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Students Have a Math-Tastic Night ; Elementary's Second Annual Event Features Games and Activities for the Whole Family

Posted on: Thursday, 13 October 2005, 18:00 CDT

By BETH HAHN Mountain View Telegraph

Making math fun at home can be as simple as rolling dice or counting M&M's, as Moriarty Elementary School teachers demonstrated to families last week.

Teachers, parents and students crowded into the school's cafeteria for Moriarty Elementary's second annual Family Math Night, which is designed to give parents ideas for making math enjoyable at home and to encourage parental involvement in school.

Robin Aragon, a math educational assistant who helped organize the night, said she hopes the event will inspire parents to be more interested in their children's learning.

"We want to promote learning and help parents understand that learning continues in the home," she said.

About a dozen teachers had math-related activities set up in their classrooms or the cafeteria. Most of the activities included something the families could take home -- from games to worksheets.

Activities ranged from puzzles to graphing and counting. Student Nicky Cosentino exercised self-control by not eating her M&M's until she had completed an activity that graphed the numbers of different colors in a bag of the candy.

Principal Robert Adams roamed the building with a digital camera, snapping photos of his first Family Math Night.

"It's neat how it brings the families together," he said.

Adams, who spent the past six years as a high school administrator, said his first experience with the math night was enjoyable.

"It's fun to see the parents playing games with their kids," he said.

Tammy Chavez, a mother of two elementary-age daughters, said the math night gives her ideas for educational activities to do at home.

"I think it's great," she said, while her daughters duplicated patterns with colored blocks. "(Math night) is a good way to spend time with the kids and see what they're learning."

Across the room at another table, Diana Rutz helped her first- grade daughter navigate a game involving dice and estimating.

"I think it's great," she said, echoing Chavez's sentiments. "The teachers help with new ideas and creative ways of teaching the kids."

MES staff also passed out books from the state Department of Education with tips for parents on helping their children with math. Aragon said enough copies were on hand for every family to have one in either Spanish or English.

Aragon said she was happy to see the community's reaction to Family Math Night.

"It's exciting to see people walking down the sidewalk and get all excited to come in," she said.

Source: Albuquerque Journal

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