The Googol Learning Newsletter
December 2007

Inspiration, Fun Activities and Ideas to Encourage Further Learning — for Parents, Teachers and Kids!

Christmas Math, Free Gifts, and Getting Organized!

Well, this has been the busiest fall ever as you can tell by the absence of my monthly newsletters! I've finally caught up and have added much more free content to the Googol Learning web site.

CONTENTS

• The Importance of Learning Your Times Tables
• Math Polls
• Christmas Math
• Green Christmas and Eco-Friendly Gifts
• Welcome to Rowena List, Organization and Balance Moderator
• Crazy 4 Math Winners!
• Gifts for New Subscribers and You
• Googol Learning Update: New Products and Fundraising, October Conferences, More Awards!
• Recent Newsletters
• Inspiration

The Importance of Learning Your Times Tables

We all know that learning multiplication is an essential part of our child's elementary education. Students who have mastered multiplication gain a solid foundation in mathematics that will help them throughout middle school, high school and beyond. This article provides answers to common questions that parents ask in my multiplication workshops:

1. Why does my child need to memorize the times tables?
2. Why can't they just use a calculator?
3. What is more important - understanding or memorization?
4. How can I help with both?

Here is a printable handout for parents in your class.

Math Polls

Have you taken our literacy/numeracy poll? Let us know if you'd like there to be Family Numeracy Day events in your community.

Have you taken our multiplication poll? Find out how children like best to practice their times tables!

Have you taken our math poll? Find out how children like best to practice their times tables!

Christmas Math

Everyone can sneak in some extra math this holiday season with some ideas and worksheets from our Christmas Math section.

Green Christmas and Eco-Friendly Gifts

Here are a few ideas shared by our subscribers to help make your holidays festive and environmentally friendly including a list of eco-friendly gifts.

Meaningful Math: Word Problems from the Rice Raiser Food Drive

My Meaningful Math Workshop shares ways to bridge in world issues with your math curriculum. These math problems came from information provided from the Rice Raiser 2008 campaign goals. The Rice Raiser is a youth mobilized Fundraiser and Food Drive available to schools in North America.

Welcome to Rowena List, Organization and Balance Moderator

I'm very excited to welcome our new moderator for Organization and Balance. In fact, you would not be reading this newsletter if it wasn't for Rowena! My last few months have been extremely busy and stressful as I took on a new project. Every so often I need to regroup and catch-up. Rowena helped me get back on track again and I know she can help you get focused to achieve your goals. Check out our new section with motivational articles and resources to reduce clutter, get focused, and regain control of your time.

Crazy 4 Math Winners!

Congratulations to the Winners of the 2007 Crazy 4 Math Contest. What great entries we had this year including Carbon Offsetting, Reptile Zoo Math, Stay Fit with Math!, and Biking and the Three Bears! Googols of thanks to all the sponsors for contributing prizes and promoting math.

Gifts for New Subscribers and You

I've set up a new gift pack for subscribers including music downloads, worksheets, lyrics, and e-books. As a current subscriber you will receive an additional email this month with a download to the free gifts. Thank you for all of you support and ideas over the past year! Please tell your friends to subscribe; these gifts are great tools to build a love for learning in your home or class. Special thanks to all the contributors of these gifts. Let us know if you have a gift you would like to contribute.

Googol Learning Update

• Crazy 4 Math has received more awards!
• Our Discovery Multiplication Kits are now in after selling out in the fall. We've also added a great new Crazy 4 Math Kit - perfect for your child or math club.
• Check out what we've been up to all fall in our Blog - Artistic Math, Math Mania and Science World.
• Other new products added to the store include two Math Game Books and a new Classical Music Math Series to compliment your Googol Power Math Series albums.
• We've expanded our Fundraising Line and have added a new Direct To You service to make your fundraising efforts as easy as pi.

Looking for Sales Reps, Moderators, and Articles

We are always looking for great sales representatives in Canada and the US. Contact us if you are interested in sharing math and family learning in your community. We are currently looking for moderators for Parenting, Literacy, and Health. We'd love to publish articles and stories that share your family's learning experience.

Recent Newsletters

Still wanting to read more? Check out our recent newsletters.

Inspiration

Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.—Thomas Merton

Mathematically yours,

Susan, the family and the Googols (Echo, Bungie, Screech, Flip, Flop, Crash and Cardio)