If there was a way to study only literature for the remaining seven grades, she’d be in heaven.

But once numbers show up on a paper, her love for reading goes out the window.

I wasn’t encouraged to pursue a mathematics-based career and I’m a literature lover, so I understand her feelings completely.

But I don’t want her to allow a discomfort with mathematics to limit her career choices, so we’ve got to find a way to make math fun!

Thankfully, there are a lot more resources for making math interesting these days than there were when I was a kid and I’ve gathered up a few today!

Check out this list of educational and fun math books for middle school to find some resources your kids might like!

For more fun with math, don’t miss our list of hands-on math activities to try!

Fun Math Books for Middle School

These books are not the only cool math books for tweens around, but they are some of the best. Especially if you have students who love to work with their hands.

If you like any of these, leave a comment and let me know which one!

(This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

1.Math Dictionary for Kids: The Essential Guide to Math Terms, Strategies, and Tables (Grades 4-9)

2.Math Doesn’t Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail

3.100 Math Brainteasers (Grades 7-10)

4.40 Fabulous Math Mysteries Kids Can’t Resist (Grades 4-8)

5.Janice Van Cleave’s Math for Every Kid: Easy Activities That Make Learning Math Fun

6.One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short Mysteries You Solve with Math

7.Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi: A Math Adventure (Grades 2-7)

8.Math Puzzles and Games for Grades 6-8

9.Funny & Fabulous Fraction Stories: 30 Reproducible Math Tales and Problems (Grades 3-6)

10.Math Projects: 50 Hands-On Projects (Grades 5-8)

11.Everything You Need to Ace Math in One Big Fat Notebook (Grades 6-8)

12.Real World Math (Grades 5-8)

Does your middle schooler have a math book that he or she loves? Please share your recommendations in the comments!

Need more math learning resources? Check out these posts!

The post Fun Math Books for Middle School appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

Money is one of those math topics that kids generally love to learn about. They all want money, so they usually don’t mind learning how to count it. At least mine didn’t.

Since Pooh is in second grade, learning to work with money is one of our main objectives for math this school year. So I’ve started using several money activities for second grade to help him grasp this concept as easily as possible.

Plus, I’m sharing a new printable today that can help your kids learn to work with money too!

Take a look at the 25 different money activities for kids below to find some super cool ways to get your kids counting change and dollars!

Psssttt…don’t forget to read all the way to the end to grab a new free resource for learning to count money with your students!

And for more fun with math, don’t miss our DIY Geometry Dice for a quick hands-on geometry activity!

25 Fun Money Activities for Second Grade

1. Dollars and Cents Concentration Game – Look! We’re Learning!

2. International Currency Collecting – Rainy Day Mum

3. Teaching Coin Recognition – Mosswood Connections

4. Apple Counting Money Game – You’ve Got This Math

5. Coin Scavenger Hunt – School Time Snippets

6. Money Smarts Math Game – Left Brain Craft Brain

7. Discovering Money Lapbook – Homeschool Share

8. How Much are Words Worth Game – Homeschooling My Kinetic Kids

9. Caterpillar Money Counting Printable – J Daniel 4’s Mom

10. Money Recognition Busy Bag – 3 Princess and 1 Dude

11. Printable Board Game Savings Worksheet – Artsy Fartsy Mama

12. Piggy Bank Coin Counting Clip Cards – The Art Kit Blog

13. Printable Safari Spelling Game – In Our Pond

14. Printable Coin Sorting Match Activity – Fantastic Fun and Learning

15. Making Change Task Cards – You’ve Got This Math

16. Money Battleship Game – School Time Snippets

17. The Money Game – Teach Beside Me

18. Build an Ice Cream Sundae Money Math Practice – Science Kiddo

19. DIY Spend, Save, Give Jars – Mess for Less

20. DIY Money Box for Kids – Craftulate

21. Chemical Reactions with Pennies from Creative Family Fun

22. Free Money Fractions and Probability Activity from Life Over C’s

23. Money Math Problems for 1st-3rd Grade from Planet Smarty Pants

24. Skip counting nickels and dimes from Sugar Aunts

25. Set up a simple store with your kids! (Directions below!)

Fun Money Activities for Second Grade – Set Up a Store!

