A few days before her 4th birthday she finished Kumon’s Addition Workbook – recommended for ages 5,6,7: Here she is at age 4.5, starting multiplication: Now mastering the...
Off-The-Chart Math!
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Early Reading
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PC Learning
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Cultivating Bibliophilia
My daughter has finally become a full-blown bibliophile!
All the signs are there: opening a book in bed the second she wakes up, reading at the breakfast table, walking around with her eyes buried in a book, etc.
Those are just SOME of the books she has checked out of the library right now. In fact, we almost hit the library limit last week (had 95 out of a 100 permitted loans) on account of her burgeoning book appetite.
Her older brother has been reading like a lunatic for some time now. See my previous post. And we weren’t sure if it was realistic to expect her to take to books anywhere close to the extent that he did.
But over time, perhaps only a year or so later in development, fed on the same *no TV*-diet….Christine eventually became enamored of books.
Of course seeing her brother and parents get so much enjoyment out of reading certainly played a major role too.
I recently heard of a mother who was dying to get her kids passionate about books but nothing worked.
Then one summer, for a month or so, they went on a sailboat cruise which was devoid of all entertainment options except for books.
Well, it did the trick. The kids all disembarked bibliophiles and Mom was ecstatic!
It’s a simple but strict recipe: no TV, no video games….and surround them with books and readers.
Too many people tell me that they control TV, that they successfully limit viewing to *an hour a day* for their kids.
But that’s still waaaaaaay too much. Mine watch probably an hour….every two weeks, at most. Would you feel comfortable if someone was pouring acid on your child’s brain for only *an hour a day*?
Of course you wouldn’t! So change your mental metaphor from merely *less than everyone else* to *acid spewing directly from the TV!* into their precious brains…
Ideally, the kids will eyewitness Mom and Dad reading 20-30 books apiece each year. (Newspapers and magazines DO NOT count, sorry.)
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Dance, Drama, Etc.
Here’s my daughter’s recent dance performance from the town’s annual *school* fair. It shouldn’t be too hard to identify Christine:
My kids have never felt butterflies in their stomach, suffered stagefright, or any other public performance malady. In fact, they’re always begging to go up on stage.
I do believe that the ability and confidence to stand in front of a group and perform is a very important life skill – no matter what field or career a person opts for.
Of course it’s an *acquired skill*….it’s all about getting the reps in. I’ve heard numerous stories of famous public speakers who’ve overcome even stuttering afflictions on their path to competence.
And it’s not just my kids either. Last May we attended a conference in Ohio for *children educated outside the system*….and they had a real problem with the talent show. Too many kids wanted to perform! It basically went all night long!
Dance and drama can cost a lot money, especially if you live in a wealthier metropolitan area. My daughter’s dance class (from the video) costs over $1,000 for the year! And some local drama classes are even more cost prohibitive.
BUT there are numerous other ways kids can get their reps in; and resourceful parents (and eager children!) will have no trouble finding them.
Check out this movie trailer. The star is a talented and brilliant young boy we know from here on Long Island:
Of course he’s *educated outside the system*….how else would could a 10-11 year old POSSIBLY be acting in movies???
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Learning With LEGOs!
He started with basic LEGOS as most boys do.
First with small sets, assembled mostly by a parent.
Soon he was able to do them on his own.
Larger sets came and they too were built solo.
Now, at age 7, he’s graduated to LEGO Mindstorms – which sync to the computer, are programmable, etc.
John does all of this COMPLETELY ON HIS OWN. I mean I have no idea what he’s doing or how he’s doing it.
There’ll certainly be more posts on LEGO Mindstorms as he’s really just getting started.
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Beginning Piano
While I firmly believe that almost any parent can get their child started on piano lessons via the copious free instruction on YouTube…for a few reasons that approach just didn’t work out in our household. Basically my wife and I just had higher priorities like math, reading, chess, computers, art, etc. and have thus been strapped for time.
But we didn’t give up this desire.
Recently we commissioned that talented gentleman, a former concert pianist, to teach both John and Christine….and get this, it’s not costing us ANY MONEY.
How so? Well we worked it out so that I would tutor his daughters in math in exchange for and simultaneous to the piano instruction!
