One of the great parent truths: The more forbidden an activity, the more kids want to do it. So what better way to learn math than as a swashbuckling pirate? In Pirate Treasure Hunt the kids plotted coordinate points on a grid, then connected the dots to make a map showing a seafaring ship and an island with treasure. They didn’t even realize Captain Hook was secretly teaching them about x- and y-axes and the coordinate plane. Arrrrggghhh!
Better yet, the kids then drew random coordinate pairs from a small golden sack to find out where on the map they landed. If a pirate landed on the island, all the other pirates got to dive into the bag to see if they could get a share of treasure.
Maps are a part of daily life, and it’s critical to know how to read one. You never know when your cellphone battery will die or your Garmin will go kaput. Besides, some old-school maps are on paper only!
To train your kids’ skills, have them pick a spot where they’d like to go, and let them be your co-pilot! (Do this when you don’t have a hard deadline for arrival.)
- If you’re going to walk, print a map of your neighborhood, then hand it to them and let them steer your journey. See if they can get you there!
- If you’re going to drive, pull up the map on a phone they can hold or on the car GPS if available. Zoom out to show your starting point and destination, then let them tell you “left” and “right” as you drive.
Kids draw a huge boost of confidence from exercises like this when they succeed!
