Recommended Math and Economics Books & Resources

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Laurie Block Spigel Classes & Lectures Photo Gallery            Testimonials Consultations Poems by Laurie Contact Laurie FAQ (testing etc.) Articles etc.        Books & Resources Favorite Kids' Books Language Arts Math & Economics Statistics Critical Thinking Science            Social Studies Foreign Languages Music            Art & Architecture Standards, etc.      Activities & Crafts Physical Activities Magazines Special Ed Gifted & Talented About College Art by Kids Poems by Kids Reviews by Kids Other Sites            Volunteer / Interning            Contests            Glossary            Acknowledgements Sitemap              © Laurie Block Spigel 2005 – 2010	Go to Page Index Math Math is a subject that seems to distance many children, even sometimes those who are mathematically talented. If all of math is kept to the pencil and the page, then your child will lost interest. Math is something that happens every day in countless ways (try and count them!), and if math is applied to a student’s daily life it will take a more rightful place in a child’s world. First, count everything and then count it some more. Math is really just a series of glorified systems of advanced counting and measuring. Think in terms of units and always name the items you are counting: inches, centimeters, miles, lightyears, grams, kilos, degrees, pennies, pesos, euros, yen, buttons, bicycles, teeth, apples, rice -- the list is truly endless! When your kids are young, count with them. Count the plates when they set the table, count the forks when they unload the dishwasher, count the number of carrots they ate, the blocks to the library, the books they take home. Counting large numbers of small items, like pennies or pebbles or paperclips, will naturally result in grouping them by fives or tens, and early multiplication will begin. Early elementary grades can play store and learn money math and help to count change as they shop. They can run a lemonade stand (make sure they reimburse mom for the initial outlay and figure out their profit), and use math in daily projects and tasks. Make math part of a living curriculum and your children will grow up math literate. Economics Economics studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, so it involves math, geography, history, and political science. Back to top Page Index Math Resources Math Books For all ages For the youngest crowd For grade school kids Computer games Curriculum "candy" Math-related games Math "toys" and kits Math Worksheets Videos Websites For adults and educators Economics Resources See also: NYPL's HomeworkNYC.org Computers Grade Levels, Standards and Benchmarks NYS Standards What's Free or Cheap in NYC - Science and Math Math Resources, from Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE) Math Resources from the US Government Resources for Mathletes ® from American Regions Math League Math Resources. A fabulous and very comprehensive list compiled by a math lecturer at the University of Toronto. It's a rather large PDF file (88 pages!) Statistics Resources Back to top of Books list / Back to index Math Books Books for all ages Here's a long list of math books and more in pdf format. Books for the youngest crowd: The Greedy Triangle, by Marilyn Burns Measuring Penny, The Edible Pyramid, Fraction Action, The Great Graph Contest, and more, by Loreen Leedy Sir Cumference and the Round Table, and sequels by Cindy Neuschwanger Spaghetti and Meatballs for All, by Marilyn Burns Zero! Is It Something? Is It Nothing?,by Claudia Zaslavsky, Jeni C. Bassett (Illustrator) Back to top of Books list / Back to index / Back to top Books for grade school kids: 101 Marvelous Money-Making Ideas for Kids, by Heather Wood, includes the math of being an entrepreneur. AIMS Education Foundation (800) 445-5985. - Math & social studies books and science curricula for K-9. Favorite titles include: Mathematicians Are People Too and Historical Connections in Mathematics. Borenson & Assocs. - Introduction to Algebra with Manipulatives for grades 3-8. Borenson’s Hands-On Equations really works. Math Products Plus - Kids’ math calendars by one of our favorite math authors, Theoni Pappas, author of The Joy of Mathematics, The Adventures of Penrose, Math-a-day, Math for Kids, Mathematical Footprints, and more. The Adventures of Penrose, The Mathematical Cat, Fractals, Googols And Other Mathematical Tales, Math For Kids And Other People Too by Theoni Pappas Algebra the Easy Way, by Douglas Downing, Barrons Educational Series Flatland, by E. Abbott G is for Googol, a Math Alphabet Book, by David M. Schwartz A Gebra Named Al and A Chemy Named Al, by Wendy Isdell Geometry for Every Kid and Math for Every Kid by Janice Van Cleave. The History of Counting, by Denise Schmandt-Besserat The I Hate Mathematics Book, by Marilyn Burns "I Love Math Series": Amusement Park Math, Play Ball, Sports Math, The House That Math Built, Math for Smarty Pants by Marilyn Burns The Lady or the Tiger? and Other Logic Puzzles, by Raymond M. Smullyan The Man Who Counted, by Malba Taban Math Curse, by Jon Scziezka Math Wizardry for Kids, by Margaret Kenda & Phyllis S. Williams, published by Barrons The Number Devil, by Hans Magnus Enzensberger Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School, Louis Sachar Teaching with Manipulatives: Middle School Investigations, by R. Welchman-Tischler. For grades 4 - 8 (available at ETA / Cuisenaire) Webster’s Dictionary of Mathematics (may be out of print) Back to top of Books list / Back to index / Back to top

