Math 24: Having fun and building math skills at the same time

The game Math 24 attracts a lot of students every Wednesday during lunch to the auditorium at El Camino Creek Elementary School in Carlsbad. The promise of candy helps just a bit, but it’s the game, most definitely the game, that’s the big draw.

Math 24 for the uninitiated is a card game that challenges players to work out math equations quickly. Each card has four numbers that players must use once to complete a math problem that equals 24. They can add, subtract, multiply or divide.

Here’s one solution for a card with the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4: 4 x 3 = 12, 12 x 2 = 24, 24 ÷ 1 = 24

Lindsay Fessinger (left), Allison Ma and Emma Heising enjoy Math 24 during lunch.

Fourth-grader Lindsay Fessinger was playing Math 24 with her friends, Emma Heising and Allison Ma, their lunches, soup, sandwiches, normal fare at an elementary school, spread around them on the auditorium floor.

“It’s fun because you’re with your friends,” Lindsay said. “It’s educational, but we’re still socializing.”

Students at El Camino Creek, which is in the Encinitas Union School District, are introduced to the game in their classes during the second grade. Lunch sessions are open to children in the third through sixth grades. Third and fourth graders play at the same time, and fifth and sixth graders play together. There are several versions of Math 24 sure to challenge even the best math students.

Fourth-graders Varkey Alumootil, Philip Urbina and Jerod Sun were playing a version where players need to identify a variable in order to solve a problem.

“It’s like algebra,” said Varkey. “You are trying to find X.”

Varkey, some of the other players said, is the go-to guy if you have trouble solving a problem. Varkey said he loves matching his math abilities against others. “It’s a competitive thing that my dad encourages me to do. He tells me this is a competitive world so you need to be better than average.” (There’s a smart dad.)

Varkey Alumootil (left), Philip Urbina and Jerod Sun play Math 24 at El Camino Creek Elementary.

Allison’s mom, Kelly Ma, volunteers to coordinate the game every Wednesday. Here’s how much the kids love the game: There are never any disciplinary problems and the kids clean up after themselves before they go. Ma handles the sessions on her own; no other volunteers are needed even though the game can attract up to 100 students.

“I’m thrilled that these kids are giving up their lunch for a math game,” Kelly said.

Kelly said some parents have asked why kids aren’t assigned to play with kids with similar math abilities. She said she wants kids to have fun and that’s more likely to happen when they can pick their own partners.

El Camino Creek Principal Carrie Brown said students can compete in a schoolwide contest and move on to districtwide and even countywide competitions. But her greatest interest is that the children learn while having fun.

“I want them to be stimulated by using their brain and think, ‘This is fun because I’m surrounded by my friends,’” she said.

(A quick note from Ruth: I can vouch that this game is a hit with kids. I helped students in my son’s fourth-grade class play the game once a week. They loved it. Even a few students who were - how can I say this nicely - not taken with school looked forward to the healthy competition. )

Try this at home: Sandy Sinek, the elementary math coordinator for the San Diego County Office of Education, said Math 24 isn’t just for high-level math students. She said parents can use the game at home to help their children master their math facts. The cards are marked with one, two and three dots which indicate their level of difficulty. Parents can start with only the cards with one dot and can introduce more difficult cards when appropriate.

Try this at your school: Schools can easily organize games before or after school or during the lunch hour. All that’s needed are several decks of cards, a volunteer and a place for students to spread out.

Carole Manderson, a retired elementary school teacher who helps coordinate the countywide Math 24 tournament in San Diego, said schools in about 15 districts have programs. This year’s tournament will be held on June 4. It’s being sponsored by the Greater San Diego Math Council. Details on the event will be available at gsdmc.org.

Math 24 cards sets are available at some educational supply stores or online at math24.com. You can also purchase subscriptions that allow you to play the game online. The Math 24 Web site even has instructions for hosting your own tournament.