Math for Kids

April 1 – National One Cent Day

Posted by

0

A Dollar, a Penny, How Much and How Many? by Brian Cleary and Brian Gable Picture Book Review

About the Holiday

Do you pick up a penny on the street or step over it as worthless? If you do the latter, you might want to reconsider. Today we celebrate the one-cent coin and its historical and artistic significance. The penny has been in circulation since 1793 and derives its name from the English “penny” but is pluralized in the US as “pennies” instead of the British “pence.”

It wasn’t until 1909 that Abraham Lincoln’s face appeared on the coin as part of President Roosevelt’s initiative to improve the artistic nature of the country’s coinage. Roosevelt enlisted famed sculptor August Saint-Gaudens to design the new penny, as well as the other gold pieces in use at the time. While the designs of other coins have changed over the years, Lincoln has remained the iconic image on the copper-colored penny.

While a single penny may not buy much these days, added together they can still make a difference. And remember the old adage: Find a penny pick it up. All the day you’ll have good luck!

A Dollar, a Penny, How Much and How Many?

Written by Brian P. Cleary | Illustrated by Brian Gable

 

Part of the Math is CATegorical series, this book is all about money—what it looks like, what it’s used for, and how the different denominations add up to equal the same price for a desired or needed item. Each two-page spread relates in verse a little lesson. The book opens with a general definition of money: “Money is the term for coins and bills that people use / to buy things such as pizzas, pencils, planes, and chains and shoes.”

Kids learn the names of our coins, what they are made of, and the value of each. They discover that coins can be added together or mixed and matched—10 pennies equal a dime; two dimes and a nickel equal a quarter, and so on. The story moves to a dollar store, where the cats buy different items with various combinations of coins. Jenny has 4 quarters, while her brother has 10 dimes. Anna has 100 pennies and Zack is carrying 7 dimes, 1 quarter, and 5 pennies. Kids see that all of these combinations have the same value.

Paper money is up next. A short description of the minting process leads to a discussion of value as the cats purchase a $20 book with various bills.

Brian Cleary’s catchy rhymes and straightforward explanations make this a perfect book for introducing money, its value, and the mathematical concepts of addition, subtraction, and multiplication of using money to buy things.

Brian Gable’s well-known comical cats of the series walk kids through the pages as they ponder prices on items on the shelf and the amount of money in their pocket. The cats’ humorous expressions and silly situations turn this money math lesson into a funny and fun experience. The brightly colored pages focus on the coins and bills, which are clearly displayed, and the direct connections between this money and the objects being bought is obvious.

Ages 5 – 9

Millbrook Press, 2012 | ISBN 978-0822578826

National One Cent Day Activity

CPB - Penny matching

Count Your Pennies! Matching Game

 

Counting pennies can be so much fun! Saving them can be even better! Collect enough pennies and you can buy something special or donate to your favorite cause! In this printable Count Your Pennies! matching game, draw a line from the stack of pennies to the object they will buy.

March 24 – National Button Day

Posted by

0

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin and James Dean Picture Book ReviewAbout the Holiday

You have to admit it—those little round things that hold our clothes and bags shut are indispensable. Sometimes tiny works of art in their own right, buttons are fascinating. Antique buttons made of glass, metal, or even bone and decorated with intricate paintings, engraved designs, or gemstones offer a glimpse into history, both American and International. Today’s buttons, fashioned into engaging shapes or brightly colored, have stories of their own and enhance whatever garment or item they adorn.

Button collecting was recognized as an organized hobby by the National Button Society in 1938, and National Button Week – which I’m celebrating today – was founded in 1989. The goal is to promote awareness of the fun of button collecting and to recognize the study and display of antique and collectible buttons. Button collecting is a fun hobby that is exciting for all ages.

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons

Written by Eric Litwin | Created and Illustrated by James Dean

 

It’s 8:00 in the morning and Pete the Cat is ready to start the day wearing his favorite shirt – the one with 4 groovy buttons. Those buttons are big, they are round, they are colorful, and they inspire him to sing a song: “My buttons, my buttons, my four groovy buttons. My buttons, my buttons, my four groovy buttons.”

Soon, however, one of the buttons pops off! That leaves Pete with how many buttons? 3! Right! Does Pete cry? “Goodness No! Buttons come and buttons go.” Fortunately for readers buttons continue to GO…inviting kids to do the math and sing the infectious song with each “Pop!”

As Pete sits atop his surfboard atop his VW Beetle looking very beachy, his last button goes sprooiiing and rolls away. What does Pete see then? Why, the only button that won’t desert him—his belly button!

