Draw Plus Math
Enhance Math Learning Through Art Activities
Combining two seemingly different activities, Draw Plus Math allows children to explore math concepts through drawing simple illustrations. Children only need to know six basic shapes—square, circle, triangle, rectangle, oval, and trapezoid—to start the enjoyment. This book comprises twenty lessons, all based on the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, which are adopted by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
The book begins with an exercise in counting and drawing different styles of fish, and grows progressively more difficult. Other lessons include drawing a birthday cake with candles to determine odd and even numbers; drawing groups of cats to determine the concepts of more and less; drawing and sorting bugs by color, shape, and pattern; and drawing a tree full of different birds to gather and graph data. The final lesson is a drawing game that incorporates numerous concepts introduced throughout the earlier lessons.
An illustrator of early readers, workbooks, greeting cards, and game boards, Freddie Levin has also illustrated the picture books ABC Math Riddles and ABC Art Riddles. In Draw Plus Math, she uses a clear, step-by-step approach, which she successfully developed in her previous 1-2-3 Draw books, such as 1-2-3 Draw Princesses, 1-2-3 Draw Ocean Life, 1-2-3 Draw Pets and Farm Animals, and 1-2-3 Draw Knights, Castles, and Dragons.
Although some children may need adult assistance, Levin’s child-friendly illustrations in crayon, colored pencil, and digital media are easy to replicate. While the goal of Draw Plus Math is to instill a better awareness and appreciation for math in the everyday environment, its lessons also involve shape recognition, symmetry, and design details, preparing children to be better artists, too. Both educators and parents will find this activity book useful in the classroom, as an at-home supplement, or simply to beat rainy-day boredom. Whatever its use, children will quickly look beyond these lessons as instructional and simply see them as fun. For ages 4-8.
Reviewed by
Angela Leeper
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
