Straight up, I love CostCo. As I shopped around there for the umpteenth time, it occurred to me that the environment is bursting with opportunities for fun and engaging math learning. I thought, "it would be so cool to just walk around here with kids and think of interesting math problems to figure out!"
So you know me, I pitched the idea to my daughters and their good friend Eloise, to which they leaped at the chance. Their joy and buy-in to the idea is palpable in this video, and I/we hope you love watching it as much as we loved making it!
We toggle from third grade centered math concepts (sometimes further) to first grade math problems. Here are the segments, topics, and of course, the shopping items we used to impart the ideas:
0:14 Seven pairs of socks costs $6. Each pair costs...?
2:18 Watermelons cost $10 each. How much for multiple watermelons?
4:06 "Mangos in boxes!" A student-led mango multiplication challenge!
6:31 Pumpkin pie cut up in different fractional slices. (YUM!)
8:52 Muffins come in packs of 6. What if friends came over to share?
11:32 Apple pears come in packs of 8. How many would each family member get? (This is my favorite segment. Check out Revi's look of concentration.)
14:41 Arrays of eggs! How many ways can we multiply?
17:33 Volume, with... toilet paper? Watch these 3rd graders ascend beyond grade level in their first-ever exposure to volume concepts.
Programming notes:
• Tips for inspired teaching are included at various moments throughout the video. Connecting to students and bringing out their best is both a science and an art, so hopefully these teaching tips can help you in your practice.
• Also, please feel free to turn the subtitles on to offset any background sound issues.
YAY MATH!
Learning math can always be fun and connective. Please visit www.yaymath.org for:
• all videos
• free quizzes
• free worksheets
• exclusive mailing list, sharing insights on elevated teaching practices
• debut book on how to connect with and inspire students
• all-in-one math courses that teachers and parents can use, backed by Yay Math energy