Math + Art = Fun: New book uses modern art to explain math using fun projects

April 4, 2011 - PRLog -- Cross-Curricular Exploration
Using Modern Art to Teach Math Concepts

HOUSTON, TX — Whoever said math was “too hard,” “boring” or “useless” clearly never encountered this equation. Math + Art = Fun (Bright Sky Press, April 2011) uses the work of renowned modern artists such as Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and Georgia O’Keefe as a jumping-off point for artistic activities children can master. With step-by-step instructions to aid parents and children in visualizing and understanding how math concepts come together to create famous works of art, children receive a foundation of integral math concepts and an introduction to modern art in the form of an entertaining art project.
As the children create each masterpiece, they simultaneously hone their estimation, counting, measurement and number sense skills; noticing, creating and describing shapes and patterns and experimenting with symmetry and probability. Additionally, children will learn about numerous modern artists, their techniques and how math permeates their works of art and the world around us.
An annotated list of children’s literature and related websites are profiled at the end of each activity, providing additional sources of information about the artist and the mathematics featured in each activity. Math + Art = Fun also includes 25 full-color photographs of the art masterpieces, alongside reproductions of each masterpiece created by children.
For a parent looking for creative ways to bring art into a child’s world or a teacher looking for innovative, hands-on, literature-based methods of providing connections between mathematics and the world of the visual arts, the rich, integrated activities of Math + Art = Fun will provide hours of thought-provoking delight.

Robin A. Ward earned her doctorate in Mathematics. She worked as an Assistant Professor and California Polytechnic State University and at the University of Arizona before becoming Associate Director for Curriculum Integration at the Rice University School Mathematics Project. Widely published in mathematics and education journals, she presents workshops on integrating mathematics and the visual arts to educators, mathematicians, parents and children. She lives in Fort Worth, Texas.

Bright Sky Press is a Houston-based publishing house dedicated to creating a wide variety of books with the highest quality editorial, design and production values. The house was designed to maximize authors’ ability to express their messages, exemplify their visions and voices and convey them to the broadest market possible.

Title: Math Art Fun
Author: Robin A. Ward
Publisher: Bright Sky Press
ISBN: 978-1-933979-89-2
Price: $16.95
Format: Paperback / 6” x 9” / 176 pages / 25 full color illustrations
Education / Parenting

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Bright Sky Press publishes fine books for trade distribution and has created a recognizable footprint in the publishing world by combining the highest quality editorial, design and production values with integrity and personal service.