It’s Monday, and time for Math at in our Homeschool class. Charlie and I will be checking out the websites below and see if there is any Charlie would like to use in Math each week as we are tired of the resources we have been using. If you know of other math resources for a 5th Grader you think we should check into leave me a comment with the website and I will check the site out this afternoon.
Age Range: All (All grades; children with parental supervision)
Don’t let these games from Meyers Labs fool you – they offer fun ways to learn fundamental and challenging concepts that are required for math.
When you get to the site, you’ll see a menu of puzzles that includes:
- Frog Jumpin’
- Inchworm
- Galactic Journey
- Maze Craze
- Ink Blobs
- Mosaic Design
- and more.
Click on any game and a new window opens. Some of the games come with instructions, others are intuitive. Some of the skills these games enhance are:
- Recognizing Patterns
- Sequencing
- Spatial Relationships
- Problem Solving
- Recognizing and Sorting Shapes and Colors
- Strategy
- Analysis
- Memory
- Performance Under Pressure
- and more!
It helps to read the “Parents & Teachers” notes (at the bottom, on the left side of the home page) that explain which skills are addressed by each game.
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Age Range: 12 and up (Grades 6-adult; children with parental supervision)
Today’s website was originally designed as a warm-up activity for calculus courses taught at Harvard. In an effort to help college students see the interesting stuff that motivates mathematicians to study the subject, a professor began to tell his students “Fun Facts” – or daily mathematical tidbits from all areas of mathematics (not just calculus), meant to arouse their curiosity and fascination with the subject. The students loved it. That motivated the professor to archive the “Fun Facts” that he and his colleagues collected at today’s website. Even though this is designed for college level students, there are ideas and math patterns that will fascinate and challenge students of many grade levels and abilities.
When you get to the site you will see a brief introduction. Then, use the combination menu and search engine on the left to get “Fun Facts” about:
- Algebra
- Calculus
- Geometry
- Number Theory
- Probability
- Topology
- and more!
A nice feature is that you can search by difficulty level from “Easy” to “Advanced” in any of the subject categories. Once you make your selection a new page appears with a menu of “Fun Facts” from which to choose. Click on any one of these and a new page opens that explains and illustrates the concept. “Fun Facts” not only challenges those skilled in mathematics, but it provides a way to give less skilled students a glimpse of advanced mathematics. Students will become familiar with math vocabulary and “buzzwords” even if they don’t fully understand what they mean. It might just springboard their curiosity to do some further research that will enhance their math education.
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Age Range: 6-13 (Grades 1-8, with parental supervision)
“Math Night” supported by the National Science Foundation is a fun event that was created for kids in elementary school and their parents. On Math Night, families go to school together and explore math displays (similar to a science fair), make math crafts, and compete in games to solve math problems.
Now, homeschoolers can join in the fun too! At this website you can get free access to the Math Night resources including math displays, crafts, games, and activities. You can print them out and use them to enjoy fun math projects at home.
When you get to the site just click on any item on the icon menu that includes:
- Abacus Arithmetic
- Topology Tricks
- Wrapping Paper Symmetry
- Math is a Piece of Pi
- Bridges of Konigsberg
- Binary Numbers
- Geometry Gems
- Algorithms, Braids, and Kolam Figures
- Clock Arithmetic
- Secret (and not so secret) Codes
- Construction by Instruction
- Mathematics of Music
- Methods of Multiplication
- The Slide Rule
- Cakewalk Math
- Mirror, Mirror
- Make a Mountain Out of a Map
- Math ‘N Music Notes
- You Can Count On It!
A new page opens with a virtual tri-fold display about that activity. Use the menu at the top of the screen to learn about the module and access the printable materials you’ll need.
Want to try other activities? Look on the menu on the left side of the screen to access some “Pencil and Paper Games” as well as the rules for playing “Math Jeopardy.”
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Age Range: 14 and up (Grades 9 through college; children with parental supervision)
This site has free math, statistics and physics books online written by a retired mathematician.
Dr. Ralph deLaubenfels is a retired mathematician and statistician who makes these books available free of charge to help students. Check out the free math books for high school and college including:
- Trig to the Point
- Fun with Functions
- Ordinary Differential Equations
- And more.
Also, of particular interest to younger students might be “Math Magnifications”: short (about 5 to 30 pages each) enrichments, many of which were used as workshops given by Dr. deLaubenfels and Karen deLaubenfels to homeschooled children. Some of the topics are:
- Calculus
- Probability
- Statistics
- Vectors
These “will give students a better picture of the breadth of math.”
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Math2.org 
Age Range: 9-18 (Grades 4-12, with parental supervision)
Math2.org offers resources for learning math. It is a member of the Web Math Collaboration (WMC), a federation of math websites with the goal of providing “freely accessible open spaces for people to collaborate on and discuss mathematical subjects, help those who have difficulties in mathematics, and provide mathematical resources to the public.“
When you get to the website you’ll see it is very clearly organized and includes:
- Math Reference Tables (also available in Spanish!) — All of the most important tables and formulas you need to study math: basic arithmetic facts, trig identities, integrals and derivatives, and even Fourier transforms, all in one convenient place for you to use and review. The conic sections are simply but clearly illustrated, and the calculus even includes proofs!
- The Math Message Board — Post your math questions in this forum and get answers on this very active board! (As with all forums, children will need adult supervision.) Browse through past questions and enjoy the lively give-and-take in this helpful math-loving community; try your hand at verifying the solutions to any that catch your interest.
- Have A Math Question? — This section refers those with questions to either the Math Message Board (described above) or to the “Ask Dr. Math” website.
- Links — A list of links to other websites that offer everything from general math resources and lesson plans for grades K-16 to an extensive collection of mathematical theorems and formulas.
- Other Resources — You’ll find an English-Spanish math dictionary here! Bonus: If you would like to see what else this webpage author has created, click on “Dave Manura” at the bottom of the page.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
