Math Fun for Boys (and Girls)

I once read that boy's brains work in a different way than girls. I no longer have the article to refer to, of course, but I do remember one point in particle that basically said, while girls have a fairly consistent flow of blood to the brain whether active or resting, a boy's blood flow to the brain lessens while sitting still but, increases when they are active.

The point of the article seemed to be, boys are going to remember more and be thinking more clearly while being physically active. It suggested things like, getting a boy who had trouble communicating verbally, talking, while working with blocks or playing catch.

Now, whether or not physical activity actually does affect a boys ability to learn, any parent or teacher of boys has certainly witnessed the almost endless supply of active energy they posses. And, I have certainly noticed the benefits of giving, not just the boy, but all my kids plenty of active, hopefully outdoor, time.

Recently, while being begged to play catch for the millionth time (really) I was reminded of a game my dad used to play with us that combines my boys love of catch and my hope that he'll retain some basic math facts. It's called 500 and the rules are simple.

One person stands on the deck with a ball, we like to use a football, their job is to assign a value to each toss and yell it out as they throw the ball. The rest of the players stand below in a bunch and try to be the one to catch the ball. Whoever catches is awarded the points and adds (or subtracts) them to their total. First to 500 wins!

From what I've seen, every family has their own variations and there are endless possibilities, multiples, subtractions, surprises where the value of the toss isn't known until it's caught. My son loves this game and asks to play almost every day and even when there are a million things to do that feel more important than standing outside playing catch, I can tell myself it's all part of his education and I'm able to relax and have some fun.