What money lesson is complete without a game of “Store”? Usually kids learn about the concept of money when we go shopping.

They ask us for toys and we say “No, we don’t have money for that.” Then they realize: money = the ability to buy toys.

That’s a great place to start teaching them about money!

To set up our “store”, I asked the kids to go to their rooms and pick three things each. They came back with their most prized possessions. It was actually pretty cute.

Then I just arbitrarily assigned prices to each item using sticky notes. And our store was complete!

Now I might skimp on my store “shelves”, but I try to use realistic play money. (Ours is from Learning Resources.) I think it’s important for kids to learn what actual coins look like so they can recognize them in real life.

It’s somewhat ironic to be teaching with dollars and coins when we almost always use cards now, but it’s so important that kids understand how money works.

That’s a much easier lesson to learn with coins than cards. I mean, you can swipe cards all day without actually realizing how much money you spend. (Ask me how I know…lol.)

When we make “purchases” in our store, we add up the total using a calculator, count out our money, and we’re off!

Another way we like to teach money in second grade is by playing Monopoly Junior. It’s a fun and easy way for younger kids to learn about concepts such as buying and selling, property, and budgeting.

Fun Money Activities for Second Grade – Learning about Money Printables

Want even more practice with learning about money? We have a new set of learning printables to add to our list of fun money activities for second grade and other early elementary grade levels!

To use these learning about money printables, you’ll need the following:

• Printer (with ink)
• Printer Paper
• Pencils
• Child-safe scissors
• Glue stick

This set includes three money activities:

• One “Count Your Money” activity, complete with answer key
• One “Let’s Budget for a Party” activity (Perfect for learning to follow a budget!)
• And one “What Do Adults Pay for These Things?” activity

A full set of instructions is also included!

These are wonderful for introducing kids to the idea of how money is used in the real world!

See more ways to make math fun on my Math Mania Pinterest board!

Don’t miss these other math learning printables for kids!

To get your copy of our Learning About Money Printable Set, just sign up for our email newsletter! It’s free and you’ll get these, plus lots of other learning printables in our exclusive Subscriber Library!

Use the widget below to get started.

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The concept of even and odd is one of those math topics that I know, but I don’t know how I know it, you know?

I know that 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 are odd numbers and I know that 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 are even numbers, but I have no recollection of how that concept was taught to me in the beginning.

So when it was time to teach even and odd for second grade, I was at a bit of a loss with my kids.

That’s just one more reason why I’m so thankful to be homeschooling. It helps me “re-learn” some things that I just know so that I can explain them to my kids and others.

Check out how we learned about even and odd numbers and grab a fun fall-themed learning resource to help you work on this concept with your kids!

Share even more fall learning fun with this list of 50 beautiful fall books for kids!

Leaves Even and Odd for Second Grade

To use these leaves even and odd for second grade printables, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are included in this post. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

• Printer (with ink)
• Printer Paper
• Pencils

This product includes three separate leaf-themed even and odd practice worksheets.

Each worksheet includes a group of leaves arranged in an array. That way, kids can draw lines to pair up each set.

Then they can count the total of leaves and write the number, as well as whether the number is even or odd. (Hint: If a group of leaves has an extra leaf that doesn’t have a match, then it’s an odd number!)

A full answer key is also provided.

So, if you like, you can print the answer keys for kids to check their own progress!

How to Use Leaf Even and Odd Practice Printables

One of the simplest ways to talk about even and odd numbers with kids is to teach them the concept of “pairs”. If they can match up pairs of objects, then they can learn to recognize which groups contain even and odd amounts.

The first activity page has groups of leaves with dashed lines connecting the pairs. Kids can trace the lines to learn how to pair up objects.

If all of the objects have a partner, then the total number is even. If one doesn’t have a partner, then the number is odd. Simple!

On the following two pages, there are no dashed lines. So children can draw their own lines or skip the lines entirely if they’re ready.

