Let’s Make Math Fun www.makingmathmorefun.com www.math-board-games.com

Board Games Stop

the Kids Being Bored

Puzzles To Give the

Brain A Workout

Printable Games

Printable Puzzle

Sheets

Vacation Math the

Kids Will Love

More Pencil and

Paper Games

Volume 4

June July

2010

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The Let’s Make Math Fun MAGAZINE

is brought to you by

Making Math More Fun at www.makingmathmorefun.com

and

Math Board Games at www.math-board-games.com

Copyright © 2010 Teresa Evans. All rights reserved.

Permission is given for the making of copies for use in the home or classroom of the subscriber only.

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In thIs edItIon Vacation Math ''''''''''''.''''''''''''''''' Puzzles Give the Brain a Workout ''''''''''''''''''''.. Board Games Stop the Kids Being Bored ..'''''''''''''''' Dots and Sprouts – Pencil and Paper Games ''''''''''''''' Shape Brain Teasers ''''''''''''''''''''''''''.. Dots Print and Play Sheet ''''..'''''''''''''''''''.. Three Squares Board Game ''''''''''''''''''''''' Pentominoes Puzzle Sheet '''''''..'''''''''''''''' No Consecutives Puzzle Sheet ''''''''''''''''''''''

page 4 page 7 page 9 page 10 page 11 page 13 page 14 page 16 page 17

Welcome to the June/July edition of Let’s Make Math Fun. In many places around the

world, the kids are now on vacation or they soon will be. So this edition is dedicated to

vacation fun. It’s packed with loads of ideas for keeping the kids busy and of course

these ideas are also educational. So get the kids away from that TV and the video

games and get ready for some old fashion fun.

Start with a few puzzles! Word Searches and Sudoku are always popular or you can

even make your own puzzles – yes this edition shows you the website to do this. If you

don’t want to make your own try one of the printable puzzle sheets I have for you.

Next get out the Board Games and have a family games night. In this edition I share

four of my favorites with you. The kids will play these over and over and over. I know

this because that’s what my kids did.

You can also print off the Three Squares Board Game and cards and see who the

Three Squares champ will be. Or have a game of Dots or Sprouts. You only need a

pencil and paper and you’ll be ready to play. Hope this keeps the kids busy for a while!

Till next time,

Teresa

Cover Photo Info [2008] Mandy Godbehear Image from Bigstock.com

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VacatIon Math

Even though the kids might be on vacation it doesn’t mean that they can’t still be learning math. Of course the trick is to make it so much fun that they won’t even realize that they are. There are loads of different ways that you can get kids counting, calculating, measuring and having fun at the same time. Here are a few ideas to get you started. Cooking This is a yummy way to get kids measuring and calculating (also reading and comprehending). Get out the recipe books and let the kids choose what they would like to make. If you need to go shopping first, then this is another great opportunity to practice math skills. Get them estimating first what it might cost. In the store, they can tally up how much is being spent and then calculate how much change they will receive. Once they start cooking, they’ll be measuring, counting and estimating as they prepare the ingredients. You can also turn cooking into a problem solving activity by posing a few tricky questions. How much would we need to make five of these? How much flour would we use if we were making two of these?

Counting There are lots of different counting games that kids can play to practice counting. One old favorite is Buzz. Buzz - You need at least two people to play. Decide upon the number that will have its multiples missed (a number from 3-9). Take it in turns to count in ones saying a number each but when a multiple of the chosen number comes up, don’t say the number say ’BUZZ’ instead. E.g. If 4 is the chosen number, counting would sound like this -1, 2, 3, BUZZ, 5, 6, 7, BUZZ, 9, 10, 11, BUZZ etc. A player is out if he makes a mistake. Usually the game will stop at 100 and then another number can be chosen. For older children it is possible and good math practice to go over 100.

