Math Games Lab For Kids: 24 Fun, Hands-On Activities For Learning With Shapes, Puzzles, And Games

Math Games Lab For Kids: 24 Fun, Hands-On Activities For Learning With Shapes, Puzzles, And Games

Make learning math fun by sharing these hands-on labs with your child. Math Lab for Kids presents more than 50 activities that incorporate coloring, drawing, games, and items like prisms to make math more than just numbers. With Math Lab for Kids, kids can:- Explore geometry and topology with hands-on examples like prisms, antiprisms, Platonic solids, and M?ius strips.- Build logic skills by playing and strategizing through tangrams, toothpick puzzles, and the game of Nim.- Draw graphs to learn the language of connections.- Discover how to color maps like a mathematician by using the fewest colors possible.- Create mind bending fractals with straight lines and repeat shapes.And don't worry about running to the store for expensive supplies! Everything needed to complete the activities can be found in the book or around the house. Math is more important in schools than ever. Give your children a great experience and solid foundation.From School Library JournalGr 2-6-Harvard mathematics graduate Rapoport and engineer Yoder have provided exciting enrichment opportunities to bring elementary math to life. This compilation of fresh, hands-on STEM activities explores a variety of mathematical concepts, from basic geometric shapes to parabolas, fractals, and puzzles. An introduction explains how the book is designed and meant to be used. While much of the text is written for children, librarians and educators could easily incorporate this work into their curricula or programs. For instance, the "Think About It" section at the start of each chapter would work well as essential questions for educators to gauge student understanding prior to lessons. The chapters are easy to follow and clearly identify each step of the process. The labs require inexpensive materials (toothpicks, gumdrops, balloons, thread) as well as ones likely already in the classroom (rulers, graph paper, pushpins). Illustrations, definitions, and detailed procedures are included for every lab. While chapters build on previous experiments, each is also presented with a stand-alone work-around so educators can make modifications to best suit their students. Occasionally chapters also offer a collaborative exercise for a small group. The book concludes with pullouts (reproducible items for some of the labs), as well as "Hints and Solutions" for the puzzles. VERDICT Recommended for libraries and educators seeking a tactile approach to elementary mathematics.-Doneanne Soult, Westampton Middle School, NJReview'With more than 50 activities inside, there's so much to do, whether it's making prisms and pyramids or building your own toothpick puzzles.' - How It Works"This compilation of fresh, hands-on STEM activities explores a variety of mathematical concepts, from basic geometric shapes to parabolas, fractals, and puzzles...Recommended for libraries and educators seeking a tactile approach to elementary mathematics." - Doneanne Soult, Westampton Middle School, NJ, for School Library Journal"Required materials are all readily available: in the opening pages, children can use gumdrops and toothpicks like Tinkertoys to build cubes, pyramids, and other three-dimensional structures; many projects need nothing more than pencil and paper. Removable paper templates are provided for some of the activities. Rapaport and Yoder make the projects accessible to readers of varying skill levels, whether they are learning about basic shapes or developing a more advanced understanding of mathematics." - Publishers Weekly"A wonderful collection of attractive math topics that will entertain and inform kids (and their parents). A great way to share a stimulating learning activity." - Ronald L. Graham, Professor in Computer Science and Engineering at the University of California, San Diego, former Mathematical Association of America president, former American Mathematical Society president, former Bell Labs Chief Scientist?Five