After matching up pairs, they can answer how many objects in all and whether the number is even or odd.

Pooh loved this activity! And I think repeating it a couple of times will help him learn to memorize which numbers are even and which are odd.

Scroll down to get your copy of our Leaves Even and Odd for Second Grade printables!

See even more great second grade learning resources below!

Follow along with the rest of the 2nd Grade Blogging Team for more fun leaf-themed activities!

Tree Leaf Collection with {FREE} Leaf ID Cards from Preschool Powol Packets

Place Value Leaves: Read and Write from Rainy Day Mum

Fall Themed Math Bump Games from School Time Snippets

Subtracting with Ten-Frames: Leaf Theme from Life Over C’s

Sensory (or acrostic) poems from Planet Smarty Pants

Autumn Leaves Mini-Reports from Still Playing School

Owl Leaf Art from Crafty Kids at Home

Colorful Leaves Fall Craft for “MY LEAF BOOK” from Sallie Borrink Learning

Fall Leaf Fine Motor Craft from Sugar Aunts

The post Leaves Math: Even and Odd for Second Grade appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

Thanks to HoliMaths, a brand new multiplication game for kids, practicing times tables can be actual, honest-to-goodness fun! Plus, several of my kids could play it together!

Read on to see how practicing multiplication is a snap with HoliMaths!

Disclosure: I received this product in exchange for this post and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

What is HoliMaths Multiplication Game for Kids?

HoliMaths is a fun and flexible multiplication card game that kids can play with or without adult supervision. There are ten, yes, ten different ways to play with these cards, so you’re almost guaranteed that your kids will never get bored.

HoliMaths comes in two levels: One game featuring times tables from 1 to 6 and a second featuring times tables from 7 to 12. Each game can be played by up to six players, so if you have both games, you could have up to 12 people playing the game at any time.

And, yes, the boxes are in Spanish. More on that in a bit.

Here’s what’s inside the HoliMaths game box. It’s a lot, right?

The game includes multiplication table charts – one for each player.

There are also multiplication problem cards. In this set, there are times tables from 1 to 6, so each set is color coded. The ones tables cards are all grey, the twos tables cards are all yellow, and so on.

The card at the bottom of the image with the symbols is the scoring system. Since each card is coded with a symbol, you can look at the point (puntaje) card to see how to count each correct pair. The player with the most points at the end wins!

Finally, there are many small solution cards. These are pretty important, as you’ll see next.

How to Play HoliMaths Multiplication Game for Kids

So how do you play HoliMaths? As I mentioned earlier, there are ten different game play options. Since our game included kids of several grade levels, I started with the Classic Play method (Method #1). For a look at how to play each version of HoliMaths, see the How to Play section on the HoliMaths website.

As I also mentioned earlier, most of the documentation in the game box is in Spanish. That’s because the game was originally designed for a Spanish-speaking audience. But you don’t have to be bilingual to play HoliMaths! There’s an English-language version of the website, complete with video instructions in English!

This version is basically Go Fish, but with times tables.

We chose three times tables to work with, since we had three players. Because my boys are in 2nd and 3rd grade, respectively, we used the ones, twos, and threes tables to play with.

My sons haven’t memorized their multiplication tables yet, so we handed out a times tables chart for each player as we dealt out the cards. That way, they could find the solutions to the problems on their cards easily – without getting frustrated.

The idea is to make a match of a problem card with the correct solution card. My third grader, for example, had the problem card 1 x 12. When he looked at the correct color-coded table on the chart, he saw that 1 x 12 = 12. So he had to match that problem with a solution card featuring the number 12.

As you might have noticed, some of the cards have smiley faces on them. These are “wild” cards – they can be used to represent any problem or solution you need to make a match. First, you clear all of the matches out of your hand as soon as the cards are dealt. Then, you tackle the remaining cards in the game.

As the kids removed the matching problems and solutions from their hands, they became much more comfortable with using the game cards. One of the suggestions in the “How to Play” section that I love was to have the kids call out the problem and solution once they matched them up. That way, you can see if they’re answering each problem correctly.