A *piano* is cheap nowadays too. We actually bought an 88-key, weighted keyboard that sounds as good as, if not better than, most pianos for only $400.
There’s just got to be someone in your circles, a relative, friend, neighbor, or local teenager whom you can strike up a similar barter arrangement with – even if the swap is non-academic (e.g. babysitting).
Here are the books we are starting with:
Piano Adventures Lesson Book, Primer
Bastien Piano Basics Level 1 – Piano
The Music Tree: Student’s Book, Time to Begin
There’s no doubt in my mind that a literate, enthusiastic parent could pick up these books, a keyboard, and get their children started on the piano ALL ON THEIR OWN.
So what are you waiting for?
And if they don’t take to it….you can always sell the keyboard on Craigslist for a fractional monetary loss…
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Second Grade Reading List?
Through the first three academic quarters of this year (about 8 months), these are some, but not all(!), of the books our son John (age 7.42 now) has read.
Brace yourself…
2nd Quarter:
The Mystery at the Roman Colosseum (Around the World in 80 Mysteries) (Carole Marsh Mysteries) - 126 pg
The Mystery at the Eiffel Tower (Around the World in 80 Mysteries) - 129 pg
The Knights of the Lunch Table #2: The Dragon Players - 127 pg
The Mystery of Biltmore House (Real Kids, Real Places) - 130 pg
Saint George and the Dragon - 31 pg
Socks - 139 pg
. . . If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 - 80 pg
Return to the Hundred Acre Wood (Winnie-The-Pooh Collection) - 201 pg
Ms. Frizzle’s Adventures: Ancient Egypt - 48 pg
Cranberry Thanksgiving - 48 pg
A Child’s Portrait of Shakespeare (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series) - 63 pg
The Moses Basket - 32 pg
Moses: The Long Road to Freedom - 32 pg
John Audubon: Young Naturalist (Young Patriots series) - 113 pg
Now We Are Six Deluxe Edition - 128 pg
The Mystery of the Alamo Ghost (Real Kids, Real Places) - 126 pg
The Mystery on the Great Wall of China: Beijing, China (Around the World in 80 Mysteries) - 126 pg
The Mystery on the Great Barrier Reef: Sydney, Australia (Around the World in 80 Mysteries) - 126 pg
If You Were At The First Thanksgiving - 64 pg
If You Lived In Colonial Times - 80 pg
Colonial Life (True Books: American History) - 44 pg
The New Americans: Colonial Times: 1620-1689 (The American Story) - 45 pg
Miriam and Her Brother Moses - 32 pg
The Hatmaker’s Sign - 40 pg
In 1776 (Scholastic Bookshelf) - 32 pg
Which Way to the Revolution?: A Book about Maps - 32 pg
The Legend of the Candy Cane - 32 pg
The Quiltmaker’s Gift - 56 pg
King Nimrod’s Tower - 32 pg
The King in the Garden - 32 pg
The Story of Jonah (Bible Stories (Paperback Franklin Watts)) - 31 pg
The Emerald Atlas (Books of Beginning) - 417 pg
Mr. Popper’s Penguins - 160 pg
Boston Tea Party - 32 pg
The Legend of the Persian Carpet - 32 pg
Silver Packages: An Appalachian Christmas Story - 32 pg
And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? (Paperstar) - 48 pg
When Washington Crossed the Delaware: A Wintertime Story for Young Patriots - 40 pg
Who Was Paul Revere? - 105 pg
The Trail of Lost Time (Choose Your Own Adventure) - 110 pg
The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers Book 2: A King’s Ransom - 190 pg
NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society (Book One) - 306 pg
NERDS: Book Two: M Is for Mama’s Boy - 245 pg
NERDS: Book Three: The Cheerleaders of Doom - 246 pg
The Wooden Mile: Something Wickedly Weird, vol. 1 - 176 pg
Thea Stilton and the Mountain of Fire (Geronimo Stilton Special Edition) - 176 pg
January Joker (Calendar Mysteries, No. 1) - 96 pg
Let It Begin Here!: April 19, 1775: The Day the American Revolution Began - 64 pg
The Constitution of the United States (True Books: American History) - 48 pg
