How Do Buttons Teach Math? Frugal Friday.

Edible. Math. How Do Buttons Teach Math?

I spoke to a woman last year who taught her children the concept of fractions by cutting an apple in four pieces when they went on a trip.

When they were one-quarter of the way to their destination, she gave them a slice of apple and said, “We’re one-fourth of the way there.”

The same for one-half, three-fourths and “We’re there!” with the last apple slice.

She said they never had any trouble understanding fractions.

Smell, Taste and Learning

Educational theory tells us that the more senses are involved, the easier it is to learn.

When engaging taste and smell by using food to teach mathematical concepts, the theory goes, children will learn more easily and retain what they learn better.

M&Ms, Cheerios, Shells and Buttons

I’ve since learned about a number of options for teaching mathematical concepts to children.

M&Ms can be used to count. Count the M&Ms on the table in front of you.

To graph. Draw a graph showing how many M&Ms of each color you have in front of you.

To estimate. How many M&Ms are in the jar?

Patterning and Programming

M&Ms could also be used for creating and being able to figure out a pattern and predicting what the next item is in the series by following the pattern.

Spotting patterns is one of the key concepts that is required for software engineers, my old profession.

Software is a series of patterns that can be manipulated to make a computer do what you want.

I play a code maker/code breaker game with my grandchildren, called Mastermind.

In the game,you create a pattern with colored pegs. Then, you give the other player clues with other colored pegs to tell them whether they are close to figuring out the pattern.

Teaching Math with Common Objects

There are, of course, other things you can use to teach patterning. Teachers can buy kits of things like colored blocks.

But, parents and grandparents can use things around the house to show how math works.

Buttons
Shells
Beads
Paper clips
Checkers pieces
Plastic bottle caps.

Buttons and Patterns

To teach patterning, for instance, you could put one black button down in a line, with a white button next, and continue alternating, black and white twice more.

Could your grandchild predict that the next button in the series will be black?

What if you put two black buttons down, and one white button, three times in a row, leaving off the white button the last time.

Would they know the next button should be white?

Getting Creative

Let them make up a pattern, to see if they can fool you.

My children always surprised me at how quickly they picked up such games and made them more interesting.

Keep the buttons in your purse for something fun to do at a restaurant while waiting.

Along with the toothpick puzzles and the Origami paper.

What do you keep in your pocket or purse to entertain your grandchildren?

How old were your children when they beat you at checkers? at chess?

What educational games do you play with your grandchildren?

To you and teaching your grandchildren that technology isn’t the only way to learn.