Part of the Williamson Kids Can! series, this irresistible book just might turn children into math lovers. The author has presented an exciting collection of easily executed experiments, fun facts, and inspiring project starters with a common math theme. The end result is a book that helps make math meaningful and interesting to children.
Kids can flip through the book and choose the projects and information that suits them. All topics — including measurement, probability, geometry, and time — are presented in an understandable, interesting manner. The text is supported by equally fun illustrations — it's apparent that the book's illustrator had a great time with this project!
Math topics are accompanied by project ideas and experiments that promote active learning and that appeal to many different learning styles. A discussion of Fibonacci Numbers and how they reflect patterns in nature, for example, leads into some detective work ("what number comes next in the sequence?") and a project idea for decorating a t-shirt with apple stamps, among other things.
Don't be surprised if your kids want to take a yardstick out into your backyard in order to find out if a dinosaur would fit there. The suggestions for extension activities are appealing and relatively easy to do. Kids are not just told that a truss is used in bridges to add stability and strength, they are encouraged to make a model of one out of Popsicle sticks and compare it with a differently designed support. More hands-on learning is found in the section on circles that discusses the reasons for King Arthur's knights meeting at a round table, introduces circle "lingo" (circumference, diameter, ratios), offers a method of drawing a perfect circle, and shows kids some clever tricks and brainteasers involving coins and paper circles. Even the fascinating fact boxes more often than not get kids keenly involved in the learning process. From time to time, the book points kids to Web addresses where they can explore a concept in more depth.
Kids learn about the speed of a sneeze, how to measure the proximity of a storm, how to determine their own batting average, and even get some savvy tips on creating their own kid-driven business. This book is informative and fun, and even inspiring. When kids see for themselves just how math applies in the real world, their interest in the subject will surely skyrocket.