My kids, who always love a bit of drama, decided to announce their math matches with great fanfare. Like this:

Child 1: *Loud clearing of throat*

Child 2: “What is it?”

Child 1: “I declare that 1 times 12 is equal to 12!”

It’s silly, but it works! They were reciting multiplication facts left and right!

If you can’t find a match for your problem cards or solution cards, you draw another problem card from a pile on the table and you draw a solution card from the game bag. As the game continues, each player empties their hand and then counts up their score.

At the end of our game, our youngest player actually had the highest score! He was pretty excited about his success.

We really loved playing this fun multiplication game for kids! I can’t wait to “plan” a morning of multiplication practice with my boys by just having them play HoliMaths for an hour or so. They’ll be thrilled!

Be sure to visit HoliMaths to learn more about this game, all the ways you can play it with your kids, and how to get it for yourself!

Now for the fun – the HoliMaths giveaway! Use the Giveaway Tools widget below to enter! By the way, if you buy the product (in Kickstarter) and win the giveaway, HoliMaths will send you a refund.

And don’t forget to follow HoliMaths on social media for product news!

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Tumblr
• Pinterest
• Google+
• YouTube

Get more ideas on how to make math fun from my Math Mania board on Pinterest!

The post Make Times Tables Fun with HoliMaths Multiplication Game for Kids! appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

In our family, Tigger (our oldest daughter) has been a lifelong math-hater. She just loses all interest and tries to get through it, instead of trying to grasp the concepts. But, as I’ve tried to tell her, we don’t get to just “opt out” of things we don’t like in life. Thanks to homeschooling, though, we do get to try different ways to understand them and improve.

So I was excited to try the Pre-Algebra program from Mr. D. Math! I’d heard such great things about the program and my daughter was happy about having someone to walk her through pre-algebra and get her ready for middle school math.

See how using Mr. D. Math is helping us to manage common ADHD math problems!

Disclosure: I received this product in exchange for this post and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

Managing ADHD Math Problems with Mr. D Math

Let me just start by saying that I completely sympathize with Tigger. If I could have gotten through life without math, I would happily have done so. But as I got older, I found that I’m actually good at math…when I try. And the same is true of Tigger. It’s just taking some time for her to realize that.

I mean, look at that face. That is a beautiful young woman who should never feel inadequate about doing anything, including algebra. (Sorry, I had a Mama moment.)

Common ADHD Math Problems

What are some of the common ADHD math problems kids deal with? Well, since kids (and adults) with ADHD often have issues with executive function, they may have trouble with the following areas:

• organizing their thoughts into a process
• executing that process
• persisting when they’ve made mistakes

Pretty much everything you need to do in order to grasp a math concept, right? You need to learn the steps, perform them IN ORDER, and take the time to check for errors. So, for kids with ADHD, a math lesson can be a recipe for disaster.

This is not to say that all kids with ADHD struggle with math. My youngest boy, who is the most hyper of all of my kids, actually does better with math than language arts. But a child who has ADHD and struggles with math lessons may find that even the simplest concept is almost impossible to learn.

How Mr. D. Math Works

Which is why I found Mr. D. Math to be such a great program for my daughter with ADHD! Here’s a look at how the Mr. D. Math Pre-Algebra program works:

The lessons are organized very clearly by topic and chapter. As your child works through each lesson, it appears with a checkmark.

Every section begins with a video lesson. In the lessons, Mr. D. himself introduces a concept, demonstrates how it works, and asks a few questions.

Here’s a look at one of the video demonstrations. This one was on Order of Operations.

After the lesson is complete, students take an online quiz on what they learned.

Afterwards, they submit their grades.

At the end of each chapter, students take a test. And, as you can see, the solutions to the chapter tests are provided. Those are great for checking work and finding areas that need to be strengthened.

