Math is the hot new bedtime reading.
This is from article, ’’Beyoud Counting Sheep’’ Time / The Culture / Education
Laura Bilideau Overdeck, a Princeton trained astrophysicist. She is founder of the nonprofit Bedtime Math, and she wanted kids to fall in love with numbers. As a part of that mission she wants to change the way parents put their kids to bed.
The core of Bed time Math is simple. You will ask children to solve the problem on bed, which is from a free diary problem, geared to one of three level of math problem. The subjects tend to be ones that especially appeal to children.
1. Weeones – prekindergarten
2. Little kids – kindergarten and second grade or so
3. Big kids – second grade and up
For example (from text)
1. Weeones- Alaska was the 49th state to join the U.S. How many states has already joined?
2. Little kids – Of the 20 tallest mountains in the U.S., 17 are in Alaska. How many of them aren’t’ in Alaska? BONUS: There are 200,000 moose are 900,000 caribou in Alaska. How many more caribou than moose are there?
3. Big kids – Alaska covers 660,000 square miles If Alaska cut itself in half, how much bigger than Texa’s 268,000 square miles would each half be?
Bedtime Math is part of project that a lot of people are working on, which is aiming at cultural shift that will get kids coming into school already comfortable with math.
I believe that Bedtime reading is also important. But keep in mind, research shows that early math skills are better predictor of academic success than reading ability. Why don’t you using math problem, instead of just counting Sheep?
One mother who use Bedtime Math says when her child’s zest for Bedtime Math enables her to use it as a threat; “If you don’t brush your teeth now, no math tonight”
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