{"id":37184,"date":"2025-05-20T14:00:40","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T18:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/simplehomeschl.wpengine.com\/?p=37184"},"modified":"2026-02-16T11:05:01","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T16:05:01","slug":"out-of-the-box-math-inspiration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\/","title":{"rendered":"Out of the box math inspiration (Updated!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Out<\/a><\/p>\n

Out of the Box Math Inspiration ~
\nWritten and updated by Jamie C. Martin<\/strong><\/a> of Simple Homeschool<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

I’m currently updating a series I published several years ago about math, explaining how our family decided to approach the subject in a non-traditional way.<\/p>\n

Now you’ll get to hear my perspective looking back as a veteran homeschool mom to see if it matches what my young, naive homeschool self thought! \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

If you missed the first update in this series, I’d recommend reading it here<\/a><\/strong> before continuing this one!
\n\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Let me continue by serving up more math inspiration for you to consider.<\/p>\n

Several “out of the box” math inspiration examples follow, which I hope will help you develop your own thoughts and discern what may be best given your family’s current <\/strong>situation.<\/b><\/p>\n

Many of these examples fueled my personal decision on when and how to teach math in our homeschool.<\/p>\n

Out of the Box Math Inspiration<\/h2>\n

1. Just Do the Math by David Albert<\/h3>\n

David Albert shares the story of 9-12 year-olds who learned all K-6 math<\/a> in just 20 hours of study. He also shares his belief that an average teen who is actually motivated to learn math, and wasn’t held back by math anxiety, could learn all the K-12 math that he hasn’t naturally picked up in life in approximately eight weeks of study.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0“So, do the math. If you figure the actual math time at 30 hours a year for 8 years (accounting for the wasted time in the early years), it totals 240 hours. Lo and behold – if, at age 15 or so, you wanted to learn all the math K-12, weren’t inhibited by math anxiety, and were willing to spend 30 hours a week at it, it would take you…8 weeks!”<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

2. A Mathematician’s Lament by Paul Lockhart<\/h3>\n

\"ScreenIn his book, research mathematician Paul Lockhart<\/a> (afflinks) makes the case that math is an art form, and that the way we currently study it prevents kids from falling in love with and seeing it through the lens of imagination that other arts inspire.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

“If I had to design a mechanism for the express purpose of destroying a child’s natural curiosity and love of pattern-making, I couldn’t possibly do as good a job as is currently being done – I simply wouldn’t have the imagination to come up with the kind of senseless, soul-crushing ideas that constitute contemporary mathematics education.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

“You want to train them to calculate 427 plus 389? It’s just not a question that many eight-year-olds are asking. For that matter, most adults don’t fully understand decimal place-value arithmetic, and you expect third graders to have a clear conception? Or do you not care if they understand it? It is simply too early for that kind of technical training. Of course it can be done, but I think it ultimately does more harm than good. Much better to wait until their own natural curiosity about numbers kicks in.”<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

3. Research on the Teaching of Math at Trivium Pursuit<\/h3>\n

This article shares (in thorough detail) how math has been taught historically through the ages<\/a> – a fascinating study! The author then suggests waiting until around age ten to begin formal math lessons.<\/em><\/p>\n

“So to wait until age ten to teach arithmetic is actually, from an historical perspective, to advocate an early start. It is only from a decidedly modern perspective that waiting until age ten would appear to be a late start.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

“Depending upon the child, upon the method, and upon the subject matter covered, there exists the potential for developmental harm from the formal teaching of arithmetic before age ten.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

“Small children cannot understand many arithmetic concepts at an early age. We can teach them to perform the process, but we cannot make them understand the concepts. The child learns to hate learning. The child\u2019s understanding develops along the wrong lines. He may actually develop mental blocks to arithmetic \u2013 actual physiological blocks in the brain.”<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But how can someone actually begin the formal teaching of math at age ten? Laurie Bluedorn suggested one possibility in a follow up to the above:<\/p>\n

“At age ten we start the child in formal math with a 6th grade math textbook.<\/strong> I give the child two math grids, and they are allowed to use them when doing their math lessons.<\/em><\/p>\n

At age eleven I take\u00a0away the addition\/subtraction grid.<\/strong> The child should have the addition\/subtraction facts memorized by then. If I think that he doesn\u2019t have them memorized then we would drill on them till he does have them memorized. At age twelve I take\u00a0away the multiplication\/division grid.”<\/em><\/p>\n

