Saturday, April 01, 2017

Early Data Visualization

The explosive increase in computing power in the last half of the last century changed the course of the mighty river of mathematics.

Discrete methods of solution came to supersede analog ones as "on-off" digital notions replaced the continuous. Analytical techniques and number-crunching overtook the elegant formality of logical solutions and symbol manipulation, lending to the latter a strangely passé and almost quaint air.

Yesterday, calculus and algebra were king and queen. Today, its statistics and data science.

Students will likely continue to study the traditional arithmetic-algebra-trig-calculus sequence we've all been used to, at least for a another decade or two.

Nevertheless, stats and datasci are coming up awfully fast in the rear view mirror, and it's just a matter of time before we watch them zoom by.

What does this mean for modern day parent-teachers?

Teach your child to enjoy measurement, recording data, and making pretty graphs!

Families can track chores done using points hand-recorded on a refrigerator door chart in bar-graph form. Weather data taken from a home weather station can be tabulated and line graphs generated. Personal goals can be set and progress memorialized using large presentation pad graph paper for all so see.

Finding ways to make creating, recording, analyzing, and visualizing data fun and rewarding will go a long way toward developing "data sense" in your growing children.

Start as soon as they can count and "color inside the lines."

Large format graph paper:

1" Grid Tablet 24 x 32 Inches

Quadrille Paper Grid Pad 17 x 22 Inches

Canson Foundation Series Quadrille Graph Paper Pad 11 x 17 Inches

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Copyright © 2006-present: Christopher R. Borland. All rights reserved.

Thursday, March 02, 2017

The Miracle of Human Anatomy

The study of human anatomy has fascinated humankind's greatest thinkers since antiquity.

No machine rivals the awesome complexity of the human body and its myriad systems and organs. Nothing in art or nature surpasses it's dazzling, intricate beauty and harmonious melding of form and function.

Anatomical models, drawings, and texts reveal many of the tantalizing secrets lying under our own skins, and the study of human anatomy should be part of every home science curriculum.

Following is a list of recommended resources:

4D Vision Human Anatomy Torso Model

Smart Lab Toys Squishy Human Body

Smart Lab Human Body Model

Melissa & Doug Magnetic Human Body Anatomy Play Set

Gray's Anatomy for Students: With Student Consult Online Access, 3e

Anatomica's Body Atlas

The Anatomy Coloring Book

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Copyright © 2006-present: Christopher R. Borland. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, February 01, 2017

Early Puzzles, Problem Solving, Math Games

Lots of fun family activities expose children to logical problem solving and exercise mathematical thinking muscles without adding columns of numbers or solving equations.

Games and puzzles that develop cognitive abilities, reasoning, and heuristic skills are great ways to get better at math without really trying, and provide alternative content for productive family learning times.

Below are just a few ideas:

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Products

Puzzle Barron's Logic Puzzles

Q-Bitz, Q-Bitz Solo, Q-Bitz Junior (Ages 3+)

Math Dice

Balance Beans

Press Here Game

24 Game: Integers

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Sites

MathPlayground

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Copyright © 2006-present: Christopher R. Borland. All rights reserved.

Sunday, January 01, 2017

Family Science

As essential academic skills, the "3 R's" (Reading, Writing, 'Rithmetic) dominate primary and secondary education at nearly every phase. This is as it should be.

However, a close second place should be assigned to STEAM subjects: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics.

Family science study can be a rewarding and fascinating family activity. Investing a relatively small amount of money in a scientific instruments of reasonable quality can open up entirely new worlds to impressionable and curious young minds. For example, keeping a good compound microscope at ready disposal in the family kitchen avails kids and adults alike of the opportunity to do real spur-of-the-moment science. Having a serious entry-level telescope standing by in the garage for use on those clear, dark, moonless nights when star gazing is most rewarding is a simple way to reify the infinite for youngsters and adults alike.

At all stages, the scientific method can be taught, utilized, and reinforced: Ask a good question, make a sensible guess about the answer, test that guess experimentally (or search the internet for information), confirm or adjust the guess based on what's learned, then repeat.

Having popular scientific magazines prominently displayed at home – and making sure your kids catch you reading and discussing them frequently – is another fun and engaging way to bring science into the home.

Why is it that so many scientists are amateur artists, musicians, painters, video programmers?

The arts are, of course, inextricably linked to the sciences. Affinity for one generally predicts affinity for the other. Music, dance, acting, visual arts, sculpture, architecture, and other diverse artistic disciplines intersect in fascinating ways with scientific fields ranging from physics and chemistry to anatomy and psychology.

Moreover, the dedication, sharply-focused thinking, and keen observational ability required to become a competent stage performer or fine artist are precisely the same "soft skills" central to advancement in STEM fields (but that's another post ...).

Parents can thoroughly enjoy home science along with their kids. The excitement of discovery is every bit as tangible and real when an adult first witnesses an oozing protozoa gobble up a bacterium as it is for a first grader or high schooler.

Full STEAM ahead!

For more ideas, see the following:

Science Tools and Manipulatives

Scratch Coding Resources

Robotics Toys, Aids, and Activities

The Miracle of Human Anatomy

Guidebooks: Science Experiments and Projects

Five Books Guaranteed to Make Kids Love Science

100 Best Science Books for Kids

Great Science Books for the Little Ones

Amazon's Best Selling Science Books for Children

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Copyright © 2006-present: Christopher R. Borland. All rights reserved.

Thursday, December 01, 2016

Daily Math Time

In addition to daily Reading Time and Writing/Drawing Time, parents should spend a small amount of structured fun time each day with each child on math.

From the earliest age, children can be taught to say "one, two, three" as they're lifted into the air or as they touch their index finger to each of three similar objects. Counting objects to ten, twenty, and more naturally follows, as the child gains facility and understanding.

Math has been called the science of pattern, and patterns are everywhere we look. Simple binary patterns like on and off, sitting and standing, quiet and noisy are all easy to point out and ask your child about. Later on, more complex patters like colors in kitchen tiles or lines on the floor can be explored.

Geometry is everywhere also. Various shapes from dots to lines to triangles to circles can be identified in the surrounding environment ("Can you find a green rectangle on the road up ahead?"A red octagon?"

Comparative relationships such as "more than," "less than," and "equal to" can be introduced to young children and reinforced in a number of different ways (short, shorter, long, longest, etc.).

Eventually, the two basic arithmetic operations – addition and subtraction – can be explained and demonstrated as putting things together to form one larger group or separating large groups into smaller ones.

Once basic math facts are memorized, simple story problems can be created and solved on the fly, and positive/negative numbers (and operations with them) can be introduced.

Math manipulatives can play a central role is making Daily Math Time interesting, engaging, and productive for all concerned.

As always, the focus is on fun, lots of hugs and high-fives, taking things slowly and at the child's own pace, experiencing tons of success, and quitting structured time early to keep them wanting more (start with just a few minutes a day, and build slowly from there).

Additional resources and ideas follow:

Math is Everywhere ... and it's Fun!

Math Fact Cards, Apps, Calculation Training Sites

Scratch Coding Resources

Early Math Toys, Aids, and Activities

Early Puzzles, Problem Solving, Math Games

Math Exploration Station

Math Worksheets and Drills

Children's Books for Teaching Math

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Copyright © 2006-present: Christopher R. Borland. All rights reserved.