Hundreds participate in Voorheesville Elementary's first Math Night

(March 24, 2010)-Voorheesville Elementary School was filled with activity and problem solving on the evening of March 16. Hundreds of students and their families participated in the school's first Math Night event.

"Rebecca Zionts, one of our kindergarten teachers and organizer of Math Night, saw an opportunity to bring together students and families to engage in math activities," said Principal Tom Reardon. "The evening was another example of how Voorheesville Elementary staff is constantly looking for means of delivering curriculum in student-centered, hands-on approaches."

According to Ms. Zionts, teachers are always being asked, "What can I do at home with my child to help him/her learn?" Recognizing parents are busy and the last thing they want to at the end of the day is to do more math with their child, Zionts said Math Night was designed to show parents some fun games to play with their child and incorporate math skills.

"We used Skittles to sort into different colors, graph, add different color groups together and even subtract by eating a few of them," said Ms. Zionts. "We used cards and dice to play games that use hands-on materials that allow the child to physically see and work out the math."

Not only did the students have a great time with math, so did parents. According to one parent, "We had a super time and really enjoyed the fun games. It was wonderful that you had choices for many skill levels."