Make & Grow

Discovering Signs and Symbols

Lately my 5-year old has been very interested in signs – road signs, signs at the entrances to parks, museums, office buildings, etc. Which led to some really interesting conversations about how rules (and ideas in general) can be represented as symbols. Unlike written words or letters (which are symbols as well), well-designed signs are […]

Posted in Grow

Different Perspective

Yesterday I chatted with a friend whom I haven’t seen in a while. Her child, a bright and energetic 8-year old, participates in quite a few extracurricular activities – ballet, gymnastics, tae kwan do, and art. Next year, music lessons might be added to the mix. I asked my friend how they choose the activities […]

Posted in Grow

Playing with Platonic Solids

There’s a lot of talk about how playing with building blocks helps children develop math skills. But what about children that are too young to even “tote and carry” blocks? Have you thought about introducing them to Platonic solids? Ok, here’s a little refresher about Platonic solids: A Platonic solid is a 3D shape where […]

Posted in Grow

Math Magic – Magic Transformations Game

Today’s game comes from Julia Brodsky, the creative force behind The Art of Inquiry math circle in Maryland. Started several years ago by Julia as a thinking circle for her own children and their friends, it grew quickly. Julia teaches children the skills of solving non-standard open-ended problems using critical thinking. While Julia’s thinking circle […]

Posted in Make