During coronavirus home-schooling, your kitchen can be a classroom

For parents trying to help their kids with homework in this new era of online learning, solving math problems may be among your more worrisome tasks. There are, perhaps, two equations that many parents can agree on: Home does not equal school, and parents does not equal teachers.

It all feels like too much — the amount of work assigned, the numerous online platforms we need to know how to manage, the merry-gorounding of room-switching when different members of the family need to be on a call at the same time.

To top it off, elementary school math looks nothing like what we did years ago.

But there is, in fact, a great deal that parents can do to support teachers and their young children beyond current assignments. Here are some ideas, from my kitchen to yours.

Look for the math concepts, together. Concepts are the “stuff ” math is made of, and there are lots of them in your kitchen.

Invite your kids to find numbers by pulling out your measuring cups, scoops and spoons. Read family or newfound recipes, and have them match any numbers they find with the stove top burner temperatures or blender speeds. Notice the buttons on your microwave. Look at oven clocks and timers.

Have them think about how the space in your kitchen is used. Identify which containers are used for which items, and note their sizes. Rearrange your fridge, cupboards and pantry to fit newly bought food. Move pots and pans around when putting them back on their shelves so they fit again.

Ask them to find shapes and describe them, to match the tops to those leftover containers, or to decide if they want triangle- or rectangleshaped sandwiches. Slice food into small, large, long, circle and cube pieces.

Let your kids play with the math concepts. Entertain the idea of your children being your sous chef, or even let them lead the way.

Have them set the timer, read that recipe, measure out those ingredients, put those groceries away, chop those veggies and set the table. Have them taste the dish to see if it needs a little more of this or that. Have them load the dishwasher and empty it.

Most importantly, have your kids think mathematically. While we often focus on “what” math students need to learn, supporting the thinking part of math always will have a greater impact on their long-term success.

Recognize that math is one way to see the world and make sense of it. If you’ve ever tried to figure something out using numbers, inside or outside your kitchen, you’ve thought mathematically.

So, rather than you doing all the mathematical thinking in your kitchen, have your kids figure things out and think for themselves.

Here are some questions they can ask themselves:

How many forks do I need to count so everyone in my family has one? When do I need to start this side dish so it’s ready at the same time as the main one? Where is the left side of the place setting? How much do I need if I’m halving this recipe? What time will it be when the food will be cooked halfway and needs to be flipped? Is the temperature for the second thing I want to bake higher or lower than the first one?

I could identify the grade-level content of all the math concepts I’ve shared, but I won’t. You could look these up in curriculum standards, but don’t. All our plates are full, pun intended.

Instead, foster the joy, maintain the sanity, and strengthen our muchneeded social connections in your kitchen. Rest assured that you can nurture your kids’ mathematical thinking. Not only will they continue the learning that teachers focus on in their classrooms, but involving them in family cooking traditions can last a lifetime.

Tutita M. Casa is an associate professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education, with expertise in mathematics and elementary education.