Fall Food in Menlo Park

Fall is the time of many delicious food-related holidays, including Halloween and Thanksgiving. From pumpkin pie to caramel apples to cranberry juice, fall is a period of time during which food is definitely at the forefront of people’s minds. Here are some places in Menlo Park where you and your family can get a taste of these and similar fall-related foods.

Math tutor / tutoring - Menlo Park

1. Restaurant 3000 — serves seasonal American breakfasts and lunches

2. Blue Garden Cafe — a lunchtime cafe best known for its seasonal salads and sandwiches

3. Menlo Grill Bistro — offers a wide variety of upscale seasonal dishes for palates of any kind

You can still be engaged with math while you’re out at these Menlo Park places! Whether it’s asking your child to cut apple pie into 8 even pieces, or telling them to calculate the 15% tip at the restaurant, there are many opportunities to engage your child’s mind. For more fun ways to learn math, visit The Mathnasium of Palo Alto-Menlo Park.

Halloween in Palo Alto

Halloween is coming soon! Palo Alto residents have long enjoyed this exciting, sweet treat-filled holiday; houses are decorated all around town, and there are events such as trick-or-treating and games at Stanford Shopping Center near downtown Palo Alto. While everyone in Palo Alto seems to enjoy Halloween, however, not as many people know about the history behind the holiday. Here are some fun facts on the origins and history of Halloween.

Math tutor / tutoring - Palo Alto, CA

1. The word “Halloween” is a shortening of “All Hallows’ Evening,” which was the original name of the holiday.

2. Halloween originated from an ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain, which celebrated the end of the harvest season.

3. Masks and costumes were originally worn in order to mimic or appease any evil spirits.

4. The earliest known reference to trick-or-treating in North America was in a 1911 Ontario newspaper. Apparently  before that, kids didn’t go around getting candy from neighbors!

We at the Mathnasium of Palo Alto-Menlo Park hope you have a fun, safe Halloween this year. or more fun ways to learn math, visit The Mathnasium of Palo Alto-Menlo Park.

 

Fall in Atherton

Fall–or autumn, depending on what you want to call it–is here in Atherton! The leaves turning beautiful colors, slightly cooler weather, the start of the school year, Halloween, and Thanksgiving are just a few of the reasons that fall is beloved by many. Particularly in Atherton, where the weather gets especially mild and nice during this season, many people love to get out and do things during fall. Now that we are well into the season, here are some fun, educational facts about this period of the year!

Math Tutor / Tutoring - Atherton, CA - Mathnasium

1. The term “fall” first came to be used in 16th century England due to the Middle English phrases “fall of the leaf” and “fall of the year.”

2. Instead of “autumn,” people in New England used to call this season “backend.”

3. In the Southern Hemisphere, Easter takes place during fall!

4. The beautiful aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, tends to be visible during this time of year. This is because geomagnetic storms, which produce them, are about twice as likely to occur during the fall as a result of the colder weather.

5. The first day of autumn is the autumnal equinox. During this day, in Atherton and around the world, the number of hours of darkness exactly equals the number of hours of daylight.

We at Mathnasium of Palo Alto-Menlo Park hope that you have a fun-filled fall! For more fun ways to learn math, visit The Mathnasium of Palo Alto-Menlo Park.

 

Soccer in Palo Alto

Many children in Palo Alto enjoy playing soccer.  Soccer may seem like a purely physical sport, but there is also math.  Here are some soccer related math problems provided to you by the Mathnasium of Palo Alto / Menlo Park:

Math Tutor / Tutoring - Palo Alto, CA

 

  1. A soccer game is really long at 90 minutes! If Charlie’s game is a third of the way through the first half how much time is left in until half time?
  2. During one soccer game in Palo Alto, Stacy scored two goals in 24 minutes. If there is 36 minutes left in the game and she keeps scoring at this rate, how many more goals will she score in this game?
  3. If James burns 40 calories every five minutes of playing soccer and his coach keeps him playing for  60% of the game, how many calories does he burn during the game?
  4. Two Palo Alto soccer teams are playing against each other.  If Carol’s team scores once every 27 minutes and Holly’s team scores twice every 50 minutes which team will win?

Next time you play soccer in Palo Alto enjoy the game and think about all the math involved.  You will be amazed at how many things contain math in them!

Brunch Math Problems at Menlo Park

A good way to spend a Sunday morning in Menlo Park with your family is having brunch.  Going out for brunch is great, but it also costs money.  In order to make sure you  spend the right amount it is important to know math.  Here are some brunch themed math problems that the Mathnasium of Palo Alto/Menlo Park are providing for you:

Math Tutor / Tutoring - Menlo Park, CA

1. If two parents want coffee for $3 each and three kids want hot chocolate for $2.50 each how much does the family spend on drinks?

2.  At one Menlo Park brunch restaurant, it takes 3 eggs to make an omelette and 2 eggs to make a scramble.  The family wants to order 4 scrambles and 1 omelette.  How many eggs does the families order take?

3.  The oldest son eats his whole omelette and half his sister’s scramble.  If each egg has 90 calories, how many calories did he consume in eggs?  If he goes running later and burns 50 calories for every 20 minutes of running how long does he have to run around Menlo Park?