The Boston Tea Party (Let Freedom Ring) - 48 pg
Declaration of Independence (True Books: American History) -48 pg
The Boston Massacre (Let Freedom Ring) - 48 pg
The Akhenaten Adventure (Children of the Lamp #1) - 368 pg
A Journey to the Center of the Earth Great Illustrated Classics - 240 pg
Trojan Horse, The - 32 pg
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Great Illustrated Classics) - 236 pg
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle - 238
Martin Bridge: Blazing Ahead! (Martin Bridge (Quality)) - 112 pg
Martin Bridge: Ready for Takeoff! (Martin Bridge (Quality)) - 120 pg
Martin Bridge: Sound the Alarm! (Martin Bridge (Quality)) - 112 pg
The Phantom Tollbooth - 256 pg
The Story of Swan Lake - audiobook
The Hare and the Tortoise - audiobook
Invisible Man (Great Illustrated Classics (Abdo)) - 240 pg
Runaway Ralph - 191 pg
The Librarian Who Measured the Earth - 48 pg
How Do Birds Find Their Way? (Let’s Read-And-Find-Out Science (Pb)) - 32 pg
Big Nate Out Loud (Big Nate Comic Compilations) - 224 pg
The Giant Diamond Robbery (Geronimo Stilton, No. 44) - 128 pg
Dragon Rider - 560 pg
Time Warp Trio: The Seven Blunders of the World - 96 pg
Henry and Ribsy - 208 pg
Sweet Farts #1 (Sweet Farts Series) - 142 pg
Henry and the Paper Route (Henry Huggins) - 208 pg
Calendar Mysteries #3: March Mischief (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)) - 80 pg
Misty of Chincoteague - 176 pg
Westward To Home: Joshua’s Oregon Trail Diary - 107 pg
Pioneer Girl: The Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder - 32 pg
The Bad Beginning: Or, Orphans! (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 1) - 176 pg
Tchaikovsky (Famous Children) - 24 pg
Nine For California - 40 pg
From Sea To Shining Sea: Americans Move West 1846-1860 (How America Became America) - 89 pg
Sidekicks - 224 pg
The Reptile Room: Or, Murder! (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 2) - 208 pg
The Wide Window: Or, Disappearance! (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 3) - 224 pg
Martin Bridge: In High Gear! (Martin Bridge (Quality)) - 112 pg
Homer Price - 160 pg
Creepella von Cacklefur #1: The Thirteen Ghosts: A Geronimo Stilton Adventure - 128 pg
Buffalo Bill - 41 pg
Martin Bridge: On the Lookout! (Martin Bridge (Quality)) - 144 pg
Who Was Mark Twain?: Who Was? - 112 pg
Striking It Rich: Ready-To-Read Level 3: The Story Of The California Gold Rush - 64 pg
The California Gold Rush (True Books) - 48 pg
Black Holes (Big Ideas in Science) - 48 pg
The Ersatz Elevator (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 6) - 259 pg
The Vile Village (A Series of Unfortunate Events, No. 7) - 256 pg
The Miserable Mill (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 4) - 194 pg
The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events #5) - 221 pg
Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Hound of the Baskervilles (Great Illustrated Classics) - 232 pg
Stella Brite and the Dark Matter Mystery - 32 pg
Niagara Falls, Or Does It? #1 (Hank Zipzer) - 133 pg
3rd Quarter:
Hatchet: 20th Anniversary Edition - 189 pg
The Six Crowns: Fair Wind to Widdershins - 161 pg
The Six Crowns: Trundle’s Quest - 151 pg
The Hostile Hospital (A Series of Unfortunate Events #8) - 255 pg
The Carnivorous Carnival (A Series of Unfortunate Events # 9) - 286 pg
The Grim Grotto (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 11) - 323 pg
The Penultimate Peril (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 12) - 353 pg
The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 13) - 324 pg
DK Readers: Abraham Lincoln: Lawyer, Leader, Legend - 48 pg
Hunchback of Notre Dame Great Illustrated Classics - 238 pg
Ribsy (Avon Camelot Books) - 191 pg
Squish #2: Brave New Pond - 90 pg
