On a brisk March evening the gymnasium at Tri-City Adventist School in Pasco, Wash., was abuzz with eager elementary and middle school students and their families. The excitement was generated by the challenges and the fun of participating in a wide variety of math activities. With more than 35 interactive stations set up, the students were afforded ample opportunity to investigate a variety of math concepts.
Karen Birney, third- and fourth-grade teacher, coordinated the event with the home and school committee members. Many volunteers from the community and upper-grade students assisted in making the evening a great learning experience. Christian Lebold probably summed up the evening best when he said, βIt was really cool to be able to help the children see the fun in math.β While it is exciting to see the younger students developing such enthusiasm for mathematics, it is equally thrilling to see so many of upper-grade students patiently, and with interest, engaging the younger ones.