Griffin

Cookies under constraints

Cookies under constraints

A propos of nothing one day, I ask Griffin (9 years old at the time, finishing up fourth grade) a question. Me: Griff, imagine you are baking cookies and you need $latex \frac{3}{4}$ cup of sugar, but you only have a $latex \frac{1}{2}$ cup measure. How would...

Griffin in front of huge walleye statue
Nights of Camping

Nights of Camping

The following conversation took place in the run-up to our annual summer camping trip recently. Rachel has no interest in camping, so this ritual is all mine. I started the little ones young with a one-night trip within an hour from home so that we could come home...

8 + 4 = x + 5
The equal sign

The equal sign

It has been a long, busy semester for me in my community college work. Many interesting and productive projects, lots of interesting and challenging teaching problems. But I am tired. Wiped out and exhausted. So I devised a plan the other evening when Tabitha...

Legos

Legos

The dirty little secret about Legos is how very many pieces there are to be cleaned up after building. And how very ugly the clean-up battle can become. I try to keep calm. I try to turn the clean-up battle into math talk from time to time. Here is how it played...

Midnight on clock face
Bedtime

Bedtime

In the thick of the holiday season last month, Griffin (9) turned his attention to the mythical midnight on New Year's Eve. Griffin (9 years old): Can we stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve? It is a nice touch that he includes his sister in this request. They...