Best of the Blog

[Photo by samchurchill.]

Over the years, Let’s Play Math! blog has grown into a sprawling mess of over 600 posts, pages, and handouts. That’s still small by Internet standards, but it’s large enough to make it hard to find what you’re looking for.

I write primarily about math, but I have other interests as well, and sometimes those sneak through onto the blog — a bit of fiction, some Shakespeare, and of course, stories about my kids. On this page, I’ve collected my top 10 (more or less) favorite blog posts from each category.

Skim. Click. Explore. Have fun!

“Table of Contents” Quicklinks

Mathematics:
Activities – By Grade Level – How & Why (understanding math) – History – Math Carnivals – Math Humor – Book Reviews
Alexandria Jones
Education:
Teaching Math – Homeschooling – Other than Math
Life in General:
Blogging – My Family
Quotations
Archives (by month of publication)

Mathematics Sub-Categories

Activities:
Games – Puzzles – Math Club Activities – Holiday Math
By Grade Level:
PK-1st Grade – Middle Elementary – Grades 5+Up – Algebra & Beyond
How & Why (understanding math):
Math Monsters (tough topics in arithmetic) – Word Problems
History
Math Carnivals
Math Humor
Book Reviews

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Activities Sub-Categories

Games
Puzzles
Math Club Activities
Holiday Math

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Best Let’s Play Math! Games

Take a break from textbook math and enjoy yourself. I like to use games as a warm-up at Math Club meetings. Some homeschoolers make every Friday a Game Day.

Game: Times Tac Toe
Game: Target Number (or 24)
Contig Game: Master Your Math Facts
Math Game: What Number Am I?
Hit Me! (A Math Game)
The Function Machine Game
Game: Avoid Three, or Tic-Tac-No!
Euclid’s Game on a Hundred Chart
Math Club Nim
Game: Tens Concentration
The Game that Is Worth 1,000 Worksheets

Top Let’s Play Math! Puzzles

My students love puzzles and will work much harder at such a challenge than they ever would do on a textbooky worksheet. Try your hand at a few of these, and let me know what you think.

2011 Mathematics Game
Lewis Carroll’s Logic Challenges
How to Start an Argument: The Monty Hall Problem
Tangrams and Other Dissection Puzzles
Puzzle: Figuring Out Figurate Numbers
Alex’s & Leon’s Homeschool Puzzle
Leonhard’s Block Puzzles
Egyptian Geometry and Other Challenges and Egyptian Math Puzzles
Puzzle: Random Blocks
Puzzle: Patty Paper Trisection

Favorite Math Club Activities

My Math Club students enjoy the above games and puzzles, of course, but we also have fun with projects that are not so easy to categorize. So grab a group of kids, and let’s play some math!

Math Project: Measure the Earth
Sept-Oct 2010 Math Calendars
Math Clubs, Math Circles, and the Richmond Math Salon
Quilt: What Can You Do with This?
Math Warm-Up: Today is February 4×3×2×1
20+ Things to Do with a Hundred Chart
Math Club: Counting 101
Substitute Teacher Experiments with Combinatorics
Cardstock Geometry Puzzle
Skit: The Handshake Problem
Story Problem Challenge
How To Start a Homeschool Math Club

Let’s Play Holiday Math

I’ve been surprised by the popularity of these posts. I suppose we all like to take a break from the daily grind and try something different, and holidays give us an excuse for it.

Puzzles for the New Year
Head’s Up for e-Day
Be My (Math) Valentine and Valentine’s Day: Say It with Music
Happy Pi Day I and Happy Pi Day II and More Fun With Pi
Planning Ahead: St. Patrick’s Day
April Fool’s Day: Fun with Math Fallacies
Happy Tau Day and Tau Day Limerick
The Olympics: Math Puzzles and a Game
Math Storytelling Day
10/10 is Powers of 10 Day
Halloween: The Math of Zombies and More Halloween Math
Christmas Math Puzzles and Activities

By Grade Level Sub-Categories

PK-1st Grade
Middle Elementary
Grades 5+Up
Algebra & Beyond

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Top Ideas for PK-1st Grade Children

Young children love to explore patterns, shapes, and numbers. Let them play around with math, and leave the more formal written lessons for later.

Easy-to-Make Counting Rope
Mental Math: Addition
Cute Math Facts for Visual Thinkers
If Your Kids Like Sir Cumference…
Hundred Chart Nim
Number Bonds, Number Rainbows
How to Make Math Cards
Unschooling Elementary Math
Mastering Miquon: Top Ten Tips
Elementary Problem Solving: The Early Years
Number Bonds = Better Understanding

More posts for the PK-1st grade category

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Best Posts on Middle Elementary Math

Beware! As concepts get harder, pushing your student could lead to math anxiety. Instead, make math a cooperative effort by using Buddy Math. Or intersperse your textbook math lessons with fun, low-pressure games and activities.