How Mr. D. Math is Helping My ADHD Daughter with Pre-Algebra

The Mr. D. Math Pre-Algebra program is a super introduction to algebraic concepts. What I loved about the program was that it begins with a nice introduction to exactly how math works. So your child doesn’t need previous experience with pre-algebra to begin it. As long as he or she can add, subtract, multiply, and divide, they’re good to go!

Right from the beginning, Mr. D. won Tigger over. As he explained, math is a language. It has its own symbols that have a unique meaning. And you have to understand the language to understand what each expression says. Since Tigger is a bookworm and interested in writing, that analogy made perfect sense to her.

His initial comparison was to compare learning math to talking to a dog. The dog only understands select words that have meaning to him, so the rest of your sentence would be “blah blah blah”. And that’s how math is! Block out the parts that have no meaning and focus on what matters. Brilliant!

What I also liked was that Mr. D. paused during the lesson to ask a few questions.

Knowing Tigger’s tendency to let her mind drift away, I asked her to write her answers down. And lo and behold! Neatly written notes! That’s how I knew she was paying attention and actually interested in the material.

After introducing a new way to look at math, Mr. D. reviews basic arithmetic operations with students (addition, subtraction, etc.). But, as the chapter progresses, he moves on to new concepts: order of operations, simplifying expressions, and so on.

Remember PEMDAS? He uses that mnemonic device also! While she remembered the phrase “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally”, she had a little trouble remembering what each word in the phrase actually represented.  So she wrote it on the board to help herself remember it.

I will add one note of caution that I observed with Tigger: Kids with ADHD may tend to redo the same things again and again without slowing down to pay attention to why something is incorrect. Since the Pre-Algebra program is self-paced, kids can take quizzes whenever they want.

After Tigger’s first Order of Operations lesson, she took the quiz and missed several of the questions. Naturally, she simply took it again and then again. But since she didn’t slow down to review her notes, ask me for help, or rewatch the video lesson, she kept getting a failing grade. And you can only take each quiz three times. So she had to accept a grade lower than she wanted.

But that was a lesson to her as to why it’s important to slow down, check your work, and get help when necessary. So, if your child with ADHD behaves similarly, keep an eye out when they start taking quizzes and encourage them to take a break or get help with something that seems fuzzy.

If you’re looking for a self-paced Pre-Algebra Math program for your child, Mr. D. Math is definitely worth the investment! And if you’re in a time crunch, you can get a program to get your child ready for Pre-Algebra in just 11 weeks or even six weeks!

To find out more about the program, follow Mr. D. Math on social media!

• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube

And if you’d like more ADHD math ideas, check out my list of 10 Math Activities for Kids with ADHD!

The post Managing ADHD Math Problems with Mr. D. Math appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

Math has been an issue in our family, especially since several of our children are living with ADHD. But with this easy sidewalk chalk outdoor math game, my active kids got some arithmetic practice done while moving!

If you love this hands-on math activity, be sure to see our list of math activities for kids with ADHD! There are plenty of hands-on math learning ideas there as well!

Sidewalk Chalk Outdoor Math Game

It took me about 15 minutes to set this up. But there’s a lot of bending involved, so prepare to use your back…lol.

What You’ll Need:

• Sidewalk chalk
• Giant foam dice

What I did was draw a long squiggly line on our driveway and then another about two feet parallel from it. That way, I could make a game board.

Then I added horizontal lines every foot and a half or so.

Finally, I filled each space with a simple math fact. I alternated addition and subtraction with multiplication and division.

The kids rolled the dice to find out how many spaces to travel.

Then they walked to the correct space. (Just like a regular board game.)

When they got to their space, they worked on solving the math problem in the square. For my boys, multiplication and division are still pretty new concepts, so I talked them through it using how they relate to addition and subtraction. They seemed to pick up on it pretty quick that way.

Learning to skip count is super helpful when it’s time to introduce division and multiplication. I saw proof of that in this activity.

And we kept on solving math problems until we reached the end!

Get a look at more ways to make math fun for your kids!

And for more math ideas, follow my Math Mania board on Pinterest!

This post is part of the Early Elementary Blogging Team linkup! Check out some of the other fun outdoor learning ideas shared this week!

