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KEEP KIDS’ MATH SKILLS SHARP WITH
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SUMMER FUN FROM CYBERCHASEsm
pbskidsgo.org/cyberchase by Frances Nankin, Executive Producer and Editorial Director of CYBERCHASE.
Summer is a carefree time for kids to stretch their legs. But U. S. teachers lament that
by vacation’s end many kids’ math skills have deteriorated. What can you do to help
CYBERCHASE
keep those skills well oiled? Find time to tune in to My CYBERCHASE Summer, a
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three-month initiative that connects kids’ favorite Cyberchase episodes with math-
based games and activities they can find online at http://pbskidsgo.org/cyberchase.
And here are five great ways your kids can do math while having fun, wherever their
summer takes them.
• Make time for time
During the summer, kids suddenly come into more free time than they are used
to, and they don’t want to waste it. You can help by suggesting they list the
things they most want to do (swim, play ball, etc.), and then estimate how
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much time they think each of those activities will take. Help them make a
CYBERCHASE
table. Label the columns WANT TO DO and TAKES ABOUT THIS MUCH
is provided by
TIME. When complete, make a similar table listing things they must do
(chores, lessons, etc.). Compare the charts. Ask: How could we organize
your time so that every day you finish your chores and still have free time to
do the things you want to do? Charts make it easier to visualize total time
available and make adjustments to maximize summer fun.
NATIONAL SCIENCE
FOUNDATION
• Plan the road trip
Traveling by car? Break out the map and put Xs on your starting place and
your destination. Invite kids to use a ruler to make a straight line – the shortest
distance – between those two points. Use the map’s scale to figure out how
many miles this line represents. Then work together to look for roads that will
get you to your destination in the shortest way possible. Use a highlighter to
trace over these roads. Use a string to measure the length of the route and use
the map’s scale to figure out how many miles this represents. How does your
route compare to the straight route? Discuss why roads can’t always follow
the shortest path (for example: they go around mountains or follow historical
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trails).
• Frisbee golf reinforces distance and direction
is provided by
Take some family time to play Frisbee golf. Work together to set a “course”
The Volckhausen Family.
of targets for the Frisbee to land on (tables, a picnic blanket, etc.) Measure the
distance between targets so they are at least 10 feet apart and not all in a
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2. CYBERCHASE Page 2
Feature: 5 Summer Fun Tips
straight line. The object is to toss the Frisbee from one end of the course to the
other, hitting each target using the least number of tosses. To play, take turns
throwing the Frisbee toward a target – where it lands becomes the place from
which you take your second shot, and so forth until you hit your target. Keep
track of your score from target to target. (If you take three throws to hit a
target, your score is three.) Then your opponents take a turn. When you’ve all
completed the course, low score wins – just like in golf!
• Math in nature
You can observe math in nature by focusing on growth patterns in plants. Next
time you go to the park or out into your own backyard, have kids take along a
sketch pad and colored markers. Sit and observe flowers, leaves and other
plant parts, choosing a favorite to sketch in the book. As kids draw, ask
questions like: How are the flower petals arranged? How many are there? Do
they overlap or are they separate? Or: How are the leaves arranged on the
stem? Are they opposite each other or do they alternate on the stem? What
shape are the leaves? When kids have finished their sketches, compare the
patterns and talk about how they are the same and different.
• The growing season
In summer, many plants flower and make seeds for the next year. Do all plants
take the same amount of time to do this? To find out, help kids investigate.
Buy several different kinds of seeds with different “seed-to-harvest” times as
listed on the back of the packets. (For example, compare radish or lettuce seeds
with bean seeds and sunflower seeds.) Plant the seeds in containers and record
the date you planted them. Make sure the containers get the same amount of
sun and water. Record the dates your plants sprout, flower, and then make new
seeds. Which plant was the fastest to make seed? Which took the longest?
Help kids make a table to record what they find out.
CYBERCHASE, the award-winning math mystery cartoon on PBS KIDS GO!sm from
Thirteen/WNET New York, is celebrating its fifth season of fostering enthusiasm for math and
building problem-solving skills. Find out more at CYBERCHASE Online
(pbskidsgo.org/Cyberchase) and be sure to visit the Parents and Teachers section for more math
tips.