4. Louis P. Benezet’s Study…as told in Free-Range Learning<\/a><\/em><\/h3>\n

\"Screen<\/p>\n

In 1929 Louis P. Benezet, the Superintendent of Manchester, New Hampshire schools, tried an experiment within his system. He trialed having some of his classes wait until seventh grade to introduce formal math study. Before then he encouraged naturally occurring math learning, but had teachers make reading, writing, and reasoning the focus in the early years. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

“I feel that it is all nonsense to take eight years to get children through the ordinary arithmetic assignment of the elementary schools. What possible need has a ten-year-old child for knowledge of long division? The whole subject of arithmetic could be postponed until the seventh year of school, and it could be mastered in two years’ study by any typical child.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

“Due to pressure from some school principals, children were started on a math book in the second half of sixth grade. All sixth-grade children were tested. By spring of that year, all the classes tested equally. In other words, those children exposed to traditional math curricula for part of the sixth-grade year had mastered the same skills as those who had spent years on drills, times tables, and exams.”<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Out
Adorable Elijah (age 9) – now 20!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5. What I thought (and wrote) then – 10 years ago:<\/h3>\n

In some ways it’s difficult to explain exactly what we do in our family – because it is, has been, and no doubt will continue to be completely different for each child. There’s no formula, but we have followed the advice mentioned above about waiting to introduce formal math.<\/p>\n

This decision comes\u00a0from our deep belief in the importance of our young children having a full and thorough Core Phase<\/a><\/strong>, which does not include a focus on early academics.<\/p>\n

Two of my three children are now in the second phase of learning<\/a><\/strong>, Love of Learning, and recently math emphasis has crept into our lives more regularly. But it\u00a0is still highly\u00a0individualized and based on each child’s needs and strengths.<\/p>\n

I have one who is naturally gifted with numbers, who has played with them over the years and by doing so has picked up quite a lot. I have two children who learn very differently to the traditional classroom style and who appear to have their geniuses (at this stage) in other areas.<\/p>\n

Of course this doesn’t mean that math won’t be a part of their lives, but it means that I introduce concepts when I believe maturity and readiness are present so I can set them up for success.<\/p>\n

6. What I think now – 10 years later:<\/h3>\n

When I look back on teaching math, I marvel at how God in his wisdom directed our paths to what our children would need for their future.<\/strong> At the time I first wrote this, I didn’t have full clarity of my daughter Trishna’s and my son Elijah’s special-needs (both on the autism spectrum, with several other diagnoses).<\/p>\n

Yet this individualized approach ended up suiting all three of my kids and what mattered most for each of them.<\/p>\n

I would have experienced so much wasted time and frustration if I had tried to push structured math onto my special needs children earlier. It would have negatively affected their self-concepts, and my self-confidence as a teacher.<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of them reached about eighth grade level of math before graduating, and that fits perfectly with their needs. The other struggles greatly with math concepts, and is around first grade level, even after several years of diligent focus and lessons in their teens. This child is learning workarounds to help them function in this area for what they’ll need in life.<\/p>\n

My son Jonathan used Teaching Textbooks for math and finished through Algebra II, enough for him to get into the colleges of his choice. His job as a Lighting Director and Designer uses a lot of math and it’s been interesting to see how proficient he’s become in that on-the-job setting.<\/p>\n

\"Out<\/p>\n

So see? It all worked out!<\/p>\n

I do want to honestly mention that at times it was challenging for our younger kids in certain social situations when math tasks came up that they had not mastered yet. This could be mitigated by mastering addition\/subtraction earlier but waiting for the rest.<\/p>\n

I also want to say that it is possible to teach math as a structured homeschool subject if that’s best for your family’s needs. This out of the box math inspiration and approach is not the only “right” option!<\/p>\n

If you approach it with flexibility and the understanding that there is more than one way, you can make regular curricula work for you as opposed to you working for it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keep in mind the long-term perspective: Not every child needs to love math, but it would be nice if so many didn’t hate it!<\/p>\n

So if you decide to get out of the box when it comes to math, what can you do in the early years to prepare and play with numbers instead? I’m glad you asked!<\/p>\n

Come back soon for the next update in this series. I’ll have\u00a0a list of specific resources so you can create your own math playground.<\/p>\n