Map Skills for Kids: Backyard Treasure Hunt from Life Over C’s

Nests Nature Hunt for Kids from Still Playing School

How to Make an Outdoor Mud Kitchen from Parenting Chaos

Outside Arrays for Multiplication Practice from Line Upon Line Learning

Gardening For Math Time from Preschool Powol Packets

Second Grade Math with Rocks from Sugar Aunts

Tree Unit Study and Science Experiment from Schooling a Monkey

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Well, in my family, the word “challenge” isn’t quite strong enough to describe how difficult math lessons can be. Let’s try “cage match to the death”. I think that’s more accurate.

My wiggly kids resist anything that requires sustained mental effort, due to issues with executive function, so learning math concepts is their least favorite thing to do. As a result, I’ve had to take math off the page and into their hands to make some ideas really stick.

So – if your child with ADHD struggles with math, you might want to try these 10 math activities for ADHD students. They’ve worked wonderfully in our house!

Image c/o: Nadezhda1906 / depositphotos

10 Math Activities for ADHD Students

1. Use LEGO blocks to construct 3D Bar Graphs.
2. Make Math Factor Snowflakes and hang them in your window.
3. Show kids how to cut and paste simple repeating math patterns.
4. Have children work out tens and ones with Unifix cubes.
5. Practice math facts while doing a simple exercise or having a Brain Break.
6. Teach math concepts in a foreign language, such as how to count in Spanish or Sign Language.
7. Use math lapbooks to help kids visualize math concepts and memorize basic facts.
8. Combine math with reading by using math storybooks such as Life of Fred.
9. Drill kids on basic math lessons, including fractions, polygons, and telling time using flashcards.
10. Create math art, such as coloring grids on graphing paper.

Be sure to check out my ebook “Homeschooling with ADHD” for more help to teach your ADHD child at home!

Want even more fun math ideas? Try these book suggestions!

And be sure to follow my Math Mania board on Pinterest!

The post 10 Math Activities for ADHD Students appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

Turns out that we didn’t actually get any snow, which was disappointing to my kids. But we kept the snowy theme going with a fun paper snowflake craft featuring 2nd grade math factors!

Check out our winter-y math craft below!

Snowflake 2nd Grade Math Factors Craft

Before we could start talking about math factors, though, Pooh needed a quick primer on multiplication. So we talked about making equal groups – one of the ways we can teach multiplication.

First, we started with a simple multiplication fact – 3 groups of 3 equals 9.

Then we learned that you can also make nine by using 1 group of 9 dots.

Which means 9 has three factors: 1, 3, 9. All three can be multiplied in different combinations to make 9.

Time to make our math factor snowflakes! We used our Snowflake Math Factor Printables and a set of Unifix Cubes to help Pooh visualize how to find his multiplication factors.

As we made equal groups of 8, 4, and 2, Pooh discovered the missing math factors that make 24: 3, 6, and 12.

As we discovered the missing factors, Pooh filled in his snowflake.

Now to cut it out!

Roo was in the kitchen as we worked. He came upon one of the paper scraps and declared it “a great white shark’s tooth”. Alrighty then.

We added masking tape to the back and hung our snowflakes on the window.

Ta-da! We got some “snow” after all!

This was a really fun, hands-on activity that also served as a nice way to talk about multiplication without overwhelming my 2nd grader.

If you’d like to make this craft at home, grab a set of our free Snowflake Math Factor printables! There are combinations up to 144, so you can easily use this with 2nd to 4th graders. Plus, the answers are included!

For even more winter weather fun, pick up our All About Snowflakes unit study! It has our snowflake math factors, as well as plenty of other science, grammar, and Pre-K activities about snow!

We’re not the only ones having fun with snow this week! Check out the other snow and ice activities from the Early Elementary Blogging Team!

More Snow & Ice Learning Activities from the Early Elementary Team:

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I’m joining up with the Early Elementary Blogging Team to share fun LEGO activities for kids in grades 1-3 today. In our family, we learned how to construct LEGO Bar Graphs for 1st Grade!

