Mathletics at the DoSeum Is a Summer Workout for Math Skills

We have partnered with The DoSeum to bring relevant and important information to ACMB Readers through this sponsored post.

Mathletics at the DoSeum | Alamo City Moms Blog

Mathletics is the first summertime special exhibit at the DoSeum, San Antonio’s museum for children. The exhibit has fun, math-related activities for a range of ages, and encourages kids to go out into their world this summer to keep experimenting with math concepts. Be sure to bring your kids for a visit before the exhibit’s last day on September 5, 2016.

Sensing ratios in Mathletics at the DoSeum | Alamo City Moms Blog

Perhaps your kids have participated in summer reading programs before, but have they ever signed up for a summer math program? Well, now they can. It’s called the Mathletics Summer Challenge. You can get started at home by registering and downloading printable challenge logs for kids in grades K–2 or grades 3–5. Also, pre-printed challenge logs are available at the entrance of the exhibit.

Challenge logs for Mathletics at the DoSeum | Alamo City Moms Blog

The challenges are grouped into five categories: Speed, Ratio, Symmetry, Balance, and Scale. For each category, the log has four challenges. Some are out in the real world, like at your neighborhood H-E-B store. Some are in the Mathletics exhibit, also known as the Training Center. The hands-on exhibits in Mathletics include Partner Motion, Comparing Forms, Sensing Ratios, Comparing Frequencies, and Shadow Fractions. Participants explore math principles while getting their whole bodies moving.

Shadow ratios in Mathletics at the DoSeum | Alamo City Moms Blog

There’s also a nook with comfy chairs and toys for young children to play with while older siblings do the math challenges.

Cozy nook in Mathletics at the DoSeum | Alamo City Moms Blog

On the first day of the exhibit, we played with LEDs to make our own Olympic-style torches and got to march in a torch-lighting parade. H-E-Buddy attended the opening ceremonies.

Opening ceremonies of Mathletics at the DoSeum | Alamo City Moms Blog

My son, F.T., picked up a grade 3–5 challenge log, and my daughter, G.N., picked up the one for younger children.

Scaling shapes in Mathletics at the DoSeum | Alamo City Moms Blog

F.T. completed one of the challenges in the training center on our first visit. He went to the Scaling Shapes exhibit. First, he followed the directions at the exhibit: Choose a wooden block, like a 3D Tetris brick, and use wooden cubes to build a double-size copy. Next, he got out his challenge log and used the exhibit’s wooden blocks to complete a challenge. First, he took five wooden blocks and used them to build a shape. Then, he used another five blocks to build a mirror image of that shape. Finally, he drew the shapes in the challenge log.

Symmetry in the challenge log for Mathletics at the DoSeum | Alamo City Moms Blog

As your kids complete each category of challenges, they can go to the Mathletics visitor booth to collect medals. After completing all of the categories, enter to win a birthday party at the DoSeum and participate in the Summer DoLympics event on August 13.

Medals for Mathletics at the DoSeum | Alamo City Moms Blog

The power of the Mathletics challenge log, like summer reading programs, is that it builds good habits. The world around us is full of opportunities to observe and think about math, but we need to be in the habit of noticing it. For example, on a summer road trip, if you notice a car passing you on the highway, you could ask your kids to think about how much faster they were driving and start a discussion about speed and ratios.

Frequencies in Mathletics at the DoSeum | Alamo City Moms Blog

Are you planning your visit to Mathletics already? Keep in mind that DoSeum members get free admission every day. All visitors get free admission during H-E-B Free Family Night from 6:30–8:30 P.M. on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. This summer, H-E-B Free Family Nights will be on June 7, June 21, July 5, July 16, August 2, and August 16.

In addition to the permanent exhibits and this summer’s Mathletics exhibit, the DoSeum offers summer day camps. In the fall, the Little Doers early childhood education program will resume. My kids do chores to earn toys from the DoSeum store and look forward to eating at the DoSeum Café.

The DoSeum store | Alamo City Moms Blog

Gifts to support the DoSeum help make exhibits like Mathletics accessible to the whole community. A sponsorship from the H-E-B Tournament of Champions means that there is no surcharge for Mathletics—it’s included with your admission to the DoSeum. The YMCA of Greater San Antonio has a partnership with the DoSeum so that children enrolled in YMCA summer camps will be able to enjoy the Mathletics exhibit this summer. Many San Antonio students will be heading back to school this fall with a fresher grasp of math concepts thanks to the Mathletics exhibit at the DoSeum.

Inga Cotton
Inga is passionate about parent-driven education: helping parents be the best advocates for their children, finding the right schools (or homeschooling resources), and enjoying San Antonio's variety of arts and cultural events for families. She was born in California but has called Texas home since high school. She works part time as a lawyer and also blogs at San Antonio Charter Moms. Her eight-year-old son, F.T., and five-year-old daughter, G.N., attend a public charter school in the heart of the city. She married a techie and is a bit of a geek herself.