4/3/2017

Week 24: Four Fours

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Welcome to Table Talk Math. This week, we're talking about a classic puzzle using only a single number: Four Fours.

Table Talk Newsletter #24

Great news! For the Spanish version of this week's newsletter, click here. Ed Campos has joined the team to provide a Spanish-translated version of our newsletters for parents who would appreciate it. Check it out and send Ed some love! Also, feel free to share the link (bit.ly/ttm24spanish) with your Spanish-speaking friends.

Here's the challenge:

How many numbers can you generate using only four fours and the operations below?

addition
subtraction
multiplication
division
parenthesis
exponents
factorials (optional)

Here's how it works:

4*4 - 4*4 = 0
(4 + 4) / (4 + 4) = 1

... and so on. I don't want to give you a solution for each, but how high can you and your child(ren) go?

For the younger crowd, it's OK to bounce around. For example, using addition and subtraction will only get you so far, and won't get all number between 0 and 10, but that's alright. Playing around with numbers and seeing what can happen is a big part of the puzzle.

For the older crew, write down the values 1 through 20 and talk about how each total can be achieved. As solutions pop up, fill them into the table (or onto the sheet of paper). Once you get the first twenty, there are solutions up to 100 and beyond, so get wild and make it a family challenge!

So here's a way to report back: what numbers are you having trouble creating? What is your most creative set of four fours? Share them by emailing them back to me, posting them onto Twitter, or sharing them on the Table Talk Math Facebook page.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Twitter (@TableTalkMath) or comment below. Be sure to have your friends sign up for the newsletter at tabletalkmath.com for weekly updates.

A number of people mentioned that a Spanish version of the newsletter would benefit them or parents that they knew, so Ed is coming onto the team for that support. If you have any requests, please feel free to let me know.

Thank you for taking the time to improve math fluency for children, one table talk conversation at a time.

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4/3/2017

Week 23: SolveMe Mobiles

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Welcome to Table Talk Math. This week, we're talking about mobiles and puzzles at the table.

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Table Talk Newsletter #23

This week, I'll get straight to the point: you need to check out Solve Me Mobiles with your child!

The Education Development Center, or EDC, has built this site to provide challenges and puzzles to kids of all ages (that's right, even you!). For example, take a look at this one:

My four year-old and I can look at this mobile, talk about it for a bit, and come to the conclusion that the diamond and the heart weigh the same, so they should be... equal. With that, what's the value of the diamond? SEVEN!

For my older son, we can try something like this:

OK, so five plus five is ten, plus five is fifteen. We already have twelve on the right, so how much more until we have an even side?

These questions are setting a foundation for balancing equations and, in the bigger pictures, solving equations with multiple variables. While these two are fairly basic, the types of mobiles on the site can get pretty wild:

Are your palms sweating yet? Eh, don't worry about it! If you have a high schooler in the house, these might be some fun challenges to tackle, but don't stress too much about it.

Here's my solution for the one on the right:

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Twitter (@TableTalkMath) or comment below. Be sure to have your friends sign up for the newsletter at tabletalkmath.com for weekly updates.

ALSO, BIG UPDATE. There is a good chance that I will be working with someone to translate these newsletters into Spanish. If that would benefit you--or someone you know--please let me know. I'd hate to do this if it isn't helpful, but will be more than happy to if it will!

Thank you for taking the time to improve math fluency for children, one table talk conversation at a time.

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4/2/2017

Week 22: Water Fountains

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Welcome to Table Talk Math. This week, we're talking big numbers and open questions.

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Table Talk Newsletter #22

As we made our way around the Phoenix airport during a layover, it was a good time to fill up our water bottles. In airports around the country are these filling stations that come with a "helped eliminate waste from ___ disposable plastic bottles" and it just makes you feel good to fill up!

My six year-old son thought it was cool, but he was very perplexed by the numbers in the top right. The first fill-up station saved 23,260 bottles and the second saved 362,253 bottles.

"Wow, daddy, three six two two five three?! That is wayyyy bigger than the first one we saw!"

"It sure is, buddy. So what questions do you have?"

"Why is this one so much more?"
"How do you say this number?"
"Are plastic bottles really that bad for us?"

All of these are worth diving into. All of these are worth exploring. And, because we had the time, all of these got answered. He's only six, but we talked about place value because it mattered in this context. I asked him why he thought one was more than the other, leading him to a possible solution that the picture on the left was right next to the bathroom.

"Oh, so when people are done going potty, they can just fill up their water bottle!"

You're onto something, kid.

I would love to hear from you! What picture (or situation) can you put in front of your child to elicit questions? Remember to avoid giving an answer; instead, ask a question that might start a conversation.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Twitter (@TableTalkMath) or comment below. Be sure to have your friends sign up for the newsletter at tabletalkmath.com for weekly updates.

Thank you for taking the time to improve math fluency for children, one table talk conversation at a time.

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4/2/2017

Week 21: Earth's Population

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Welcome to Table Talk Math. This week, we're taking a small look at a big question.

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Table Talk Newsletter #21

"Daddy, how many people are on Earth?"

Quick, think of something! I dunno, uh, a trillion? Seven billion? A whole bunch?

"Well, buddy, I don't know if I can count that high."

Whew. Did I pass? Is it over? Did he notice that I don't really know?

"So, then there's infinity people?"

Dang. No! That's not what I wanted!

On a recent walk with my six year-old son, we had this conversation. At first, I was upset because I didn't have a good enough answer for him. After thinking about it, though, I was thrilled that he brought up infinity, so we talked about it and what it meant in terms of people on Earth. We talked about how infinity is a number that keeps going, but that there is actually a finite (or certain) number of people who exist on Earth, even though that number is constantly changing.

Yes, I could have easily searched for the answer online and found a solution, but there is something about the "Google-able" question that still creates an abundance of good conversation. I won't share the solution with you on here, but you can click through to find it.

The value didn't come from the solution—we never got to a solution—but from the questions that arose. We talked about how many people are in the United States, Europe, and beyond, and how we could add them all together. If he was older, we could have talked about the Census and how it can help us keep track of people. We could have discussed population density and why people live in certain areas compared to others.

But in that moment, on that walk, we used it to talk about infinity.

Here's a challenge for you: Ask your child the same question, or find a way to have them ask it to you.

What are the questions you reply with?
What information would you provide or seek out?
How long before you get to "the right answer" of it all?
If that question didn't come up, which ones did?

I would love to hear from you!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me on Twitter (@TableTalkMath) or comment below. Be sure to have your friends sign up for the newsletter at tabletalkmath.com for weekly updates.

Thank you for taking the time to improve math fluency for children, one table talk conversation at a time.

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Forward>>

Week 24: Four Fours

Table Talk Newsletter #24

Week 23: SolveMe Mobiles

Table Talk Newsletter #23

Week 22: Water Fountains

Table Talk Newsletter #22

Week 21: Earth's Population

Table Talk Newsletter #21

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