Abraham Lincoln (Let Freedom Ring) - 43 pg
Stonewall Jackson (Famous Figures of the Civil War Era) - 72 pg
Igraine The Brave - 212 pg
I Got a D in Salami #2 (Hank Zipzer) - 167 pg
Pippi Goes on Board (Pippi Longstocking) - 140 pg
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Great Illustrated Classics - 238 pg
Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder - 265 pg
Mayflower Treasure Hunt (A to Z Mysteries Super Edition, No. 2) - 115 pg
A to Z Mysteries Super Edition #4: Sleepy Hollow Sleepover (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)) - 128 pg
Peter Pan (Great Illustrated Classics) - 240 pg
The Moffats - 211 pg
Ghost Island (Choose Your Own Adventure – Dragonlark) - 56 pg
Sand Castle (Choose Your Own Adventure – Dragonlark) - 51 pg
Greek Myths for Young Children - 128 pg
A Christmas Tale (Geronimo Stilton) - 53 pg
The Magic School Bus Fact Finder - 90 pg
Dinosaur Detectives (The Magic School Bus Science Chapter Book 9) - 96 pg
The Magic School Bus Gets Baked in a Cake: A Book About Kitchen Chemistry - 84 pg
The Magic School Bus At The Waterworks - 84 pg
The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body - 40 pg
The Magic School Bus Gets Eaten: A Book About Food Chains - 32 pg
The Magic School Bus in the Time of the Dinosaurs - 48 pg
The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor - 32 pg
The Magic School Bus Takes A Dive: A Book About Coral Reefs - 84 pg
The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth (Magic School Bus) - 40 pg
The Magic School Bus And The Electric Field Trip - 48 pg
Big Nate Strikes Again - 216 pg
Worst-Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure: Everest: You Decide How to Survive! - 204 pg
It’s Ancient History! (Phineas and Ferb) - 109 pg
Phineas and Ferb #6: Daredevil Days - 105 pg
Phineas and Ferb #4: Thrill-o-rama! - 108 pg
Phineas and Ferb #7: Freeze Frame - 109 pg
Phineas and Ferb #5: Big-Top Bonanza - 109 pg
Phineas and Ferb #3: Wild Surprise - 109 pg
See You Later, Gladiator #9 (Time Warp Trio) - 87 pg
Go Free or Die: A Story about Harriet Tubman (Creative Minds Biography) - 63 pg
Smart About Art: Pierre-Auguste Renoir: Paintings That Smile - 32 pg
Pierre Auguste Renoir (Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists) - 30 pg
It’s All Greek to Me #8 (Time Warp Trio) - 80 pg
Oh Say, I Can’t See #15 (Time Warp Trio) - 80 pg
Sam Samurai #10 (Time Warp Trio) - 96 pg
Marco? Polo! #16 (Time Warp Trio) - 90 pg
Hey Kid, Want to Buy a Bridge? #11 (Time Warp Trio) - 80 pg
Phineas and Ferb #1: Speed Demons - 107 pg
Phineas and Ferb: Runaway Hit - 107 pg
Benny and Penny in the Toy Breaker (Toon) - 32 pg
Hank Zipzer: Day of the Iguana - 153 pg
A to Z Mysteries Super Edition #5: The New Year Dragon Dilemma (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)) - 132 pg
Zippety Zinger (Hank Zipzer, 4) - 152 pg
Amazing Magnetism (Magic School Bus Chapter Book) - 76 pg
The Magic School Bus to the Rescue: Blizzard - 107 pg
Dracula Madness (A Sam & Friends Mystery) - 95 pg
Thea Stilton and the Ice Treasure: A Geronimo Stilton Adventure - 160 pg
Holy Enchilada! (Hank Zipzer, 6) - 157 pg
Detective Camp (A to Z Mysteries Super Edition, No. 1) - 131 pg
Space Explorers (The Magic School Bus Chapter Book, No. 4) - 76 pg
Color Day Relay (The Magic School Bus Chapter Book, No. 19) - 83 pg
The Magic School Bus Science Chapter Book #6: The Giant Germ - 76 pg
The Magic School Bus Chapter Book #10: Expedition Down Under - 89 pg
Electric Storm (Magic School Bus Science Chapter Books (Pb)) - 92 pg
The Night I Flunked My Field Trip #5 (Hank Zipzer) - 154 pg
Nurse Matilda: The Collected Tales - 128 pg
Insect Invaders (Magic School Bus Science Chapter Books (Pb)) - 87 pg
The Search for the Missing Bones (The Magic School Bus Chapter Book, No. 2) - 76 pg
