Avoid the Summer Slide - Exercise the Mind

"Each fall, teachers regularly spend up to six weeks going over the same lessons their students had been taught the previous school year because of a phenomenon known as the "summer slide." (http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500401_162-709369.html).

We all know that our brains, like our bodies, need regular exercise to perform optimally.  Summer is a great time to unwind and relax and a time to reconnect.   But beware of the Summer Slide!   Keep it at bay by exercising the mind.   This need not be stressful or boring.  In fact it can be fun and a great way to spend time together!

Playing games that involve strategy or numbers are a fun way to reconnect while exercising the brain in the background.   Chess, Mastermind and many other games of strategy develop critical thinking skills; many card games develop math (many of these are also available in electronic form).

A personal favorite for younger children is a modified version of the “memory game” - take a regular deck of cards and remove all the picture cards (K, Q, J) and place the remaining cards face down.   Players take turns turning over 2 cards, one at a time, trying to make 10.   If the cards add to 10 the player keeps the cards and it is the next players turn (if a ‘10’ is turned first it is kept since 10 + 0 = 10); if the cards do not add to 10 they are returned face down and it is the next players turn.   Not only do kids love this game, but it helps develop memory and teaches them the compliments of ten, the basis of computation – look out for a future post for more on the importance of “10”.

Also look out for everyday math – when shopping have younger kids figure out which coins to use, slightly older can work out the change, especially “change from a dollar” or figure out which size is a better buy, (proportional thinking).

Cooking involves so much math and science (a subject for a separate post), including converting units, proportional thinking, computing time, thermal properties, chemistry, biology etc.   And the whole family can bond in the preparation and consumption.

Get the whole family involved when planning a trip.   Figuring out the route can help spatial reasoning, time and speed must be taken into account and even gas and cost all require basic math.

Of course summer is also a great time to fill in those “missing gaps”, prepare for SAT’s or for getting a “jump-start” in a more formal setting, before the new school year starts – remember math builds upon itself and if earlier concepts are not understood it can be near to impossible to move forward.

Above all keep the brain active, but have fun doing so.

Math to Ponder:  0.999… (.9 to infinity) = exactly 1

Consider:  1/3 + 1/3 + 1/3 = 1;

1/3 = 0.333…

so 0.333… + 0.333… + 0.333… = 1 or 0.999…

Math Humor: “Why do plants hate math?... Because of all the square roots”

Advanced Math Humor: "an infinite number of math teachers walk into a bar, the first says 'gimme one beer', the 2nd says 'gimme half a beer', the third says 'gimme a quarter of a beer'....

Finally the bartender pours two beers and says 'ya'll need to learn your limits'