\"Out<\/p>\n

“Mathematics should be taught as art for art’s sake. These mundane “useful” aspects would follow naturally as a trivial by product. Beethoven could easily write an advertising jingle, but his motivation for learning music was to create something beautiful.” ~ Paul Lockhart<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Out of the Box Math Inspiration ~ Written and updated by Jamie C. Martin of Simple Homeschool I’m currently updating a series I published several years ago about math, explaining how our family decided to approach the subject in a non-traditional way. Now you’ll get to hear my perspective looking back as a veteran homeschool…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":65734,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[331,343,28,329,359,333,350],"tags":[325,308,61,10,305],"class_list":["post-37184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-curriculum-resources","category-homeschool-sos-inspiration","category-inspiration","category-learning-curriculum","category-math","category-subject-guides","category-then-and-now","tag-different-way-to-look-at-math","tag-jamie","tag-math","tag-mathematics","tag-then-and-now"],"yoast_head":"\nOut of the box math inspiration (Updated!) - Simple Homeschool<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Several "out of the box" math inspiration examples follow, which I hope will help you develop your own unique thoughts on this topic.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Out of the box math inspiration (Updated!) - Simple Homeschool\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Several "out of the box" math inspiration examples follow, which I hope will help you develop your own unique thoughts on this topic.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Simple Homeschool\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/simplehomeschool\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-20T18:00:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-16T16:05:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/IMG_1320.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"450\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jamie C. Martin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jamie C. Martin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jamie C. Martin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/91ac28a0278381b4d5b3389898313709\"},\"headline\":\"Out of the box math inspiration (Updated!)\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-20T18:00:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-16T16:05:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1735,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/03\\\/IMG_1320.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"different way to look at math\",\"jamie\",\"math\",\"mathematics\",\"then and now\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Curriculum & Resources\",\"Homeschool SOS & Inspiration\",\"Inspiration\",\"Learning & Curriculum\",\"Math\",\"Subject Guides\",\"Then and Now\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\\\/\",\"name\":\"Out of the box math inspiration (Updated!) - Simple Homeschool\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/03\\\/IMG_1320.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-20T18:00:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-16T16:05:01+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/91ac28a0278381b4d5b3389898313709\"},\"description\":\"Several \\\"out of the box\\\" math inspiration examples follow, which I hope will help you develop your own unique thoughts on this topic.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/03\\\/IMG_1320.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2015\\\/03\\\/IMG_1320.jpg\",\"width\":600,\"height\":450},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Out of the box math inspiration (Updated!)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/\",\"name\":\"Simple Homeschool\",\"description\":\"Never let your schooling interrupt your education.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/91ac28a0278381b4d5b3389898313709\",\"name\":\"Jamie C. Martin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9c8634bc1d0e35ebbc46f81a46fa5458cb9a8146eff7df059123693dd442687c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9c8634bc1d0e35ebbc46f81a46fa5458cb9a8146eff7df059123693dd442687c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9c8634bc1d0e35ebbc46f81a46fa5458cb9a8146eff7df059123693dd442687c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jamie C. Martin\"},\"description\":\"Jamie is an introverted mom of three, who loves books, tea, and people (not always in that order), and avoids answering the phone when possible. She co-founded SimpleHomeschool.net in 2010 and began IntrovertedMoms.com in 2020. Jamie is the author of four books, including Give Your Child the World (reached #9 on Amazon's Top 100 Best Sellers list), and her latest release, Introverted Mom (an ECPA bestseller). Her work has been featured by LeVar Burton of Reading Rainbow, the Washington Post, Parents, Today Parenting, and Psychology Today.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/tag\\\/jamie\\\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/simplehomeschool.net\\\/author\\\/jamie\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Out of the box math inspiration (Updated!) - Simple Homeschool","description":"Several \"out of the box\" math inspiration examples follow, which I hope will help you develop your own unique thoughts on this topic.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Out of the box math inspiration (Updated!) - Simple Homeschool","og_description":"Several \"out of the box\" math inspiration examples follow, which I hope will help you develop your own unique thoughts on this topic.","og_url":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\/","og_site_name":"Simple Homeschool","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/simplehomeschool","article_published_time":"2025-05-20T18:00:40+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-16T16:05:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":450,"url":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/IMG_1320.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jamie C. Martin","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jamie C. Martin","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\/"},"author":{"name":"Jamie C. Martin","@id":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/#\/schema\/person\/91ac28a0278381b4d5b3389898313709"},"headline":"Out of the box math inspiration (Updated!)","datePublished":"2025-05-20T18:00:40+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-16T16:05:01+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\/"},"wordCount":1735,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/IMG_1320.jpg","keywords":["different way to look at math","jamie","math","mathematics","then and now"],"articleSection":["Curriculum & Resources","Homeschool SOS & Inspiration","Inspiration","Learning & Curriculum","Math","Subject Guides","Then and Now"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\/","url":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\/","name":"Out of the box math inspiration (Updated!) - Simple Homeschool","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/IMG_1320.jpg","datePublished":"2025-05-20T18:00:40+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-16T16:05:01+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/#\/schema\/person\/91ac28a0278381b4d5b3389898313709"},"description":"Several \"out of the box\" math inspiration examples follow, which I hope will help you develop your own unique thoughts on this topic.