Press Release
Make This Summer Equal Math Fun
Math Learning Center Offers Easy Math Tips for Trips in the Car
Los Angeles - June 15, 2006
This summer, while taking road trips, make the most of the long hours in the car and make up for lost time in the classroom by practicing math skills with your children. Larry Martinek, chief instructional officer for Mathnasium has some fun and easy math tips that will keep your eyes on the road and your kids engaged.
"In the fall, teachers spend the first several weeks re-teaching material that was lost over the summer. Using the time spent in the car with your children is a quick, entertaining way to show that math is everywhere," said Martinek. "'Mathing' with your kids is a creative way to combat summer learning loss."
Mathnasium Learning Centers offer a curriculum that teaches math through visual, oral and written techniques. The following math tips are based on Mathnasium's K-12 curriculum and are an excellent way to make the most of your time in the car with your kids.
- License Plate Math: Have your child add up the numbers in the license plate of the car in front of you. To make it more challenging, have your child multiply the answer by two, five and 10. Also have them figure out half of the answer. These are great ways to help kids learn how to figure out complex math problems.
- Time Travel. Teach your kids about word problems such as: Tommy's baseball game starts at 4:30 p.m. Tommy's house is four miles from the baseball field, and it takes Tommy's mom two minutes per mile to get to the field. What time should they leave Tommy's house to make it to the game on time? This is a fun way to keep your kids thinking about math, as well as keep mom on track.
- Time is Money. It's never too early to learn about earning an income. While driving this summer, explain to your kids that some people earn an hourly wage. Ask them to calculate how much money they would get if they received $1, $5, $10 and $25 per hour for attending school.
- Are We There Yet? You are 30 miles away from your destination. Have your child calculate how far you have traveled if you have 17 miles to go, 15 miles to go, 5 miles to go, etc.
- Odd or Even. Have your child tell you if the number on the road sign is odd or even. Ask them what number they could add to make the number change.
"Since school is out and the trips in the car are more frequent, there is more time to keep children active in math concepts while in a relaxed atmosphere," said Martinek.
According to Martinek, Mathnasium's summer program can also make the summer equal math fun with their learning concepts.
