Do you know about Bedtime Math? It's a great idea from New Jersey mom Lauren Overdeck that kids should have a bedtime math problem just like they have a bedtime book.
Lauren was nice enough to share these tips for a math-erific Super Bowl Sunday. When the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens play for the championship title, here are some math problems you can solve with your kids.
1. Practice adding and subtracting with Roman numerals. This year’s game is the 47th Super Bowl– Super Bowl XLVII. For older kids, put a fun – and challenging– twist on regular addition and subtraction by introducing the concept of Roman numerals; then, use this different number system to practice adding and subtracting. L minus X (50 – 10) equals 40; V plus II (5 + 2) equals 7.
2. Choose game day snacks and count change. Everyone needs some yummy snacks to munch on during the game. Have your kids set up a Super Bowl snack bar at home, and attribute different prices to each food item. Use play money to ‘buy’ snacks from the snack bar, and have your children count out the correct change for each family member’s snack ‘purchase’.
3. Countdown. A football game is divided into four quarters, each of which lasts for 15 minutes. Throughout the game, keep an eye on the timer, and have your kids figure out how much time has passed in the quarter based on the amount of time remaining. If the timer reads 13:24, how much game time has already passed?
2. Choose game day snacks and count change. Everyone needs some yummy snacks to munch on during the game. Have your kids set up a Super Bowl snack bar at home, and attribute different prices to each food item. Use play money to ‘buy’ snacks from the snack bar, and have your children count out the correct change for each family member’s snack ‘purchase’.
3. Countdown. A football game is divided into four quarters, each of which lasts for 15 minutes. Throughout the game, keep an eye on the timer, and have your kids figure out how much time has passed in the quarter based on the amount of time remaining. If the timer reads 13:24, how much game time has already passed?
Lauren Overdeck studied astrophysics at Princeton, and founded Bedtime Math in 2012 to help parents inspire a love of math in young kids by finding exciting opportunities for math learning in everyday activities.
Through Bedtime Math, parents receive a nightly math problem to do with their children; each problem is adapted for various age levels (Wee Ones, Little Kids, Big Kids) and draws on real-life, kid-friendly examples.
You can sign-up to receive email with the daily problem at BedtimeMathProblem.org, or you can find the daily problem on Facebook /bedtimemath and Twitter @bedtimemath..
Through Bedtime Math, parents receive a nightly math problem to do with their children; each problem is adapted for various age levels (Wee Ones, Little Kids, Big Kids) and draws on real-life, kid-friendly examples.
You can sign-up to receive email with the daily problem at BedtimeMathProblem.org, or you can find the daily problem on Facebook /bedtimemath and Twitter @bedtimemath..
Heh. I love this idea except last night I was helping the 12 year old with his math homework and...er...I wasn't much use. I mean honestly, when is the last time YOU had to do things with negative numbers, square roots, and X? Sheesh. So does this bedtime math person have a refresher course for parents?
ReplyDeleteI'm with you Deborah, but with her astrophysics degree I'm not sure if Bedtime Math's founder will have any sympathy for us.
ReplyDelete