Math "toys" and kits:

• GEMS (Great Explorations in Math and Science (800) 445-5985. - Manipulatives, games, and math and science kits for K-12.
• Geoboards
• Pattern blocks
• Play money and a cash register
• A toy clock
• Tangrams. Click here for a set of tangrams to print and cut out.
• Zome tools -- a fun construction toy available from www.zometool.com

Math Worksheets

• Lesson Corner Math Worksheets
• Math-Drill Math Worksheets
• KidZone Math

Computer games:

• BigBrainz offers a fun free download for learning multiplication tables. There are upgrades for a fee, but the free dungeon/troll set-up will take you from the 2s through the 12s.
• Zoombinis Logical Journey, available from Amazon.com
• Revenge of the Math Spiders and Math Blockout, available from Critical Thinking Press. A free trial demo of this and much more is available from Kaboose Kids Domain
• Poly, by Pedagoguery, software which allows you to construct -- virtually and manually -- Platonic and other solid figures. A free trial demo of this and much more is available from Kaboose Kids Domain

Math-related games:

• Dream Green has the award-winning 1-2-3 Oy!, with a free download
• Battleship. Here's an online version.
• Buzz is a game that helps you practice mental arithmetic skills. It's also fun when you're learning another language.
• Chess. For chess-playing opportunities in NYC, see What's Free & Cheap in NYC: Chess
• Clue, the classic whodunit board game, available from Amazon.com
• Cribbage, a card game. Get the rules and much more from The American Cribbage Congress
• Equate, a math board game based on Scrabble, and other math games from Conceptual Math Media
• Geometry Dominoes, a domino-like game designed to aid in the recognition of two- and three-dimensional shapes, from Didax.
• Math Playground. From word problems to printable math worksheets, challenging games that reinforce critical math skills.
• Metric conversion charts to print out.
• Math puzzles and games, including Quintilions, Quintapaths, The Game of Y, and many more, from Gamepuzzles
• Mazes. Visit www.clickmazes.com for some online mazes and other puzzles.
• Mille Bornes, a card game available from Amazon.com
• Rush Hour. Here's an online version.
• Set, a visual-perception card game, from www.setgame.com
• 'Smath, a Scrabble-like board game, available from Amazon.com
• Uno, a card game, available from Amazon.com
• Yahtzee,a great dice-and-counting game, available from Amazon.com

Curriculum "candy":

• Family Math, by Jean Kerr Stanmark, Virginia Thompson, Ruth Cossey, Marilyn Hill (Illustrator), for games to play with your kids
• Key To... series,especially for younger kids
• Hands-On Equations Henry Borenson
• Hands-On Algebra: Ready-To-Use Games & Activities for Grades 7-12, by Frances McBroom Thompson
• Calculus By and For Young People, (ages 7, yes 7 and up) Worksheets by Don Cohen (you don't need the text, just the workbook)
• Challenge Math, Primary Challenge Math, and Real World Algebra, by Edward Zaccaro, from www.challengemath.com
• The 10 Things All Future Mathematicians and Scientists Must Know (But are Rarely Taught), by Edward Zaccaro
• Mathematics: A Human Endeavor, by Harold Jacobs

Videos

• Donald in Mathmagic Land (video) - Pre-K - 2)

Websites:

