Spring and nice weather make for a great time to get outdoors and connect with math. Whether you are taking a walk, filling compost bags with leaves or starting to build that garden shed, there are many opportunities to engage in rich mathematical discussions with your child.
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Here are some questions you can pose to your child as you engage with nature:
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What shapes do you see in that house?
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How tall do you think that tree is?
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How far do you think we walked today?
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How many piles of leaves do you think will fit into this bag?
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How many ___ did you see on our walk?
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How many windows do you think are in that building
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How long do you think it will take us to walk one kilometer?
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If we double our pace how long do you think it will take us to get home?
You may also be interested in reading a new article for parents written by Jo Boaler, Professor of Mathematics Education at Stanford University.
Developing Mathematical Mindsets, The Need to Interact with Numbers Flexibly and Conceptually