Grades 4-9
21 activities—144 pages

Nurture a positive attitude toward math while improving your students’ problem-solving skills. Problem Solving: Just for the Fun of It! will give students problems beyond the usual math exercises and will challenge them to think in different ways.

Students will gain confidence and build their thinking skills as they explore the possibilities in each activity. For example, in “The Fascinating Triangle,” students arrange the numbers one through six in a triangular array so that the sum of the numbers on every side is the same. Watch as students initially approach the problem cautiously, but soon gain confidence as they unlock multiple possibilities and patterns.

The activities are designed to foster positive feelings about mathematics by providing a wide selection of motivating problem-solving investigations. Topics include math patterns, paradoxes, palindromes, and mathematical microworlds.

A major goal of Problem Solving: Just for the Fun of It! is to introduce students to the wonderful world of recreational mathematics. This long-standing tradition is absent from many modern classrooms where mathematics is viewed as necessary and utilitarian, but certainly not recreational. With the proper care and nurturing, a positive, “just for the fun of it” attitude can be kindled in students using the investigations in this book.