Very young children and kids of all ages can experience math in new and surprising ways at the National Book Festival hosted by the Library of Congress on Saturday, September 5, in Washington, DC.
Throughout the day at MSRI’s Mathical Station, authors of Mathical storybooks will meet and greet kids and their families. Young ones can Count the Monkeys with Mac Barnett (9:00-11:00); enjoy a story-poem about life in the local watershed: Over in a River with Marianne Berkes (11:00-1:00); learn how the lowliest number is not so lowly after all: Zero the Hero with Joan Holub (11:00-1:00); pursue Steve Light’s rather unusual pet across the city in Have You Seen My Dragon? (1:30-2:30); and see how many bears fit into One Big Pair of Underwear with Laura Gehl (3:00-5:00). Authors will be available to sign books and speak with young readers.
Kids can sign up that day for mini-workshops on geometric balloon bending (10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.). The schedule also includes a chance to play Gracie & Friends apps and activities for early math learning (9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.), e-book storytime with mathy tales (1:00-5:00 p.m.), and a fold-and-create art activity for kids of all ages (quick–how many faces on an icosahedron? a dodecahedron?) (5:00-8:00 p.m.).
Big kids can hob-nob throughout the afternoon and evening with Mathical authors and have books signed. They’ll learn what it feels like to suddenly forget all the math facts you ever knew: Numbed! with David Lubar (1:00-3:00); they will admire the murder-mystery detective skills of high school sleuth Nearly Gone with Elle Cosimano (2:00-4:00); and they will pick up skills to dazzle their friends: Mathemagic! Number Tricks with Lynda Colgan (4:00-7:00).
ASL interpretation will be available for all activities at the Mathical Station from 11:00 till 1:00.