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/IMG_1320.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/IMG_1320.jpg","width":600,"height":450},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/out-of-the-box-math-inspiration\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Out of the box math inspiration (Updated!)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/#website","url":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/","name":"Simple Homeschool","description":"Never let your schooling interrupt your education.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/#\/schema\/person\/91ac28a0278381b4d5b3389898313709","name":"Jamie C. Martin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9c8634bc1d0e35ebbc46f81a46fa5458cb9a8146eff7df059123693dd442687c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9c8634bc1d0e35ebbc46f81a46fa5458cb9a8146eff7df059123693dd442687c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9c8634bc1d0e35ebbc46f81a46fa5458cb9a8146eff7df059123693dd442687c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jamie C. Martin"},"description":"Jamie is an introverted mom of three, who loves books, tea, and people (not always in that order), and avoids answering the phone when possible. She co-founded SimpleHomeschool.net in 2010 and began IntrovertedMoms.com in 2020. Jamie is the author of four books, including Give Your Child the World (reached #9 on Amazon's Top 100 Best Sellers list), and her latest release, Introverted Mom (an ECPA bestseller). Her work has been featured by LeVar Burton of Reading Rainbow, the Washington Post, Parents, Today Parenting, and Psychology Today.","sameAs":["https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/tag\/jamie\/"],"url":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/author\/jamie\/"}]}},"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":331,"label":"Curriculum & Resources"},{"value":343,"label":"Homeschool SOS & Inspiration"},{"value":28,"label":"Inspiration"},{"value":329,"label":"Learning & Curriculum"},{"value":359,"label":"Math"},{"value":333,"label":"Subject Guides"},{"value":350,"label":"Then and Now"}],"post_tag":[{"value":325,"label":"different way to look at math"},{"value":308,"label":"jamie"},{"value":61,"label":"math"},{"value":10,"label":"mathematics"},{"value":305,"label":"then and now"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/IMG_1320.jpg",600,450,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Jamie C. Martin","author_link":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/author\/jamie\/"},"comment_info":41,"category_info":[{"term_id":331,"name":"Curriculum & Resources","slug":"curriculum-resources","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":331,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":329,"count":140,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":331,"category_count":140,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Curriculum & Resources","category_nicename":"curriculum-resources","category_parent":329},{"term_id":343,"name":"Homeschool SOS & Inspiration","slug":"homeschool-sos-inspiration","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":343,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":262,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":343,"category_count":262,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Homeschool SOS & Inspiration","category_nicename":"homeschool-sos-inspiration","category_parent":0},{"term_id":28,"name":"Inspiration","slug":"inspiration","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":33,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":343,"count":212,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":28,"category_count":212,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Inspiration","category_nicename":"inspiration","category_parent":343},{"term_id":329,"name":"Learning & Curriculum","slug":"learning-curriculum","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":329,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":280,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":329,"category_count":280,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Learning & Curriculum","category_nicename":"learning-curriculum","category_parent":0},{"term_id":359,"name":"Math","slug":"math","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":359,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":333,"count":9,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":359,"category_count":9,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Math","category_nicename":"math","category_parent":333},{"term_id":333,"name":"Subject Guides","slug":"subject-guides","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":333,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":329,"count":55,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":333,"category_count":55,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Subject Guides","category_nicename":"subject-guides","category_parent":329},{"term_id":350,"name":"Then and Now","slug":"then-and-now","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":350,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":28,"count":23,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":350,"category_count":23,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Then and Now","category_nicename":"then-and-now","category_parent":28}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":325,"name":"different way to look at math","slug":"different-way-to-look-at-math","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":325,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":308,"name":"jamie","slug":"jamie","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":308,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":307,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":61,"name":"math","slug":"math","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":66,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":7,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":10,"name":"mathematics","slug":"mathematics","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":10,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":6,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":305,"name":"then and now","slug":"then-and-now","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":305,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":13,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37184\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}