April is Math Awareness Month. "At Cedar Heights Junior High School, our math department hosts an evening event for students, parents, and the community," shared Patricia Green. "Student math projects are displayed throughout the school in a county-fair atmosphere.
"The purpose of the student displays is to show how math is used in the real world around us," explained Green. "In past years we've had students display clocks created with mathematical calculations, tests regarding the time it takes various brands of nail polish to dry, displays depicting the number of Twinkies it would take to fill a room, and calculations of the amount of cement necessary to build a new sports stadium."
In addition, community members offer workshops for parents and children about financing a home, bargain shopping for groceries, quilting, calculating measurements and materials needed to remodel a home, and many other math skills. Teachers offer workshops for parents on how to help their children with math.
At Doctors Inlet Elementary in Middleburg, Florida, a separate Math Night is held for each grade level earlier in the school year. It is done early in the year in part to share the math curriculum with parents. But the emphasis that night is on fun and showing math used in many practical ways, said principal Larry Davis. "Special games such as 'Muggins Math,' BINGO, and Mystery Numbers entertain families. Speakers from the district office come with other math games that involve the entire family."
To learn more about planning a Math Night in your school, see the Education World article Math Night by the Numbers . Included: Advice from organizers of Math Nights at schools across the country.
Math Night