This booklet has been written for parents and teachers who want to guide young children (ages 5-10) through informal activities involving mathematical concepts. The author feels that primary sensory experiences which lead to questions of size, number, shape, pattern, and movement will strengthen and prepare children for formal learning in school.…

Worksheets designed to help students explore factoring integers are presented. (MP)

Discovering 3 by 3 magic squares, using numbers 1 through 9, is presented as a learning activity on three different levels. (MP)

After noting that accurate calculation is not the only reason for teaching arithmetic, innovative activities providing practice with basic facts, pattern spotting,'' and exploration are presented. (MS)

The activity described helps students develop facility in working with two-dimensional coordinate systems. Many students find the activity fascinating, so it can be used to motivate students to become involved in a number of explorations and to engender positive attitudes toward mathematics. (MP)

The use of a ruler with two parallel Straight edges as a tool in geometric constructions is presented, based on ideas that are fairly standard in high school geometry courses. The constructions are seen as potential challenges that provide opportunities for inventiveness by students. (MP)

Activities for calculating experimental and theoretical probabilities are presented. Worksheets designed for duplication for classroom use are provided. Suggestions are given for additional problems that could be generated from the original simulation, and answers to questions on the worksheets are included. The activities simulate parachute…

Geometric construction problems are recommended as sources of stimulating exercises for mathematics classes. (MP)

The mathematical nature of the product barcode that now appears on many supermarket goods is discussed. Particular attention is given to the nature and formula of a "check digit" used to verify that product numbers are correctly scanned. Several possible student activities related to this code and others are suggested. (MP)

These exercises are designed to expose students to the nature and effects of inflation and consumption rates. Pupils are expected to see how long it takes for costs to increase to certain levels, and how quickly various growth rates can deplete a finite resource. Worksheets suitable for duplication are provided. (MP)

A set of activities geared towards decoding messages by evaluating algebraic expressions and discovering coding rules by analyzing pairs of coded messages is presented. (MP)

Repeating decimals are used as a source for geometric patterns. Ways for generating patterns focus on dividing a circle into certain numbers of equal parts and interpreting the decimal expansions of certain fractions in terms of connecting sequences of points. Suggestions for possible expansions are given. (MP)

This document is a collection of reports presented at a programable calculator symposium held in Seattle, Washington, in April, 1980, as part of the annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). The session was designed to review whether the programable calculator has a place in the school mathematics program, in light…

This compilation is drawn from the IDEAS section that has been a feature of the "Arithmetic Teacher" since 1971. The contents are arranged in the following categories: Numeration, Computation, Geometry, Measurement, and Problem Solving. All selections are reprinted just as they originally appeared in the journal. On one side of each page is the…