If you have a child who loves hands-on math, this is a simple and fun way to learn it!

Creating LEGO Bar Graphs for 1st Grade

In first grade, kids work on reading and making simple bar graphs. So, since we’d just gone to the store, I thought we’d collect data on the produce we currently had in the house.

I really wanted to use oranges, but they were a little *ahem* expensive this week, so onions it is!

First, I encouraged Roo to order all the objects he’d be representing. Apples in one row, onions in another, and bananas in a third row.

Then it was time to break out an anchor chart I’d made on graphing. Roo and I talked about how tally graphs, pictographs, and bar graphs were similar and different.

When he saw the bar graph, he said “Ohhhhh! I saw this before!” So we were starting out a little bit ahead.

I asked Roo what Duplo colors he thought we should use for each item. We didn’t have white, so blue had to do for the onions. But we wrote down each item and the number of each, so that he could easily create his graph.

So we got out the LEGO DUPLO Brick Set and got to work!

Once he saw the anchor chart, he had a good idea of what to do.

Apples at the bottom, onions in the center, and bananas on top – just like in his ordering sequence on the table.

Done!

Sigh….order is lovely, isn’t it?

Then we used the LEGO bar graph as the model to draw one on paper. Roo labeled his data and started drawing.

He took a few breaks to check his work as he drew.

All finished!

I love it when they look proud of their work!

Interestingly, I noticed as I wrote this post that Roo has on the exact same shirt for the activity this week as the one we shared last Thursday. I promise he has more than one shirt! He’s just strangely loyal to this one right now. Go figure.

For more math ideas for kids, follow my Math Mania board on Pinterest!

For more LEGO learning fun, check out the other activities from the Early Elementary Blogging Team this week!

LEGO Classification – Printable Diagrams from Life Over C’s

LEGO number line for Addition and Subtraction from In The Playroom

Hands-On Synonym Blocks Matching Game from Raising Little Superhereos

Spelling With LEGOS! from Preschool Powol Packets

LEGO Boat Engineering Challenge from Handmade Kids Art

Using LEGO to find Syllables from Rainy Day Mum

Area and Perimeter with Lego Duplos from School Time Snippets

Plural Nouns with LEGO from Still Playing School

Combinations of Ten Using Lego Figures from Lemon Lime Adventures

How to do an Lego Engineering Project for Kindergarten, First, or Second Grade from Thriving STEM

Estimating and Probability with LEGO from Planet Smarty Pants

Lego Bar Graphs for First Grade from Look We’re Learning

LEGO Irregular Verb Matching Activity for Second Grade from Sugar Aunts

Exploring Symmetry with a Lego Firefly from Crafty Kids at Home

Pick Two: A Fun LEGO Math Game from Creative Family Fun

The post Lego Bar Graphs for 1st Grade appeared first on Look! We're Learning!.

So, I was thrilled to get a chance to try Redbird Mathematics from GiftedandTalented.com! Since the program was developed by Stanford University, I knew it would be exceptional for teaching kids how to use mathematical principles to think their way through operations, rather than just memorizing them. And I wasn’t disappointed.

Read on to see how we used Redbird Mathematics to improve math thinking skills with our second-grader. Plus, enter to win a three-month subscription absolutely FREE!

Disclosure: I received this product in exchange for this post and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.

What If My Child Hasn’t Been Labeled as Gifted?

Don’t worry! You can still use Redbird Mathematics by GiftedandTalented.com. One of the things I love about this program’s philosophy is that “giftedness” should be the destination, not the starting point. Which means that your child doesn’t have to be termed “gifted” in order to use it.

Instead of being a program catered to gifted kids, Redbird Mathematics strives to help kids of all learning abilities develop their own mathematical gifts. And, since we’re trying to combat the “bad at math” stigma in our family, that’s a philosophy we can get behind!

How Redbird Mathematics Works

When you purchase a subscription to Redbird Mathematics, you’re not tied to a single grade level. The program covers math concepts from kindergarten through grade 7, so you can move up or down as your child needs.

