Archive for the ‘Math Learning’ Category

I’m increasingly conscious of the gap between the urgent calls for more effective math education in the U.S., and the seemingly low expectations some parents have for their own child to advance in math. It’s as if the pressing national need has nothing to do with us on a personal level. I hear parents talk [...]

I renewed my love of Yahtzee a few months ago, in a little cottage in Hawaii when my husband and I discovered it was the only board game in the place. We were trapped inside at 7pm every night with our three month old baby and spent many hours playing this fun and competitive game. Yahtzee [...]

When we conceived the idea for DreamBox Learning online math games, we knew that homeschoolers would be people we understand and relate to. After all, we have a lot in common. Homeschoolers believe in taking no chances with their kids’ education. DreamBox agrees. Homeschoolers believe that hands-on, individualized learning is crucial. DreamBox agrees. While these [...]

I took my two young boys, ages 5 and 3, to the Seattle Children's Museum on Sunday and was quite impressed with their new exhibit "Go Figure!". Here, in one of our very own museums, is a great exhibit that has a dozen or more engaging ways for kids to think about math! We give parents tips all the time about everyday activities they can do and books they can read with their kids that incorporate math. This exhibit actually brings to life several such books and activities.

DreamBox Learning’s holiday gift-giving guide makes shopping for educational toys a no-brainer! We’re excited to bring you the third educational toy in our countdown. Read on and find out why we chose the Melissa and Doug Underwater Puzzle as a top learning toy for this holiday season. Melissa and Doug Underwater Puzzle: A Challenging 48- [...]

DreamBox Learning is excited to bring you the second educational toy in our holiday-gift-giving countdown. Read on and find out why we chose the Planet Earth Grow A World as a top fun learning toy for this holiday season. Planet Earth Grow A World: A Great Way to Introduce Kids Ages 4 and Up to Geography [...]

In the seemingly infinite blogosphere it can be a huge investment of time to figure out which education blogs are most worth reading. Luckily, DreamBox has done the work for you, reading many education blogs on the internet to tell you about some of the very best. When we created this blog round-up, we looked for [...]

As we get closer to launching DreamBox Learning’s first product, an online adventure game that teaches serious math, and we see more and more kids in beta testing, we’re realizing how many advantages there are to online learning games. In the classroom children get the very real benefit of interacting with their teacher and with other students. Online learning has distinct advantages too. That’s because online teaching can be tailored to individual students in a number of important ways. Benefits:

1. Online learning is self-paced
2. Sophisticated online education products can offer self-selected learning.
3. Online learning games encourage engagement.
4. Online education can support a range of learning styles.
5. Advanced online tools can provide real-time assessment
6. With an internet connection, there are no geographical barriers
7. Learning happens when it’s most convenient.
8. Online learning enhances computer and Internet proficiency.

Understanding the charts and graphs in the media these days can be tricky, to say the least. Statistics can be displayed in numerous ways to lead, or mislead, a person’s thinking about a topic. Case in point: a turn in the stock market by 4 points is very different than a turn by 4%. Learning to analyze data is an important skill that children need to learn so they can make decisions based on accurate information in the future. Analyzing, collecting, and organizing data is something even very small children can begin to understand. It is also such a great way for kids to make connections with math in the real world.

Grandma and Grandpa were coming for a visit, so I revisited my mini-library of favorite classroom books to read with my young son. He was very excited about the visit, especially after reading The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant. He was particularly interested in where Grandma and Grandpa would sleep. Together we identified all of the beds in the house. Then we counted the number of people that would be here, including our 2 guests. Finally, we matched each person to a bed. This one-to-one correspondence practice is the foundation for basic counting.