www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, October 23, 2014 | 32 Making math matter Continued from page 30 Holy Name of Mary College School celebrates uniqueness of girls Holy Name of Mary College School (HNMCS) is a private Catholic school for girls in grades 5 through 12. Set on a picturesque 25 acre setting in Mississauga, the school is guided by our founders, the Felician Sisters and the Basilian Fathers. It is a school distinguished by excellence that invigorates the student experience and celebrates the uniqueness of every girl. The school permeates a culture of achievement that develops the individual capacity of every girl. The curriculum is tailored for girls who are given every opportunity to develop and excel in the way they learn best. HNMCS offers a unique compilation of academic excellence, athletics, the arts, outdoor initiatives, co-curricular activities and other enriching experiences for girls to develop their voices as leaders. It is no wonder that research reveals that graduates from all-girls schools achieve greater academic success, have more confidence and develop stronger leadership skills. For more information contact Holy Name of Mary College School at 2241 Mississauga Rd., Mississauga or call (905) 8911890. skip-counting". For example, skip-counting by 3's would be: 1 (whisper), 2 (whisper), 3 (aloud), 4 (whisper), 5 (whisper), 6 (aloud)... Baking days We all know that a lot of math concepts are involved in the process of cooking or baking. This includes understanding measurements and proportions. When involving little learners during cooking or baking, provide them with questions to ponder on. For example, "If the recipe requires three eggs for four servings, then how many eggs would you think we need for eight servings?" This typical classroom math problem now has an interesting real life context. Patterning is one of the major units in the elementary school curriculum. If you are decorating baked goods with jelly beans, chocolate chips, candied chocolates, gummies, encourage your kids to create their own patterns. 1. Repeating patterns e.g. yellow, pink, pink, yellow, pink, pink. 2. Growing/shrinking patterns e.g. a pattern of adding three more chocolate chips to the next cupcake than to the previous: 7, 10, 13, 16... For the Grades 4 to 6, growing or shrinking patterns can be created using multiplication or division. A trip to the groceries store To keep your kids from eyeing the next sugary snack, play a game of which they have to find five cylinders or five rectangular prisms. Juice boxes, soup cans, cereal packages...the grocery store is filled with 3D solids and geometric shapes. For the younger kids who are not too familiar with prisms and pyramids, this can be done with two-dimensional shapes. Look for triangles, squares, rectangles, circles, diamonds, and other polygons with your child. In addition to geometry, you could also review place values using price tags: the digits representing ones, tens, tenths, and hundredths. Development of numeracy skills is a significant part of a growing young learner. Try making math learning fun and applicable to their everyday life by keeping in mind that math learning is not just an experience bound by the walls of the classroom. Counting, geometry, measurements, patterning can all be integrated into children's daily activities. Teachers often look for ways to bring fun into the math classroom. Rather, I'd say...sprinkle a little math into their fun. Mandy Lam, O.C.T. is a college mathematics instructor who also teaches K-12 mathematics programs at Education Power Inc. (www.educationpower.ca). MacLachlan College Open House MacLachlan's small school approach embodies a strong sense of community and a warm family atmosphere for students in Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12. We invite you to attend our Open House on Saturday, October 25 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Learn about our new Bursary Program for students entering Grades 8, 9 and 10 in September 2015. Open House 905-844-0372 ext. 235 admissions@maclachlan.ca 337 Trafalgar Road, Oakville October 25th and November 15th 10:00 am - 2:00 pm 2241 Mississauga Rd. Mississauga, Ont. For more information please call 905-891-1890 x103 or email admissions@hnmcs.ca Enriched university preparatory school for girls in grades 5-12. Proudly affiliated with St. Michael's College School www.maclachlan.ca