Times Table Series
The Cookie Factory Guide to Long Division
Narnia Math: Elementary Problem Solving 4th Grade
Math Facts: 5 Minutes a Day
Buddy Math
20+ Things to Do with a Hundred Chart
Math Facts Are like Learning to Type
How to Teach Math to a Struggling Student
Math Games by Kids
Ben Franklin Math: Elementary Problem Solving 3rd Grade
Negative Numbers for Young Students

More posts tagged ‘Elementary school’

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Mastering Math in Grades 5+Up

This category takes in a wide range of math, from the middle school Math Monsters to more advanced number theory topics that show up on MathCounts and other contests — anything that counts as arithmetic beyond the basics. I love this level of math!

More Than One Way to Solve It and More Than One Way to Solve It, Again
The (Mathematical) Trouble with Pizza
Introduction to Probability
Rate Puzzle: How Fast Does She Read?
Hobbit Math: Elementary Problem Solving 5th Grade
Prime Numbers Are like Monkeys
Do Your Students Understand Division?
How to Solve Math Problems II
Free Online Math for Middle School and Up
MathCounts — Ready or Not, Here It Comes
Math Club: Counting 101

Let’s Play with Algebra & Beyond

Algebra, geometry, pre-calculus and more… I don’t tend to write as much about high school math, because my kids are mostly independent learners by that stage. They also take classes at the local community college, which gives them a few grades on their transcripts from somebody other than Mom. (Mom is a tough grader!)

Renée’s Platonic Mobile
Graph-It Game
Algebra: A Problem in Translation
The Game of Algebra
Puzzle: Factoring Trinomials
Euclid’s Geometric Algebra
The Pythagorean Proof
A Mathematician for President
An Ancient Mathematical Crisis
Why Study Mathematics?
Free: Calculus Student’s Best Friend

How & Why Sub-Categories

Math Monsters (tough topics in arithmetic)
Word Problems

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Math Monsters Sub-Categories

Fractions
Ratios & Percents
Other Tough Topics

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Fiddling Around with Fractions

Fractions can confuse anyone! Don’t believe me? Well, can YOU explain the answers to my fraction quiz?

How to Understand Fraction Division
Subtracting Mixed Numbers: A Cry for Help
Fraction Models, and a Card Game
How to Read a Fraction
How Shall We Teach Fractions?
Quiz: Those Frustrating Fractions
A Mathematical Trauma
Fraction Division — A Poem
Math quotes V: A man is like a fraction…
Math Quotes III: Five out of Four People

Let’s Play with Ratios, Proportions, & Percents

Tough topics like decimals, ratios, percents, and proportions are all specialized forms of fraction. Try to help your student understand how each new idea connects to the basic fraction concepts.

Rate Puzzle: How Fast Does She Read?
Can You Read the Flu Map?
Trouble with Percents
How Old Are You, in Nanoseconds?
Bill Gates Proportions II
Putting Bill Gates in Proportion
Percents: The search for 100%
Percents: Key Concepts and Connections

Exploring a Few Other Tough Topics

The Math Monsters are the things that make students afraid of math. What is the scariest math topic you can think of?

Introduction to Probability
Prime Numbers Are like Monkeys
The Cookie Factory Guide to Long Division
Diagnosis: Math Workbook Syndrome
Negative Numbers for Young Students
Order of Operations

Word Problems Sub-Categories

Problem Solving
Bar Diagrams

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I Wonder about Solving Word Problems

Why do so many people hate word problems (aka story problems)? My children have always preferred their math to be “about something,” rather than working with abstract numbers. Word problems are like little puzzles or mini-mysteries to solve — what fun!

More Than One Way to Solve It
The (Mathematical) Trouble with Pizza
Algebra: A Problem in Translation
How to Solve Math Problems II
Word Problems in Russia and America
Reading to Learn Math
Writing to Learn Math and Writing to Learn Math II
Elementary Problem Solving: The Tools
The Case of the Mysterious Story Problem
Story Problem Challenge and Story Problem Challenge Revisited and Babymath: Story Problem Challenge III

Use Bar Diagrams to Think Through Word Problems

I love the problem-solving tool called bar diagrams (or Singapore math models), which I learned about from Singapore Primary Mathematics but which can be easily applied in any math program. A visual form of algebra, these diagrams will help all students learn to reason their way through word problems.

Hobbit Math: Elementary Problem Solving 5th Grade
Narnia Math: Elementary Problem Solving 4th Grade
Elementary Problem Solving: Review
Christmas in July Math Problem
Solving Complex Story Problems II
Ben Franklin Math: Elementary Problem Solving 3rd Grade
Penguin Math: Elementary Problem Solving 2nd Grade
Elementary Problem Solving: The Tools
Solving Complex Story Problems
Number Bonds = Better Understanding

Let’s Play with Math History

The story of mathematics is the story of interesting people. They faced the normal challenges of daily life as well as the creative challenges of mathematical imagination. It’s a shame that our children see only the dry remains of these people’s passion.