Help! Somebody Get Me Out of Fourth Grade #7 (Hank Zipzer) - 155 pg
You Wouldn’t Want to Live in a Wild West Town!: Dust You’d Rather Not Settle (You Wouldn’t Want to…) - 32 pg
Penguin Puzzle (Magic School Bus Chapter Books #8) - 82 pg
Rocky Road Trip (The Magic School Bus Chapter Book, No. 20) - 89 pg
The Wild Whale Watch (The Magic School Bus Chapter Book, No. 3) - 75 pg
I, Vivaldi - 32 pg
Cool Cat (The Batman) - 32 pg
The Magic School Bus Inside Ralphie: A Book About Germs - 30 pg
The Magic School Bus Blows Its Top: A Book About Volcanoes (Magic School Bus) - 32 pg
The Magic School Bus Wet All Over: A Book About The Water Cycle - 32 pg
Abe Lincoln and the Muddy Pig - 30 pg
The Truth about Bats (The Magic School Bus Chapter Book, No. 1) – 70 pg
Old Abe, Eagle Hero: The Civil War’s Most Famous Mascot - 48 pg
Just a Few Words, Mr. Lincoln (Penguin Young Readers, L4) - 48 pg
Cam Jansen and the Summer Camp Mysteries (Cam Jansen: A Super Special) - 117 pg
Cam Jansen: The Mystery at the Haunted House #13 - 64 pg
The Great Shark Escape (The Magic School Bus Chapter Book, No. 7) - 82 pg
Voyage to the Volcano - 87 pg
The Magic School Bus Science Chapter Book #5: Twiser Trouble: Twister Trouble - 76 pg
Roman Myths - 93 pg
The Dead of Night (The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers, Book 3) - 190 pg
The Kingdom of Fantasy (Geronimo Stilton) - 314 pg
Children Of The Lamp: The Blue Djinn Of Babylon - 475 pg
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle - 177 pg
The Magic School Bus Out Of This World: A Book About Space Rocks - 32 pg
. . . If You Traveled on the Underground Railroad - 64 pg
The Magic School Bus Meets The Rot Squad: A Book About Decomposition - 32 pg
The Chocolate Touch - 126 pg
Tut, Tut #6 (Time Warp Trio) - 80 pg
The Knights of the Kitchen Table #1 (Time Warp Trio) - 64 pg
Cam Jansen & the School Play Mystery (Cam Jansen Puffin Chapters) - 54 pg
The Magic School Bus in the Arctic: A Book About Heat - 32 pg
The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds: A Book About How Living Things Grow - 32 pg
The Magic School Bus Inside a Beehive - 48 pg
Missile Mouse #1: The Star Crusher - 146 pg
Joey Fly Private Eye in Creepy Crawly Crime - 96 pg
1st Quarter:
The Secrets of Droon #35: Lost Empire of Koomba
Vespers Rising (The 39 Clues, Book 11)
Rare Beasts (Edgar & Ellen)
Tourist Trap (Edgar & Ellen)
Big Nate: From the Top
The Secrets of Droon #36: Knights of the Ruby Wand
Pet’s Revenge (Edgar & Ellen)
High Wire (Edgar & Ellen)
Lost on a Mountain in Maine
The Trumpet of the Swan (full color)
Under Town (Edgar & Ellen)
Nod’s Limbs (Edgar & Ellen)
The Indian in the Cupboard
The Return of the Indian (The Indian in the Cupboard)
The Secret of the Indian (The Indian in the Cupboard)
Magic Tree House #45: A Crazy Day with Cobras
Magic Tree House #44: A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time
Where the Red Fern Grows
The Three Musketeers
Horrid Henry and the Mega-Mean Time Machine
Singing Sensation (Geronimo Stilton, No. 39)
Thea Stilton and the Ghost of the Shipwreck
Thea Stilton and the Dragon’s Code
Thea Stilton: Big Trouble in the Big Apple
The Nile River
Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
Archaeologists Dig for Clues
Me and My Family Tree
I Can Be an Archaeologist (I Can Be Books)
The First Dog
Marco Polo
The Ancient Egyptians
Owen Foote, Money Man
Owen Foote, Second Grade Strongman
Iroquois
Owen Foote, Soccer Star
The Coat of Many Colors
Matilda
Secrets of Dripping Fang, Book One: The Onts
Secrets of Dripping Fang, Book Two: Treachery and Betrayal at Jolly Days
Moose’s Big Idea
Owen Foote, Mighty Scientist
Gilgamesh the King
The Winged Cat
Ancient Egyptian Jobs
The Last Quest of Gilgamesh
Davy Crockett: Young Rifleman
Secrets of Dripping Fang, Book Seven: Please Don’t Eat the Children
