If Math Is Boring, Then Math Puzzles Makes Learning Math Fun

Now listen real close. Move in a little closer, pay attention. I’m going to tell you the true story of how math puzzles overcame a boring teacher and confusing math books, to make math fun.

Now before you get carried away in your own curious thoughts about how boring math was at school, let me begin.

18 months ago, on cold June night, the phone rings. This call would change the way I looked at math.

There nothing like getting a phone call your ex. “You have a problem your kids are struggling at maths.” “If they don’t get help they’ll fail school.

“Fine next week when I see then I sit down and go over there Math.” “Just send over there math Books so I can get a grasp of how they teaching math now.

The phone call got me thinking, I guess I had better brush up on own math skills.

Now I know it’s been a while since I graduated from school. I not even sure, how they teach math at school, these days. Is Everyday math or the Singapore method better?

It seems to change every week.

There always seems to be debate on radio, on how our kids are being let down by the school system. It seems to change every week.

Since I got a week before they arrive, it’s time to get up to speed on math.

I was like a man on a mission, armed with my trusty credit card, I set off, for Borders Bookshop.

I had no idea, there were 100’s of math books, stuffed on the bookshelves, the area was so big it had its own zipcode.

I spent the afternoon pouring over mountains of Math books. Now let me tell you, there’s math books and then there’s math books. They come in all flavours.

I’m sure some of the authors wrote these math books for the sole purpose of inducing a coma. If you’re looking for a cure for a insomnia, I can recommend a couple of math books, I bet you don’t get passed the forward and you’ll be catching zzzz’s.

My search was not in vain, because I managed to grab a bagful of math books.

I dived into math books, as soon as got home. Devouring equation, fractions and multiplication tricks. It’s bit like riding a bike, you don’t really forget, you just lose confidence, or let me put it another way the ability to recall.

The week quickly past, I lost track of time, immersed in my new world of Math.

The weekend came and the girls arrived and headed off to their bedrooms.

“Alright girls lets have look at your Math.”

They reply in unison “Math is Boring”

I’ sure you’re heard that one before, when a 7 and 9 say it’s boring, you know it usually excuse for I don’t understand it.

“Go and get your math books”

They came back with dog-eared books, which looked like; they’ve been seeking refuge, form kids prying eyes by hiding at the bottom of their school bags.

Opening these books, you could see why the girls were struggling with math. They looked like a swirling mass of, pictures diagrams and irrelevant math concepts, which never seem to get the point. The math principles were lost in storm of confusion.

The girls seem to be pleased with themselves, hoping the math books explained everything.

Just in case I wasn’t buying their story, they hit me with more so called facts.

Lilly my 9 year old goes “Everyone’s finding math hard, you haven’t meet Miss Linter, she makes math boring.”

Even though Boring is usually just an excuse, I have meet, Miss Linter. She could sure use a Charisma transplant. I could image the mind numbing torture, locked in classroom for an hour, as she rambles on and on about math.

“Unfortunately you’re stuck with her, and we need to find a way to make math fun.”

The way I see it girls, “Math isn’t boring and it doesn’t need be as dry as toast.”

“Hands up, who likes Puzzles” both arms shot up.

Ok girls let’s make some new rules about math. We’ll pretend it’s only a game.

• Rule 1: Have fun: Math is Fun
• Rule 2: If math is a game, then it’s ok to play math puzzles

With the new Math rules, we set out to find new math adventures. The girls forgot they were learning maths, because they were only Math games and math puzzles.

Math Puzzles have become a ritual at my house. It’s over a year now Lilly has a new teacher, Grace was not so lucky as she got stuck with Miss Linter. At least Grace understands the concepts of Math now. The girls are loving math and what’s more, they’re getting great grade, because math is fun.

I can’t wait to see my girls, as we share, our latest math puzzles. It’s a battle of the wits. Its math puzzles at 20 paces.

Enough about math puzzles, how would like to try a math puzzles.

Try this Math Puzzle from Amusements in Mathematics

13.—A New Money Puzzle Solution

The largest sum of money that can be written in pounds, shillings, pence, and farthings, using each of the nine digits once and only once, is £98,765, 4s. 3¹/₂d.

Now, try to discover the smallest sum of money, written under precisely the same conditions. There must be some value given for each denomination — pounds, shillings, pence, and farthings—and the nought may not be used. It requires just a little judgment and thought.

For the Solution to this Math Puzzle – A New Money Puzzle Solution

For the solution to this math puzzle 13.—A New Money Puzzle Solution