OBJECTIVE: To help children feel the wonder of math in the universe.
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES:
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"Mathematics is the language in which God has written the universe." --Galileo
"...when the world has faced the mysteries of the universe, numbers have assisted in solving its problems" --from Number Stories "What, after all, is mathematics but the poetry of the mind, and what is poetry but the mathematics of the heart?" -David Eugene Smith "Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty." --Bertrand Russell |
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I have a feeling you either love math or you hate math. But whether you love or hate it, math seems to be the #1 subject homeschool moms fret about the most. I think it's because it's one of those measurable subjects that make you feel like either your child is gifted or woefully falling 'behind'. What usually isn't addressed is why do we study math at all? Before we go any further, let's open this conversation with a TED talk: Why Math Instruction is Unnecessary.
As I was looking for the selections for this month's Mother's Learning Library volume on Math, they were having the same conversation 100 years ago: Why study math? And the answer they came up with and the answer the TED presenter offered and the answer I would propose to you is that we study math because it deepens our joy in life because it opens up a layer of understanding and appreciation for the world and universe in which we live. Take away the joy, and you're going to have a lot of tears and at the end of the day, most of your hard spent time will wash away in forgetfulness. Instill the joy from childhood, and you'll bring your child into a lifetime of discovery.
The Mother's Learning Library Math volume isn't a 'how to teach math' approach. Rather, I chose to let you take a tour of math through the ages. Although I'm not a fan of Common Core Math at all, what I do give them credit for is that they're trying to find a fresh approach to math. I hear parents resist because they say, "That's not how it's always been done." Yet, as you see the history of math, there isn't an 'always been done' way of doing math. I think it's really good to expose our children to fresh ways of looking at things. And as you read these stories from history I included, you may gain new insight into why we do what we do where math is concerned. I hope it will bring a new level of joy into your life. I opened it with a simple children's book you may want to share with your children. Then I included a more mature look at where algebra and geometry came from and a discussion of why study it. Finally, for you math lovers, I included a copy of Mathematician's Delight, a book that was first published in 1943 but is now in the public domain. Actually, it was written for people with math anxiety to ease you into a delight in mathematics.
As I was looking for the selections for this month's Mother's Learning Library volume on Math, they were having the same conversation 100 years ago: Why study math? And the answer they came up with and the answer the TED presenter offered and the answer I would propose to you is that we study math because it deepens our joy in life because it opens up a layer of understanding and appreciation for the world and universe in which we live. Take away the joy, and you're going to have a lot of tears and at the end of the day, most of your hard spent time will wash away in forgetfulness. Instill the joy from childhood, and you'll bring your child into a lifetime of discovery.
The Mother's Learning Library Math volume isn't a 'how to teach math' approach. Rather, I chose to let you take a tour of math through the ages. Although I'm not a fan of Common Core Math at all, what I do give them credit for is that they're trying to find a fresh approach to math. I hear parents resist because they say, "That's not how it's always been done." Yet, as you see the history of math, there isn't an 'always been done' way of doing math. I think it's really good to expose our children to fresh ways of looking at things. And as you read these stories from history I included, you may gain new insight into why we do what we do where math is concerned. I hope it will bring a new level of joy into your life. I opened it with a simple children's book you may want to share with your children. Then I included a more mature look at where algebra and geometry came from and a discussion of why study it. Finally, for you math lovers, I included a copy of Mathematician's Delight, a book that was first published in 1943 but is now in the public domain. Actually, it was written for people with math anxiety to ease you into a delight in mathematics.
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ARTICLES:
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Life of Fred
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Living Math -
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Mathemagic
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Sir Cumference Series
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Time Life I Love
Math Series |
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Right Start Math
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Greg Tang Series
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Math and Magic in Wonderland
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Bedtime Math Series
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Times Tales
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Magical Math
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Learn Math Fast
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