Puzzles allow children to use their hands and minds to explore the challenges. Engaging in puzzles allows for an exploration about what information matters, how to break the solution down into smaller steps, and how to reason in favor of certain strategies over others. These are the skills that allow children to puzzle through problems and… Read More
SPIRALS IN NATURE The spiral pattern is found extensively in nature – encoded into plants, animals, humans, the earth and galaxies around us. Mathematics can explain the complex algorithms, sequences and equations that make up a spiral pattern, but it can’t explain the lure and fascination of the spiral to the human heart. Take a family… Read More
Good thinkers are resilient. They don’t give up easily, and are motivated to work hard and keep going when faced with challenges. They recognize that we all fail sometimes, and when this happens, they bounce back and try alternative approaches. TWO DIFFERENT CHALLENGES – Take your pick! ******************** Design a Beaded Necklace Have you ever thought… Read More
Why should you play Tangrams with your children? They look so simple! A bunch of shapes assembled and reassembled to form newer ones! But don’t be fooled, they are not easy. Tangrams offer children an excellent opportunity to test out different geometric manipulations and become familiar with the properties of the shapes they use. ********** This… Read More
One of the important skills that children need to master is their ability to become independent thinkers and problem solvers. The foundation of all future learning lies in the ability to break down a problem until a solution is determined. Building children’s abilities as well as their confidence, is vital to producing children who are challenged,… Read More
The women of Gee’s Bend, in a small and remote black community in Alabama, have created hundreds of quilt masterpieces dating back to the early twentieth century. These quilters started by painstakingly taking apart old clothes by hand so as to use the ENTIRE piece of fabric. They didn’t use MOST of it to make something… Read More
