Math Play: 80 Ways to Count and Learn

Children's Literature - Charles Wyman

As the authors note, "oodles and caboodles of numbers are around you everyday." The activities they have selected for the book are great for helping kids learn math. They include simple ways to reinforce the basics of counting 1 2 3, counting to ten and beyond, recognizing shapes and numbers and encouraging observation, comparison and estimation skills. The activities and crafts are simple and most don't require any special supplies. Objects from around the house, garden, or park are often all that is needed. Each chapter introduces skills such as counting, recognizing numbers, shapes, etc. followed by a variety of activities to reinforce the concept. On many of the pages there are helpful hints that explain the goal of the activity or that offer suggestions for enhancing or extending it. A very useful resource for parents and teachers.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2Parents and early childhood educators eager to introduce the marvelous mysteries of math will find numerous suggestions here. However, the format is curious. Stating that the book is for two-to-six year olds, the authors proceed to provide text addressed to children and a paragraph identified as "helping little hands" which is for adults. While the second-person verbiage may be an attempt to be clever, it doesn't work. Perhaps some preschoolers are ready to read "vehicle," "wildlife prowl," "droppings in the snow," and such but most are not. The bold black-and-white cartoons done in a coloring-book style beg to be coloredfine for a home copy, risky for a library. One activity, "Kitchen Fun," suggests putting three measuring cups on the floor, filling the medium sized one up with water, and then seeing if the water will fit in the smaller cup. What about the floor? A curious cautionary notice on the back of the title page states "The information contained in this book is true, complete, and accurate to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations and suggestions are made without any guarantees on the part of the authors or Williamson Publishing. The authors and publishers disclaim all liability incurred in connection with the use of this information." Is it customary to have a "use at your own risk" note in activity books? Math Play! offers quite a variety of number, shape, series, etc., activities; however, use at your own risk.Jody McCoy, Lakehill Preparatory School, Dallas, TX