Are We There Yet?

Planning a road trip this summer? Here is a way to keep “math in mind” during the summer. The answer to that is to consciously bring math into daily life, especially the life skill of time. Money, time and travel are great math “vehicles.”

Kids are creatures of a digital age. The “see” time everywhere: Microwaves, cable boxes, iPhones. When many of our Mathletes first come to us, they cannot read an analog clock and are therefore missing out on a valuable opportunity to practice their math. We recommend that all parents purchase and use an analog clock in their homes. Kids of all ages can learn and practice their 5’s, 10’s, 15’s, 30’s and 60’s tables by counting how many of each of those numbers are in an hour or day. [For instance, 5 minutes x 12 = 60 minutes;  there are four 15-minute segments (4 x 15 = 60) in one hour.]

Once reading time is mastered, you can always focus on elapsed time as an extension. “It’s 2:15pm, in about 2 hours and 30 minutes we will pull over for dinner. What time will it be then?” or “It’s 3:40pm now. We will arrive at your cousin’s house in about 3 hours and 15 minutes. What time will we arrive?”