Great Estimations

A couple weeks back we held the annual book fair at two of the elementary schools I work at. One of the ways the book fair organizers hyped the kids into a froth was through a little game called "guess how many marshmallows are in the the jar". The student who guessed the number closest to the actual number of marshmallows won the whole jar of `em. I'm guessing most of you have taken part in something similar in your day. The problem? Half of the guesses were for one hundred, the other were for one million. For kids, it seems, there is not a whole lot in between. In Great Estimations, the author breaks down how to make a killing at "guess how many marshmallows are in the jar". How I wish this book had been around in my younger days - the hot chocolate would be flowing like water, with plenty of those little puffs of sugar spilling out of the top. The book uses a variety of objects, from people to pennies all in the name of teaching the reader how to make an accurate estimate.
While I don't foresee many repeat readings, there is a lot to like in Great Estimations.

Inspired my kids to estimate all over the place, and the full-color photos have major kid-appeal (including plastic bugs and tiny doll shoes). My three-year-old calls it the Jelly Bean Book.

A must for the math section of any kid's bookcase or any teacher's classroom.

This book uses mathematical facts and excellent pictures to help children and adults alike understand and practice estimation skills.

My six-year-old son loves it--the pictures are great. I must say, I learned something about estimating, too. Good fun for the whole family.

I bought this book for my five-year-old, and my seven-year-old can't put it down. They both want it for their bedtime book, which is fine by me. This book is fun, engaging and smart. The author does a great job making numbers, even the really big ones, less scary and easier to conceptualize. The photographs are creatively done and compelling to look at. This book belongs in every elementary school and any home with young chidren. I estimate that I'll read this book to my children hundreds of times - this week!