In a previous blog , I wrote about my frustration with maths B: I liked the subject, I understood how it worked and yet I got a fail! But alas, at school there is little time to do it all over again then.
Would it have helped if I could have held such a spatial figure? Erik van Haren, maths teacher and owner of Mathplay, thinks so. His mission is to make maths lessons fun and meaningful, so that young people become the problem-solvers who can make the world a better place.
The aim of Mathplay is for young people (and adults) to see that maths is not a trick or a row to be solved, but that it teaches you to problem-solve. The games encourage you to ask mathematical questions a thereby really see through a problem.
Find out how these brainteasers are put together
Erik publishes packets of brainteasers and has also created several puzzles himself that stimulate your brain. Fortunately, he doesn’t just send you off into the woods, he tells you in accompanying booklets and on his YouTube channel how to tackle the puzzles.
Asking mathematical questions
What gets harder for me is the game lines-domino. This game involves diagonals, line segments, a rib and a vertex. Maths is way behind me and this game has me scratching my head. But if you teach class 3 secondary school, you can use it perfectly. The material looks good, is sturdy and complete (with erasable pens). The accompanying booklet contains 5 game forms with elaborations.
Finally, there is a packet of 50 folding puzzles. The task is to fold the papers so that the green areas are on one side and the blue areas on the other. That looks like a fun zen activity at break time. And if I don’t succeed, I’ll watch Erik do it on his YouTube channel
From Fraction to Edge
Erik sent me several games and booklets to try out. My son immediately picked the uneven Rubik’s cube out of the box (so I can’t show you a picture of that). He is still working on it. He hasn’t looked at the booklet ‘Learn to solve the cube with one series of actions’ yet. I’ll put it on the table sometime 😆 Maybe he’ll catch the hint.
There are also solitaire and a sliding puzzle. Games with simple rules, but which you can never really finish well, without cheating a bit (have you ever picked out those pieces of a sliding puzzle).
New to Eriks range is a game to practise fractions and division. The box contains 8 games that teach students how to calculate with fractions. The games increase in difficulty: from number understanding and ordering to arithmetic and brainteasers. Come on, I can handle those!
What becomes more difficult for me is the game lines-domino. This game involves diagonals, line segments, a rib and a vertex. Maths is way behind me and this game had me scratching my head. But if you teach class 3 HV, you can use it perfectly. The material looks good, is sturdy and complete (with erasable pens). The accompanying booklet contains 5 games with explanations.
Finally, there is a packet of 50 folding puzzles. The task is to fold the papers so that the green areas are on one side and the blue areas on the other. That looks like a fun zen activity at break time. And if I don’t succeed, I’ll just watch Erik do it:
General information about the games of MathPlay
These games cannot be bought in a shop, but only through MathPlay’s site. Incidentally, Erik also sells maths games from other publishers there.
*I received these games from MathPlay. I have no business involvement with MathPlay and do not share in the proceeds of sales*
