An evening of “Family Math Fun” at Hope College on Monday, Oct. 7, will feature games designed to show that mathematics doesn’t need to be scary or a chore. In fact, as the name makes clear, it can be fun — for all ages.
The event, which will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Great Room of the Jim and Martie Bultman Student Center, is geared especially toward students in grades K-8 but its activities can also be enjoyed by older participants — with the children’s caregivers and older siblings encouraged to join in.
“By providing a welcoming environment for families throughout the city to come together to engage in fun mathematical explorations, we hope to change the narrative on what it means to do mathematics,” said Dr. Gina Kling, assistant professor of mathematics who is coordinating the event with Dr. Dyana Harrelson and Professor Katharine Vance, both assistant professors of mathematics instruction. “The goal of these games is to encourage play, build mathematical confidence. They are designed to be ‘low floor, high ceiling’ so that everyone can engage in them.”
The public is invited and admission is free, although those planning to attend are asked to pre-register at https://bit.ly/FamilyMathFunOct24 so that the organizers know how many to anticipate. As a bonus, the first 150 children who are registered will be given a “swag bag” containing games that they may take home.
The Oct. 7 event is the second of two “Family Math Fun” evenings being presented this year. Nearly 100 area students attended the first session, held on Tuesday, Aug. 13.
Vance noted that the students attending the August 13 event were having so much fun doing the activities that many did not want to leave and proclaimed that they “want to go to this school.” As the children were adjusting their strategies as they played the games, the volunteers made sure to tell them that they were actually doing math — being mathematicians.”
Many of the games have been developed by the nonprofit Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival, which provides free do-it-yourself instructions. Harrelson had a chance to see them in action — and to see how much they were enjoyed — during a national conference in January of this year.
“The math festival booth was next to my booth at the last Joint Mathematics Meetings, and I saw everyone from young children to college students playing different levels of the same puzzle,” she said.
Additional activities for the youngest mathematicians, using items such as playing cards, dice and teddy bear tokens, have been developed by Kling, who is a specialist in elementary mathematics.
The Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Hope is hosting the event in cooperation with the college’s ExploreHope Program, which organizes the college’s summer science camps as well as other activities on campus for K-12 students. Support for “Family Math Fun” is also being provided by the Mathematical Association of America and the John and Mary Neff Foundation.
To inquire about accessibility or if you need accommodations to fully participate in the event, please email accommodations@hope.edu. Updates related to events are posted when available at hope.edu/calendar in the individual listings.
The Jim and Martie Bultman Student Center is located at 115 E. 12th St., at the center of the Hope campus between College and Columbia avenues along the former 12th Street.