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Money Managing money is also a great math activity. Giving kids pocket money and making them responsible for their own money means that they will be counting up money and adding amounts when they go to spend it. Teach them how to work out the change to get them subtracting amounts too. A great way to teach responsible budgeting if they are old enough, is to let them buy most of their own things. Instead of you buying their clothes, toys, games, gifts for friends’ birthday parties etc, give them a set amount and let them budget. Time Telling the time and calculating time are more valuable math activities for kids on vacation. Many kids struggle with learning to tell the time so practicing this might be time well spent for your child. If they are competent with telling the time on an analogue clock, then get them calculating time instead. How long till we arrive there? How many minutes till your TV show starts? How many minutes until it is three o’clock? You can even have competitions at estimating time. These competitions will be even more fun if there is a prize for the person with the closest estimate. How long do you think it will take for me to do 100 skips with a jump rope? How many minutes will it take for us to walk from here to the shop? Or try a different type of estimating. How many times can you write your name in one minute? How many times can you bounce this ball in one minute?

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Lucky Jar Competition You may have seen this one done as a fund raiser before but why not simplify it as a counting and estimating game. Just fill a jar with sweets and get everyone to have a go at estimating how many sweets are in the jar. Ask your friends and extended family to join in the competition and then the kids can practice counting as they count the sweets to find the winner. Of course the prize for the winner is the jar of sweets. This doesn’t have to be a big jar but if that is all that you have and you don’t want to give the winner tooth decay, use larger sweets like marshmallows. Hopefully the winner will share anyway or make the jar last for quite a while. Well hope that gives you a few ideas for some fun vacation math!

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Personal Trainer: Math for the Nintendo DS

Practice simple addition and subtraction to more elaborate multiplication tables

and calculation ladders.

Personal Trainer: Math

Brain Quest for Nintendo DS

Choose Brain Mode or Quest Mode for fast paced quiz games on English,

History, Math, Science and Geography.

Brain Quest: Grades 5 & 6

Brain Quest: Grades 3 & 4

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Puzzles GIve the BraIn a Workout There is nothing like a good puzzle to give the brain a good workout. Two of the world’s most popular puzzles are Sudoku and Words Searches. Both of these types of puzzles get kids thinking.

Word Searches

Word Search puzzles are ideal for developing kids’ observation skills, spelling skills and concentration. If you are after Word Searches for kids make sure you visit Tim’s site.

www.superwordsearchpuzzles.com Tim has created loads and loads of free Word Search puzzles based around different themes. There is also a fun trivia fact hidden in most of the word search puzzles. It doesn’t matter if the kids are into Sports, Hobbies, Movies or Insects. You’ll find a Word Search Puzzle to suit. Tim is also the creator of The Math Riddle Book and Secret Code Math. I know that these great books are a favorite with many of you. They are also another great way to keep kids having fun with math while on vacation.

www.mathriddlebook.com

Puzzles That Will Even Puzzle the Adults I love puzzles and over the years I have collected quite a few. These puzzles have entertained many children and many adults. They are also quite a novelty to bring out when children come to visit. (Although it isn’t just the kids that love to have a go!)Here are a few that your kids might like.

The Star Puzzle 9 Rings Towers of Hanoi

Kanoodle ThinkFun

Gordians Knot

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Make Your Own Puzzles If you have some spare time, you might like to consider making your own puzzles for kids. It will take a bit of time but there is a great site that will make this a quick and simple task and you can soon be printing out puzzle after puzzle for the kids. Just visit www.puzzlemaker.com and in no time at all you can be printing out Word Searches, Number Blocks, Math Squares, Hidden Messages and more.

Sudoku

When solving Sudoku puzzles kids have to develop strategy skills and observation skills. They also develop problem solving skills, concentration and confidence. But you can’t put any old Sudoku puzzle in front of kids. Most of them are far too difficult and will only frustrate the kids. Kids need to start with simpler, easier Sudoku. A 4 X 4 or 6 X 6 are ideal starters for kids. If you haven’t already got your free Sudoku puzzles from www.kids-sudoku-puzzles.com make sure you check out Brooke’s site.

www.kids-sudoku-puzzles.com

BTW - Brooke has also created a Number Puzzle Book, Word Puzzle Book and Word Search Book. All are available for a discounted price when you order her Kids Sudoku

Puzzle Books. Just click on an order link from her page and you’ll see the offer.

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Board Games Stop the KIds BeIng Bored!

Board games are a great way to keep kids occupied but did you know that there are also many different ways that kids can benefit from playing board games. Not only do they develop strategy skills and thinking skills, but they also develop social skills like communication, cooperation and fair play.

Some board games contain very little educational content but there are some that require problem solving skills, strategy skills and even math skills. Some of these are old favorites that you may even recall from your own childhood.