Eric Litwin’s short, fast-paced text contains plenty of exciting opportunities for read-along, shout-along fun on every page. The subtraction problems offered as Pete loses buttons provide early learners with confidence-building moments, and Pete’s easy-going attitude is just right for these hyper-busy times.

James Dean’s illustrations are as big, bold, colorful, and groovy as Pete’s buttons. Vibrant primary colors rivet readers to the page, and—Watch out! That popping button is swirling right at you! But through it all Pete the Cat remains his nonchalant self.

Ages 4 – 8

HarperCollins, 2012 | ISBN 978-0062110589

National Button Week Activity

CPB - Button Coat

Pin the Button on the Coat Game

 

Pin the Button on the Coat is a fun game you can make yourself and play anytime! It’s great for a button-themed party or on any day that you’re holed up and just poppin’ to do something! The game is played like “Pin the Tail on the Donkey,” and the object is to get the buttons as close to the center of the coat as possible. Have fun!

Supplies

CPB - Button Coat II

Directions

  1. Cut out the coat, sleeves, and collar following the printable patterns
  2. With the fabric glue, attach the sleeves to the edge of the coat, and the collar to the top of the coat.
  3. Let dry
  4. Cut circles to represent buttons from the other colors of fleece or felt, as many as you need
  5. With the marker make dots to represent holes in the “buttons”
  6. When the glue on the coat is dry, attach it to the clothes hanger with the clothespins

If you like buttons and button crafts, pop on over to February 29—Haiku Writing Day for Guyku—a fun book of poetry—and directions to make a bookmark with colorful buttons!

 

March 14 – National Pi Day

Posted by

0

Bedtime Math The Truth Comes Out Picture Book Review

About the Holiday

What would we do without pie, huh? The flaky crust, the delicious filling….What? Oh, how embarrassing! It’s Pi Day! Well, what would we do without pi, huh? All those circles would go unmeasured, the world just wouldn’t fit together quite right…

Pi Day recognizes the usefulness of the mathematical constant Pi, the first three numbers of which are 3.14. In 1988 Larry Shaw noticed the correlation to March 14 and organized the first Pi Day celebration at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, California. In 2009 The U.S. House of Representatives officially named March 14 as National Pi Day. The day is celebrated by schools and other organizations with math projects, pie-eating contests, and other fun events.

Bedtime Math: The Truth Comes Out

Written by Laura Overdeck | Illustrated by Jim Paillot

 

Bedtime has never been so numerical! Oh sure, kids might count the stars out their window or sheep leaping a fence, but how about flavors of astronaut ice cream or towns named for food? Wouldn’t it be fun to figure out how far a marshmallow shot from a rubber band will go? Or how to stop a charging rhino? Or whether a snake can lose its tongue? You bet it would! And that’s the genius behind the Bedtime Math series, which also includesBedtime Math: A Fun Excuse to Stay up Late and Bedtime Math: This Time It’s Personal.

Bedtime Math goes way beyond simply presenting math problems for kids to solve. Each problem begins with fascinating facts or trivia about topics kids care about, such as space, animals, food, themselves, and the world they live in. Adults will find as much to like about these revealing tidbits as kids.

Reluctant math students will respond to this series, as the presentation is light-hearted, humorous, and educational in the best way. They may not even realize they’re doing higher math as they try to solve these brain ticklers.

Each mind boggler comes with three difficulty levels—Wee Ones, Little Kids, and Big Kids—plus a bonus question that’s more advanced so that everyone can join in the fun. An extensive introduction gives tips and suggestions for using the book and answers any questions readers may have about the approach.

Of course, these cool calculations don’t have to wait for bedtime. They’re a smart way to fill those “I’m bored” moments or to just spend time together no matter when it is. Bedtime Math has expanded to include its own website and a nation-wide afterschool math club, Crazy 8s.

Author Laura Overdeck began using this technique to math learning with her own children and with a BA in astrophysics is well-qualified to take your child’s math skills to the stars and beyond!

Jim Paillot enhances each page with colorful exaggerated and humorous takes on the math teaser at hand, which increase kids’ interest in and even understanding of the concepts being “taught.”

Ages 3 – 8

Feiwell & Friends Publishers, 2015 | ISBN 978-1250047755

National Pi Day Activity

CPB - Pi Day Pie Match

 

Pi Day Pie Match

 

All this talk about math has made me hungry! You too? Well, just put these pies together and then you can enjoy a snack! Print the Pi Day Pie Match game here.