74 FAMILY MATH II: ACHIEVING SUCCESS IN MATHEMATICS NUMBER SENSE

There are opportunities for teaching and learning everywhere we go. Here’s a list of mathematical things your family can try when you are traveling:

• Estimate how many minutes or seconds it will take to arrive at school in the morning. Measuring time, how do walking, driving, or riding the bus compare?

• Estimate how long it will take to get somewhere,

and give your child a watch to keep track of the

time. By watching the time and “checking” on the

accuracy of everyone’s estimation, your child will

develop a sense of time and will practice telling

time.

• Talk about the turns you are making as you

drive. Hearing you say “Now we are turning

left,” or “At the next corner we’ll turn right,”

helps your child establish a sense of direction.

Older children can try to determine whether you are

turning east or west, or going north or south. Look for

landmarks that can be used as visual references.

• Ask your child to count the traffic signs. Are there

any signs in the shape of an octagon? Which ones

are shaped like a rhombus or a triangle? You can also

look for signs by color. Which sign do you see most

often?

FAMILY MATH on the Go

FAMILY MATH II: ACHIEVING SUCCESS IN FAMILY MATH ON THE GO MATHEMATICS 75

• Is there an extra long block on the way to the store or market?

Have your children compare the lengths of two blocks. For example: Which is larger? Which is shorter? How can they check their guess?

• Play “I Spy” when traveling long distances. For example, if your child sees a car with a number that is the same as her age, she can say “I spy with my little eye, a car with the number 5 on it!”

Keep track by making check marks or putting stickers on a paper.

At the end of the trip count how many cars you saw that fit this rule. You can also add characteristics, such as favorite color: “I spy with my little eye, a blue car with the number 5 on it.”

• Have older children choose any number as a factor. Every time they see their number, they multiply it. For example, if you chose

6 and you spot a number 6 on a license plate, you multiply the two sixes and get 36. The next time you see 6, you multiply 36 x 6 and your new answer is 216. Keep this going until you reach your destination. You might want to keep a calculator in the car. As a treat, someone will open the car door for the person who scores the highest number.

• Sing songs such as “18 Wheels on a Big Rig,” “The Ladybugs’

Picnic,” or other number songs you know.

Wonder about things aloud. Show delight in the pursuit of

understanding and problem solving. When your children see

you as an inquisitive, curious person, they acquire similar

behaviors.

http://lawrencehallofscience.org/equals/browse/pdf/FMII/Onthego.pdf