You’ve Never Seen Math Like This Before!

Experience MathFest! Nov. 12, 5-8 p.m. Rainier Community Center 4600 38th Ave. S., Seattle

The games are ready, the food  is ordered—now all we need is you! MathFest 2009, Exploration in Math’s annual citywide celebration of elementary school math, is set for Nov. 12 from 5-8 p.m. at the Rainier Community Center, 4600 38th Ave. S. in Seattle. Come for a tour or bring the child(ren) in your life to experience math like you’ve never seen it before. Register online or e-mail Carol Ryan, at carolry@eimath.org,  for tour details.

Held in a carnival-like atmosphere, MathFest brings together more than 750 students, teachers, parents and community members to “play math.” First- through fifth-graders will go booth to booth playing math games, building their confidence in and enthusiasm for math. Be part of this one-of-a-kind event and show that the community supports our students’ achievement.

Thanks to our MathFest sponsors: Microsoft, Educational Legacy Fund,
Emerald City Rotary Club, Rainier Valley Post, Pepsi, and The Press.

Explorations in Math Comes Alive in Video

"These kids are not afraid of the challenge." --Laura  Larson

Explorations in Math Board Chair Laura Larson and a filmmaker friend, Gretchen Crossley, teamed up this past spring and summer to create a documentary video on Explorations in Math. The video not only does a brilliant job of explaining how Explorations in Math builds sustainable math culture in elementary school communities (thanks Laura and Gretchen!), but also helped Laura discover just how real the magic of helping kids love math can be.

One girl interviewed told Laura she really didn’t like fractions, then once she figured them out, went home and taught her mother what she had learned. Seeing first hand students’ confidence and enthusiasm around math drove home to Laura the importance of cultivating a positive attitude about math throughout the whole school, including students, teachers, parents, and school leaders and staff.

“These kids are not afraid of the challenge. They like the challenge,” Laura said. “And when they solve the problems—problems they weren’t sure they could solve—the sense of accomplishment is great. “
Read more on this story.

  Make a Move for Math Set for Feb. 27

 Make a Move for Math, our third annual fundraising event, moves to a new venue this year—the  Rainier Club in downtown Seattle. Save the evening of Feb. 27 to join Explorations in Math in making a move to transform relationships with math in elementary school communities. More event details to come, but you can count on a fun night of games, thought-provoking presentations and great food and drink.

  MathWays Parent Workshops Launch to Rave Reviews

Explorations in Math hosted its first-ever MathWays workshops recently, aimed helping parents support their elementary-age children in math. Two free workshops in Seattle Oct. 15 and Oct. 22 drew of parents and grandparents looking to build their child’s confidence in math. More sessions are planned—visit the Explorations in Math Web site for more information in coming weeks.

To get a feel for how the workshops were received, here’s an anecdote about the Lake City Library session Oct. 15 from Explorations in Math’s Head Teacher, Dave Gardner:  “The highlight of the evening was when we saw a young boy, standing outside the door, nose pressed to the glass, eyes wide, watching the fun inside. We told him we were playing fun math games and invited him in. He literally recoiled in horror and said, “I HATE MATH!” Even so, we convinced him, his mom and his grandma to come in and play. Guess what? He loved it! He left smiling. And so did all the other participants.