Happy Pi Day!
What do you get when you cut a Jack O' Lantern by its diameter? Pumpkin Pi!
Happy Pi day! Pi Day is celebrated yearly on March 14 because 3, 1 and 4 are the first three significant digits of π. Celebrations around the world vary, but usually they involve the eating, or throwing of pies. Although the concept of Pi might be too difficult to explain to a young child, it’s the perfect opportunity to have a celebration that focuses on mathematics and it's also a good excuse to eat pie. Research has shown that children who have positive experiences with mathematics when they are young will be more confident and curious in their approach to mathematics at school, and what could be more positive than delicious pie?
Have some pie with your kids and share some excellent books featuring mathematics:
Bedtime Math by Laura Overdeck
Why not make math problems a part of your nightly story time routine? With three different levels of difficulty for each of the questions, this book is great for pre-school age and up. Ages 3-8. If you like this one, check out more in the series.
Math Curse by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
A hilarious advanced picture book for kindergarten up to middle grades. When Mrs. Fibonacci tells her class that you can think of everything as a math problem, a student starts to have anxiety about solving every problem. Ages 4-8
Pete the Cat's Got Class by James Dean
In this Pete the Cat adventure, Pete helps out his friend Tom who is struggling with math. Great for early readers and fans of other Pete the Cat stories.
Ages 4-8
Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi by Cindy Neuschwander illustrated by Wayne Geehan
Learn mathematics and get your fill of puns in this advanced picture book series for middle grades. In the first book, meet Sir Cumference, his wife Lady of Di Ameter, and their son Radius. Hilarious and full of mathematics. Ages 6-12
Teddy Bear Patterns by Barbara Barbieri McGrath
Learn to count, sort and identify patterns using teddy bears. Use the pictures or play along with gummy bears. If you like this one, check out some of the others in her series. Ages 4-7
There are also some fun and educational television shows that focus on mathematics:
And don't forget the pie!
You can use cookie cutters to make the numbers for the top of the pie, which is a great job for little ones who can have fun rolling and cutting the dough.
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