Today I’d like to share a few of my favorites with you.

Mancala

My daughter and I played this game over and over and over. It is an ancient game of strategy from Africa. It is played on a wooden dish with glass beads but creative families can make their own game using beads or buttons and an egg carton. To make your own just do a search on the internet for Mancala and you will find the rules. This is a game for 2 players.

Schylling Mancala Game

Mastermind I played this game as a child and then bought it for my own children. It really makes kids think and is great for developing strategy and problem solving skills. Another 2 player game.

Mastermind

Blockus

This game lets kids play with fun, pretty shapes while they do their best to fit all of their pieces onto the board. This one is for 2 to 4 players. Blokus Classics Game

Pillars of Plato

We always called this one 3 dimensional 4 in a row and it isn’t always the adult that wins. Lots of fun and it makes you think!

Pillars of Plato in Natural Finish Solid Hardwood

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Dots and Sprouts –

Grab a PencIl and Paper

Most people know how to play Tic Tac Toe and Hangman but may not know these less common Pencil and Paper games.

Sprouts

The game was apparently created by two mathematicians in 1967. It is quite simple to play and only requires a pencil and paper.

Start by drawing 2 dots on the paper. Each player takes turns at drawing a curved line to link 2 dots then placing another dot somewhere along the line. There are 2 rules for this game - no line can cross another line - no dot can have more than 3 lines leaving it. The last player who is able to make a join is the winner. Your game might look something like this.

This game would now be over as the next player would be unable to draw a line. As a different variation try drawing 3, 4 or 5 dots to start the game.

Dots

This game is played on a grid of dots. It can be as many dots as you like. A grid of 5 X 5 or 10 X 10 is a good start. Each player takes turns to join two dots with a line (dots must be next to each other, only use lines that go across or vertically but not diagonally). When a player puts in the last line on a square, they put their initial in the square and have another turn.

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As the grid fills up you may be able to make many squares in one turn. The winner is the person with the most squares when the game is finished.

Your game might look like this. Click here for a Dots Print and Play Game Sheet.

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Shape BraIn Teasers

Here are a few puzzlers to get kids thinking.

4 Squares If 4 squares are joined together to make a shape, how many different shapes can be made? Squares can be joined along a side and not by corner only. These would be shapes. These would not be shapes. These would count as one

shape as they are the same shape repeated.

5 Squares This can be repeated with 5 squares. When 5 squares are joined together to make a shape they are called a pentomino. Answers 4 Squares – 5 shapes can be made. 5 Squares – 12 shapes can be made

Click Here for a Printable Pentominoes Puzzle Sheet

T

Let’s Make Math Fun www.makingmathmorefun.com www.math-board-games.com

THIS ISSUE’S

FREE PRINTABLES

DOTS PRINT AND PLAY GAME

3 SQUARES BOARD GAME

PENTOMINOES

PRINTABLE PUZZLE SHEET

NO CONSECUTIVES PRINTABLE PUZZLE SHEET

More Printable Math Games are available from

www.makingmathmorefun.com

and

www.math-board-games.com

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Dots Dots Dots Dots Game 1 Game 2

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Dots A game for 2 players

Each player takes turns to join two dots with a line (dots must be next to each other, only use lines that go across or vertically but not diagonally). When a player puts in the last line on a square, they put their initial in the square and have another turn. As the grid fills up you may be able to make many squares in one turn. The winner is the person with the most squares when the game is finished.

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three Squares three Squares three Squares three Squares

A game for 2 players

Players take turns to place a 3 Squares card on the board. The last player who can place a card is the winner.

Once a card is placed it can’t be moved.

A card cannot be placed on top of another card.

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3 Square Cards – Cut along the dotted lines.

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PentomInoes A pentomino is the name given to a shape made by joining five squares. Here are 2 shapes that you can make by joining five squares.

How many different pentominoes are there? Draw them in the grid below. Squares must join along an edge and not join corner to corner only.

How many rectangles are there in these pentominoes? Remember to count rectangles of all sizes. Remember that a square is a type of rectangle.

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No ConsecutIves

Place the numbers above each diagram in the circles so that no two consecutive numbers are joined by a line.

1 to 5 1 to 6 1 to 6

1 to 6 1 to 8