Halloween, Meet Math!
Halloween is quickly approaching; it’s time to break out the silly ghost ornaments, maybe carve a pumpkin or two, and pick the scariest (or cutest!) costume for a night full of fun and candy eating. For many families, this is the month every kid is allowed to indulge in the fine delicacy of candy and other fall flavored tasty treats (Let’s face it; we allow them this privilege because we enjoy helping ourselves to some of the spoils!). Finding ways to sneak learning into all the fun is no picnic, but it is possible. Addition, subtraction, fractions, and even estimation can all be learned in this fun filled month. Read on and find out how!
How Much Did You Get?
As you are looking over the candy your child received to make sure it’s safe, why not seize the moment to work in a little math? Ask your child how much candy they think is in front of them, get them to guess, and then count it out with them. Sort the candy in to groups or types and figure out what percentage or fraction equivalent that particular group is of the whole.
Word Problems
Help them see how math is applied to real life by making math problems about an evening of ‘Trick or Treats’. Have your child keep track of how many houses they have visited, and at the end of the night, divide the total number of candy pieces gotten by houses visited to give an example of ‘averages’. They can check their answers with the Math Crunch App with a quick snap shot of the problem from your smart phone.
What time is it?
If your kids are learning about how to tell time, you can quiz them by giving them their own watch before you go out for the evening. Throughout the evening, ask your child what time it is. You can ask how long it’s been since you started or how much longer it is going to be until it’s time to go home for subtraction practice. Be sure you have a pencil and paper ready to make the math process easier and when you work through the problem, let them have a piece of their candy on the way to the next house.
Working in math to your everyday life is a great way to show our kids that math is important, and applicable, to every day life. Reinforcing the lessons taught to your children in school at home is only the first step; making it fresh, current, and real only reinforces the concepts they are learning and encourages them to apply those concepts to real life. Using holidays like Halloween to reinforce this behavior has inherent benefits, and with practice and positive math modeling from you will encourage your child to want to use it in everyday applications. Good luck, and have a safe fun Halloween!