Customer Reviews

Math in Minutes: Easy Activities for Children Ages 4-8

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I am preparing to homeschool my son and purchased "Math In Minutes" as a resource guide: a handy book of ideas to keep in my library so that I can provide a variety of activities in our curriculum. I have to say that I got more than I bargained for.

First, I am very happy with the way that the book is laid out. After a basic introduction, which is definitely aimed more at school teachers and administrators, the author organizes the activities into several chapters corresponding to a particular mathematical concept, for example Chapter 3 is Computation and Estimation activities, Chapter 4 deals with Measurement, Time, and Money activities, Chapter 6 is Sorting, Classifying, Graphing, Data Analysis, and Probability activities, etc. Each chapter begins with a description of the mathematical concept that will be covered and specific points for the teacher to consider about teaching the concepts to children. Although I was skeptical at first about age appropriateness (the book cover indicates that these are easy activities for children 4-8 years old, but the chapter titles looked a little daunting...what was seriation again, anyway??--and will a five year old understand estimation and probability??), I must admit that MacDonald does a GREAT job at succinctly and adequately covering these topics in her introductions so that a teacher fully understands how these topics pertain to and relate to the children and child development in general at the target age group. The chapter introductions made me feel comfortable with the concepts, both as a review of the math involved and as a platform for introducing the topic to my son.

Second, the activities themselves are creative and, I think for the most part, relatively easy and inexpensive to implement both at home and in the classroom. Also, the author tells us that a premise of the book is to provide quick ideas as well, so you aren't spending hours preparing for a game that a child decides he or she has no interest in after two minutes! (great idea!)There are a variety of activities listed for each area and, for some activities, there are even recommendations on how to change up the activity to continually challenge the student (such as creating an estimation station). I also enjoyed her chapter on putting things together as a Pizza Unit Study. I really think this is a book that I will be able to use for years...as my son grows and learns, rather than a simple list of math games and worksheets that, once "conquered", are far from challenging and even boring to repeat.

Another fun note about the book is that there are also recommendations for activities that tie in books and songs in order to provide a more thematic approach to the material.

I am enjoying the book immensely and am excited to introduce some of the games and math station ideas to my son as we begin homeschooling.

A compendium of 150 math activities specifically designed for children ages 4 to 8, "Math In Minutes" by Sharon Macdonald is a highly recommended addition to any preschool, elementary school, and home-schooling curriculum to introduce children to basic mathematical concepts and skills. MacDonald draws upon her more than fifteen years of experience and expertise training classroom teachers to create this compilation of math exercises and activities, each of which is in full compliance with the standards of The National council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Thoroughly 'kid friendly', "Math In Minutes" is an excellent tool for teaching mathematical literacy including number sense and numeration, computation and estimation; measurement, time, and money; geometry and spatial sense; sorting, classifying, graphing, data analysis, and probability; patters and number relationships; as well as problem solving and reasoning. Of special note is the final chapter 'Putting It All Together: A Pizza Unit of Study', as well as the extended glossary, appendices, and indexes.