Leonardo and Steve: The Young Genius Who Beat Apple to Market by 800 Years
Hooray for (Math) History
Math History on the Internet
A Very Short History of Mathematics
Free Math History: Number Stories of Long Ago
Egyptian Math in Hieroglyphs
The Secret of Egyptian Fractions
An Ancient Mathematical Crisis
Historical Tidbits: Alexandria Jones
Historical Tidbits: Agnesi, Euler, and China
A Mathematician for President
Math History Tidbits: The Battling Bernoullis

Explore the Math Carnivals

A blog carnival is a collection of blog posts loosely related to a given topic. Carnivals give bloggers a chance to reach a wider audience than just their regular readers, and they give readers interested in the topic a chance to access a wide variety of articles at once. Here are the math carnivals I’ve hosted, plus a couple of hodge-podge “carnivals” of my own.

Math Teachers at Play #39
Math Teachers at Play #35
Brighten Up Your Monday with Puzzles
A Little Bit of This, a Little Bit of That…
What is a Math Carnival?
Math Teachers at Play #24
Math Teachers at Play #20
Math Teachers at Play #8
Math Teachers at Play #5
Math Teachers at Play #2
Math Teachers at Play #1
The Procrastinating Blogger Award
Bloglines Potluck “Carnival”

Posts for the Math Carnival category

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Best Bits of Let’s Play Math! Humor

In the process of making this Best of Blog page, I’ve enjoyed the chance to explore long forgotten posts, including these old treasures. If you’d like a laugh, check out…

For Niner: A Bit of Calculus Fun
Valentine’s Day: Say It with Music
Real-Life Story Problem
Get a Laugh
In Between Sneezes…
500 (?) and Counting
That’s Mathematics
A Very Short History of Mathematics
Math Jokes
Spring Cleaning My Blog Links
For those really long family trips…
All Odd Numbers are Prime — a Corollary

A Few of my Favorite Books (and Other Reviews)

Like many homeschoolers, I’m a book fanatic. Our family collection has grown to fill 11 tall bookshelves, and I’m trying to figure out where we can squeeze in another. I’d like to develop a habit of posting book reviews on a regular basis, but so far I haven’t followed through on my good intentions…

Leonardo and Steve: The Young Genius Who Beat Apple to Market by 800 Years
Free Math from Dover Publications
Working on My Let’s Play Math! Books
Arithmetic Village Books
Old Dogs, New Math
Review: Math Mammoth
Free Books? What’s the Catch?
New Edition of Must-Read Math Book
Have a Mathy Christmas
Review: Kiss My Math
Review: Math Doesn’t Suck

The Mathematical Adventures of Alexandria Jones

Just before the turn of the century, I tried my hand at fiction writing for a short-lived newsletter. A few years ago, I dusted off my newsletter issues and began to republish the adventures as blog posts. Check out my index page:

Alexandria Jones

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Education Sub-Categories

Teaching Math
Homeschooling
Other than Math

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My Thoughts on Teaching Math

Many teachers are concerned about the amount of material they must cover in a course. One cynic suggested a formula: since, he said, students on the average remember only about 40% of what you tell them, the thing to do is to cram into each course 250% of what you hope will stick.

— Paul Halmos

The Problem with Manipulatives and Still Relevant After All These Years
Math Clubs, Math Circles, and the Richmond Math Salon
Buddy Math
How DO We Learn Math?
Reading to Learn Math
Writing to Learn Math and Writing to Learn Math II
Diagnosis: Math Workbook Syndrome
How to Teach Math to a Struggling Student
If It Ain’t Repeated Addition, What is It? and What’s Wrong with “Repeated Addition”?
Confession: I Am Not Good at Math
The “Aha!” Factor

Hooray for Homeschooling

Homeschooling is a daily adventure in learning. Here are a few posts directly related to homeschool strategies and planning or to our local homeschool co-op.

MathCounts: No More Homeschool Teams
Review: Math Mammoth
How To Start a Homeschool Math Club
How To Harness Metacognitive Decision-Making
Spring, the Season for Planning…
Homeschool Burnout? 10 Tips for Coping
The “Are You a Homeschooler?” Quiz
Planning a New Math Club

In the Mood for Something Other than Math?

One of my favorite things about homeschooling is the chance to relearn and finally understand the topics I hated when I was in school. And what greater adventure could there be than to introduce your child to all the wonderful things in God’s world?

Radiation Sanity Chart
Free Books? What’s the Catch?
Gobolink Symmetry
My New Project: Blogging 2 Learn
Homeschool Kids Write
Free Shakespeare for Fun and Copywork and Thou Surly Bat-Fowling Hugger-Mugger!
I Couldn’t Resist… and Cat Quotations
Resources for Teaching Literature
In Honor of the Standardized Testing Season…
Scripture Memory: Who is God?
Fibonacci Poetry = Fun!

Posts for the Other than Math category

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