Monday, June 22, 2015

Math Fun With Hot Wheels

School is out and we are in that adjustment phase figuring out how the three kids will get along being together all the time.


We make sure that they have a lot of time outside being active hiking, at playgrounds, or playing hockey with their friends.  For the past 3 years, we have also been setting aside 20 minutes a day where they work independently on specific subjects.  Maybe it's inevitable with two teachers as parents, but I find that this helps them when they return to school in September.  It also really keeps the disagreements to a minimum when they have this time alone to focus on a specific task.


Kai enjoys doing traditional school books.  Our six-year-old son Koen prefers more play-based learning.  His teacher has recommended that we work on his fine motor skills (printing and drawing) over the summer and we needed to find a way to make it fun.

This past week we discovered Hot Wheels FUNdamentals Learning Program which has lesson plans for kindergarten and grade 1 students.  You can adapt it for all ages as Nya (just 3 years old) fully enjoyed the activities, too!


The first activity we chose to do was a math one measuring objects using car lengths as the unit.   You can print up cars if you don't have enough of them in your home or if you want to ensure that they are all equal sizes.  There are some suggested objects to measure and then you can choose some of your own as well.  Koen loved it!  


He measured a marker and a pillow.


And he had to record the measurements on the paper.


He also chose to measure the light switch and table top.



Nya had to try it out, too.


There are so many other math activities that you can do with cars; patterns, grouping, speed, and distance travelled (just to name a few!)  With Kai, who has a real love for math and science, we talked about velocity (distance/time) and aerodynamics (what shapes make the cars go faster). 


So there you go--math using Hot Wheels.  I would encourage you to check out some of the ideas they have here if you are looking for some educational activities over the summer!

Do you encourage your kids to do independent educational activities over the summer?   If yes, what do they like to do?  If you try out some of the Hot Wheels FUNdamentals Learning Program, let me know!

Love,
Louise

*Disclaimer: We were provided with Hot Wheels products to facilitate this review.  Opinions are our own!*

4 comments:

  1. We definitely don't do any learning over the summer. My kids have every moment scheduled during the school year (piano, sports teams, Scouts, choir, swimming, etc). We purposely leave the summer wide open. Math with cars sounds fun though!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm curious Marsalie...what do you do when you're home for the day with the four kids? Do you find they play nicely together? If we're at home all day, I find the kids will play nicely 50% of the time but the rest of the time they are just bugging each other! Fortunately our summer will involve day trips and camping etc but the days at home are always a bit trickier!

      Delete
    2. Oh they do fight too! We usually visit every water park and every playground multiple times during the summer. As long as we get outside everyday, it is not so bad. We do a lot of day trips too. Lynn Canyon is a favorite for us. If I can schedule friend days, the kids are really good when they have people over. I encourage lots of reading for downtime, so library visits are at least weekly. I love summer!

      Delete
    3. Yes, getting outside is so good for us, too! I usually take them to a park for an hour, or if Gary is around, we'll take them to the outdoor pool. Love our day trips, especially with Gary along :) Kai is an excellent reader but Koen is...well...we're working on it. I hope he learns to love it because I love it, too. There is a reading program here, I wonder if Koen would be motivated with the promise of a medal...

      Delete