If you’re unsure which grade level your child should use, Redbird Mathematics gives you the option to look at the concepts covered in each grade. Since Pooh was already familiar with the Grade 1 concepts, we decided to start with Grade 2.

Here’s where it gets interesting. Once you choose a grade level for your child, the program gives him or her an assessment test to see what concepts they already know.

I’ll be honest: It was extremely tough for me NOT to help Pooh with the problems on the assessment. I had to keep telling myself “It’s just to see what he knows. He doesn’t have to get them right.” Eventually I just walked away. So this part might be hard if you tend to be a helicopter parent like *ahem* me.

Once the assessment is complete, the program automatically chooses a starting point for your child. Then it’s time to get started!

How Redbird Mathematics Improves Math Thinking Skills

What separates Redbird Mathematics from other math programs (to me) is the way that the program encourages kids to think about math operations.

Pooh already knows his addition and subtraction facts through 12, but he had never used a hundred chart or base 10 blocks before. So it was almost as if he had to relearn adding and subtracting.

Frankly, it was as if I had to relearn them too. So, if you are used to teaching math in the traditional manner, expect a fairly steep learning curve when you first begin using the program.

I also found that it was not a program Pooh could use on his own. But that’s okay. I don’t expect a lot of independent math learning in second grade anyway.

In the beginning of each lesson, Redbird Mathematics gives you an overview of what your child will cover, as well as a few sample problems. That’s really helpful, because it can help your child prepare for what to expect as the lesson moves along.

Here’s what I really loved: Pooh had to really use his brain to learn how to add with the hundred chart. For example, when he saw the problem “8 + 10”, his first instinct was to start adding it in his head.

Instead, I asked him to follow the program directions and learn how to find the same answer using the hundred chart. After a few minutes of practice, he got the hang of it.

But if he already knows addition facts, what’s the point of learning to use a hundred chart?

Well – if he can understand how numbers are related to one another, then his ability to solve math problems becomes more flexible.

As the program showed him, moving up and down by rows increases or decreases numbers by 10.

And moving left and right increases or decreases numbers by one.

Once he grasped that, he could find missing numbers in equations and alternate counting by ones and tens quickly. That’s good practice for counting change, telling time, and algebra!

There were a few times that I supplemented Redbird Mathematics with some hands-on tools. For example, when we were learning about how to find the distance between 42 and 67 on the hundred chart and then place the resulting numbers in addition and subtraction equations, it was time to break out the chalkboard.

Once Pooh saw that we were using the numbers on the chart to fill in an abbreviated fact family, he understood what to do with them.

When Pooh finished working with the hundred chart, the program moved him on to learning to add and subtract using Base Ten blocks. That’s right. After learning to add and subtract with one strategy, Redbird Mathematics introduces another strategy to learn the exact same skills.

But here’s what’s good about that: If kids can learn how to perform the same operations with differing data, numbers, and methods, they begin to understand mathematical principles better. Which means they can use them in various situations with ease.

And that’s what we want, right?

With the Base Ten blocks strategy, I also used a hands-on tool: Unifix cubes.

Breaking the rows apart into single cubes to replicate the math problem on the screen really helped Pooh “get” what we were learning.

As he found out, you can regroup 6 ones and 7 ones into 1 ten and 3 ones.

Which means that 6+7 is equal to 10 + 3!

And that is the beauty of learning to add in different ways!

If you’d like to boost your child’s math thinking skills, now’s the time to purchase Redbird Mathematics! You can score a 10 percent discount on a three-month subscription through February 1 with the promo code LEARNMATH! Just be sure to enter the code during the checkout process.

Now – on to the giveaway!

Ten winners will receive a free 3-­month subscription to GiftedandTalented.com’s K7 Redbird Mathematics: Advanced Edition – a $60 value! This giveaway ends January 28, 2016.

To enter, use the giveaway widget below!

To learn more about Redbird Mathematics from GiftedandTalented.com, follow the company on the social networks below! And don’t forget to sign up for the Redbird Mathematics Newsletter while you’re there! You’ll find the signup form on the company website.

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