Table Topics   Updated daily!
March 20, 2008
Mind-stretching brain games and conversation starters.
It's the perfect opportunity for sharing stories, building knowledge, strengthening character, and having fun!

Each step that we take along the path of learning mathematics can seem like a skip to some and to others the dragging along of a ball and chain. That is simply personal differences. We all learn at different rates and each have our own special interests and talents. But if your child is someone who finds learning math to be a steep, treacherous, uphill climb, you understand the struggle.

One thing that I have learned as an educator is to take time to put down the pencils and approach the topic through discussions. Discuss the exploration of learning mathematics as a type of journey. This journey involves the crossing of many streams and rivers along the way.

First we learn the concept of numbers themselves.  Then we need to cross over to understanding how to put them together and take them apart in simple addition and subtraction.  Next comes multiple-digit numbers and the concept of place value.

Soon the streams become too big to wade through and the learner must stop, take the time to build a bridge in order to get across. Then the journey can progress.

Many learners find that subtraction with renaming (or what we called borrowing, when I was a child) to be one of the deeper streams that require bridge building. Name some other math topics that are more difficult to cross over into mastery…..long division, geometry, calculus?

Tips on helping younger learners develop math skills:
Parents' Guide / Math Skills Development

Tips on improving math study skills:
Why Are Math Study Skills Important?

      Play Some Math Games
      Math games that use the Multiple Intelligences

A couple of summers ago, my son, Alex, and I were traveling between Oregon and Arizona bringing my mom home with us for a visit. It was dinnertime and we were thinking about what we were in the mood to eat. We all agreed that a Chinese buffet sounded good. But, we didn’t find one and ended up eating at a pizza joint.

Full, but not really satisfied, we climbed back into the car and continued on our drive. Can you guess what was down the road about five minutes later? Yep, a Chinese restaurant. If we had had a GPS, we would have eaten more vegetables that night.

Think of some other ways a GPS can be used.

12 Uses of GPS for Everyday People