Secrets of Dripping Fang, Book Six: Attack of the Giant Octopus
Secrets of Dripping Fang, Book Four: Fall of the House of Mandible
The Vampire’s Curse (Secrets of Dripping Fang, Book 3)
Owen Foote, Frontiersman
Secrets of Dripping Fang, Book Five: The Shluffmuffin Boy Is History
Rabbit Hill
Secrets of Dripping Fang, Book Eight: When Bad Snakes Attack Good Children
The Story of Crazy Horse
John Smith, Explorer and Colonial Leader
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Sacagawea: American Pathfinder
The Apple and the Arrow
Pirate Treasure of the Onyx Dragon
The Master Swordsman & the Magic Doorway: Two Legends from Ancient China
One Grain Of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale
John Smith Escapes Again!
Ancient West African Kingdoms
Seabird
Big Nate on a Roll
Big Nate: In a Class by Himself
Caddie Woodlawn
The Revenge of Ishtar
Once a Mouse…
Rhinos for Lunch and Elephants for Supper!
Zomo the Rabbit: A Trickster Tale from West Africa
The Pot of Wisdom: Ananse stories
Pocahontas
Smith: John Smith and the Settlement of Jamestown
To Conquer Is To Live: The Life of Captain John Smith of Jamestown
The House at Pooh Corner
Paddle-to-the-Sea
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Education Technology – Group vs. Individualized
Too many of the technological breakthroughs trumpeted in the education field today are for *group learning environments*.
Smartboards, Piazza, Blackboard, packaged software…
And most educational websites are designed for and marketed to classrooms and over-funded school districts. I would even, to a lesser extent, throw in all the free online lectures proliferating out there as semi-group-targeted.
Why? Because students can only learn so much from osmosis, from listening to and watching SOMEONE ELSE do something.
For example, a 14 year old math student should not listen to a teacher’s short bit on say *functions*, and then do assigned questions from a workbook.
No. Ideally the teacher will say, “Today we start functions….go look up what a function is, then come back tomorrow and EXPLAIN TO ME what a function is. Also, I want YOU to make up the questions and find real world examples that best illuminate exactly what is and what isn’t a function.”
The real educational bounty of the web is simply the ability to Google just about anything, along with the facility to communicate with human beings the world over. Do take advantage of it!
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Terrific Math Book
If every future artist were forced to say….*master painting* first, then we’d disillusion untold numbers of future brilliant photographers, sculptors, musicians, dancers, graphic designers, filmmakers, etc. who didn’t really care for brushstrokes and canvas.
But on a smaller scale, this is precisely what educational institutions do with mathematics. School children the world over tragically equate this rich subject with boring computational algorithms, *math facts*, and horribly contrived word problems.
I just read – Here’s Looking at Euclid – and I must say it was terrific.
I would strongly recommend that ANYONE – both mathophiles and especially mathophobes – involved in education read this text, for their students AND for their own edification.
Did you know that in the late 1800s the Fifteen Puzzle swept the nation as an timewaster on the order of something like Facebook.com today?
Neither did I.
Apparently it is one of the four modern puzzle crazes along with: Tangrams, Rubik’s Cube, and Sudoku.
But the triumphant lesson of Bellos’ book is that mathematics has a profoundly vast and interesting history….and that there are countless(!) paths towards a genuine appreciation.
Even though I was/am a *math guy*, I really had no idea how little I knew.
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