
Bonus:
The heart Earth theory from Wolfram Alpha.
Posted in Make & Grow
The Value of Age Mixing
Doing math with your children’s friends or a small math circle? Chances are your students are of mixed ages and levels. How can you have good dynamics?
- Don’t focus on activities that are likely to invite competition, such as problem-solving. Use open, collaborative activities: hands-on maker activities, scavenger hunts for math, games, or puzzles.
- Invite parents or adult helpers to be students too, to participate, and to do activities for themselves. Now the oldest child you have is not the oldest group member anymore – the adults are! Guide adults to share their discoveries with one another, rather than overwhelming the children, unless the kids ask.
- Try Notice-Wonder activities: show a fractal, a math sculpture, a mandala, or any curious object to the group, and invite everyone to ask questions. Younger children ask weird and wonderful questions. Adults and older children can research the wonder.
- Have tables children can choose, as if you are doing a mini-festival. Check out examples from Julia Robinson math fest, Reggio Emilia provocations, or Montessori centers.
Posted in A Math Circle Journey
Funville is out, and our holiday sale – Newsletter November 27
Funville Adventures is out!
Our newest book for children ages 5 and up is out. Big thanks to the fabulous crowdfunders that made it possible! Funville is a math-inspired fantasy adventure by Sasha Fradkin and Allison Bishop, where functions come to life as magical beings. After 9-year old Emmy and her 5-year old brother Leo go down an abandoned dilapidated slide, they are magically transported into Funville: a land inhabited by ordinary looking beings, each with a unique power to transform objects.
- Watch the 2-minute book trailer, read interviews, and get your copy.
- Start reading Chapter 1.
- Congratulate the authors and participate in our Facebook giveaway.
Paperback price change
Heads up: our paperback prices will increase after December 20th. We may have a membership price range in the future; stay tuned. Meanwhile, now is the good time to stock up, because…
Holiday sale!
Shop for thoughtful and joyful gifts at Natural Math. Starting Cyber Monday November 27th and until December 20th, we have discounts on all paper and electronic books. You can mix and math different book titles for the following offer:
$1 off each book
$2 off each when you buy 2-4 books
$3 off each when you buy 5-9 books
$5 each when you buy 10+ books.
Happy holidays!
See you online!
Dr. Maria Droujkova, and the Natural Math crew
Questions? Email reach.out@naturalmath.com
Posted in Newsletter