• A+ Math has a game room, flashcards, and math find puzzles.
• ALEKS.com (connected to the U. of Cal.) has math courses for K-12 online for $18/mo. There is only one problem on the screen at a time, at the right level for that child. Kids enjoy the neat graphics that show progress. You can get a free trial for 2 or 4 hours over a 48 hour period.
• AIMS Education Foundation (800) 445-5985. - Math & social studies books and science curricula for K-9. Favorite titles include: Mathematicians Are People Too and Historical Connections in Mathematics.
• Algebra.help, a collection of lessons, calculators, and worksheets created to assist students and teachers of algebra.
• Open Learning Initiative, freely available online courses and course materials that enact instruction for an entire course in an online format from Carnegie Mellon University.
• Bridge Builder, an interactive project from PBS.
• Columbia University Science Honors Program offers free science courses for tenth, eleventh and twelfth graders, Saturday mornings throughout the school year, in this highly selective program taught by research scientists at Columbia University.
• edHelper.com has tons of worksheets even for non-subscribers, mostly K-8 but some high school.
• EducationWorld.com includes lessons on time and money.
• EPGY (Education Program for Gifted Youth) Math Dept. an on-line program for gifted students of all ages, from Stamford University.
• ETA / Cuisenaire (888) 733-2467, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. PST. - Manipulatives, games, and math and science kits for K-12.
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• For the history of money and some fun facts, go to The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco)
• FigureThis.org has math challenges for families, good estimating, and real-life problems.
• FunBrain.com has K-8 lessons and math games.
• The Geometry Junkyard has origami, mathematical paperfolding
• Homeschool 2.0. A homeschooling Dad (called the Geek Dad) in Montreal created this website aimed at science and technology-oriented homeschoolers. Lots of fun here for all ages.
• Homeschool Math. Free worksheets, teaching tips, tutorials.
• Hop's Escher Tesselation Tiles - math in art.
• Illuminations, from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and Marco Polo.
• KidsBank - a place for kids (ages 5-12) to learn about banking, interest, etc.
• Kidspace - math and science resources.
• Kids' Zone, from the National Center for Education Statistics, provides information to help you learn about schools; decide on a college; find a public library; engage in several games, quizzes and skill building about math, probability, graphing, and mathematicians; and to learn many interesting facts about education.
• Living Math. One parent's review: Outstanding math site from homeschool mom and former CPA Julie Brennan. Articles, resources, book lists, and a helpful mailing list. Says Julie: "I want to build a bridge. I'd like to close the gap between math and history, science, literature and humanity created by the isolated way we approach math education."
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• Math and Science Core Curriculum from the NYS Education Department.
• Math Cats - fun math for kids.
• Math Confidence - the website of Robin, our favorite math tutor.
• Mathforum.org is mostly high school math but has lots of student submissions and the ability to send in questions, and a "Problem of the Week" every week.
• Mathgoodies.com has homework help for middle schoolers and lots of great links.
• Math-Kitecture, using Architecture to do Math (and vice versa).
• Math Playground. From word problems to printable math worksheets, challenging games that reinforce critical math skills.
• PBS.org has everything from Fermat to Fibonacci:
  • The Pythagorean Puzzle
  • A Fibonacci lesson plan
  See also their Math Resources for teachers.
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• Quiz Tree - free online math quizzes.
• Regents Examination: Math (past examinations and the answers)
  • Preparation for NYS Regents Examinations: Math A, Math B
• Rick's Math Web. Free graph paper, worksheets and math links.
• SingaporeMath.com - Math and science curricula for all grades. The math is considered advanced compared to American math curricula.
• Thinkwell.com offers multimedia video lectures on a variety of math topics. One parent comments: "My non-mathy 14 year olds are finding Thinkwell is actually pretty fun. We all laugh at Professor Ed Burger's jokes. This has been the most painless form of math we have tried so far."
• Kay Toliver, award-winning NYC math teacher - video lessons available.
• Zona Land, education in math and physics.

Resources for Adults and Educators

• Mathematics Illuminated, a free, on-line, thirteen-part series for adult learners and high school teachers.

Economics Resources

See also What's Free or Cheap in NYC - Science and Math (including Economics)

Economics is not just money. It's businesses and how they work. It's lemonade stands and how many dollars they take in. It's toy collecting and baseball card collections. It's taxes and allowances. It's stocks and bonds. Economics is part of almost everything you could ever think about.

• EconEdLink from the National Council on Economic Education.
• Economics
• Economics for Kids
• Economics for Kids
• Economics for Tomorrow (later elementary and middle school )
• Open Learning Initiative, freely available online courses and course materials that enact instruction for an entire course in an online format from Carnegie Mellon University.
• Quiz Tree - free online economics quizzes.
• U.S. Treasury's Learning Vault. Duties, functions, and more.
• Welcome to Economics (undergrad level)