4. A family in Menlo Park decides to brunch one Sunday! If the entire meal costs $60 and the family wants to tip the waiter %15 how much will the final bill be?

So next Sunday morning go out for brunch in Menlo Park.  Your family can enjoy a great breakfast and bond over math!

Greer Park in Palo Alto

Palo Alto is famous for its spacious, well maintained public parks. One such park is Greer Park, located on Amarillo Avenue by Bayshore Freeway and Highway 101. This massive park can host a wide variety of activities; there are soccer fields, a skate bowl, a playground, and barbeque facilities! For this reason, many Palo Alto residents love this park. It is generally quite bustling on weekends with people of all ages: kids, teenagers, and entire families.

While taking a break from doing math, kids should definitely visit Greer Park and explore its huge grounds. Things one can do at Greer include playing soccer, playing frisbee, having a picnic, flying a kite, going on a jog, or even having a barbeque with friends and family! But Greer also has quiet, secluded areas as well. In fact, the spacious fields, shady trees, and numerous park benches provide peaceful places to read, study, and work on math homework!

Whether you live right next door in Palo Alto or are simply passing by while driving, be sure to check out the lovely Greer Park! We hope you have fun–and perhaps even get some math work done–at the park.  For more fun ways to learn math, visit The Mathnasium of Palo Alto-Menlo Park.

Summer Days at the SFMOMA

Staying cooped up in Palo Alto can get boring sometimes. One fun–and relatively local–place to go on excursions this summer is the lovely, bustling San Francisco. Home to a multitude of attractions suitable for a wide variety of interests, visiting San Francisco is the perfect family-friendly summer activity.

Math Tutor/Tutoring - Palo Alto, CA

 

This summer, the newly renovated San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, otherwise known as the SFMOMA, has become a go-to place for people of all ages. With FREE admission for any visitor 18 and under, it is budget-friendly while still being able to mesmerize visitors for hours on end. The museum has 7 spacious stories, each filled with modern art exhibits from artists of a wide range of styles. The SFMOMA will undoubtedly keep kids simultaneously entertained by and educated on the world of art.

Best of all, kids can stay refreshed on basic arithmetic skills while visiting the SFMOMA! Things you can do to incorporate math into your visit:

–Ask your child to count how many paintings have a certain characteristic (Ex: How many paintings on this floor include faces in them?).

–There are many geometric works of art in the SFMOMA. Ask your child to name the shapes they see.

We hope you and your family have fun at the SFMOMA as you wrap up your summer! For more fun ways to learn math, visit The Mathnasium of Palo Alto-Menlo Park.

Music Math Fun for Atherton

With September already here, our Atherton students are finding their rhythm back in school! This week, our staff at the Mathnasium of Palo Alto-Menlo Park have come up with some music-themed math problems. Whether it’s finding new artists and songs to listen to, or going to a concert with your friends, music is a great way to kick back and relax. Here are three fun, music-related math word problems for our Atherton students to do this week!


1. Brendan wants to buy five of his favorite songs on iTunes. Each song costs 99 cents, and his mom gave him $4.50. Does Brendan have enough money to buy the songs he wants?

2. Julia and her eight friends are going to an Atherton summer music festival together. Julia’s family owns 2 cars, each of which can seat 5 people. Will everyone be able to get a ride to the summer music festival?

3. This summer, Martin and his band want to record in their local Atherton studio. Each hour in the studio costs $100, and they want to book 3 hours. How much will that cost in total?

Hope these summer music-related word problems were fun to figure out! We hope you have an exciting, music-filled summer! For more fun ways to learn math, visit The Mathnasium of Palo Alto-Menlo Park.

 

Back to School Shopping in Palo Alto

With the beginning of the new school year in Palo Alto, stores all over Palo Alto are stocked up on supplies for students! They have pencils, backpacks, notebooks, and all kinds of other supplies to help you prepare for the upcoming year in Palo Alto. Here are some fun math problems to do after a fun day of shopping!

Math Tutor / Tutoring - Palo Alto, CA

1. If a pencil costs $0.50 and an eraser costs $0.30, how much does 3 pencils and 2 erasers cost?

2. If Joe spent $15.75 on a backpack and $3.50 on a pack of pencils, how much did he spend in all?

3. There are 25 students in Ms. Smith’s class at Palo Alto High School. She requires each of them to buy 10 pencils. Pencils cost 12 cents each at the local Palo Alto safeway, and the local tax is 8 percent. How much do the students in Ms. Smith’s class spend on pencils?

4. 11th graders at Palo Alto High School do 26% more homework than 10th graders. If the average 10th grader uses up 167 sheets of paper a month, how many sheets of paper will an 11th grader use.

5. The local Palo Alto Safeway is hosting a back-to-school sale, with 30% off all items. If Sammy purchases 3 erasers for 50 cents each, how much does he save during the sale?

Happy shopping! For more fun ways to learn math, visit The Mathnasium of Palo Alto-Menlo Park.

Managing A Summer Sleep Schedule

Over the summer, it can be easy for kids and teens to develop crazy  sleep schedules that are way out of sync with what is necessary during the school year. They might stay up extremely late, then sleep in until noon. While this can seem harmless if they are still getting enough hours of sleep, developing unpredictable sleep schedules over the summer can put an unhealthy strain on the body’s biological clock. Here are 3 tips on how to keep a student’s sleep schedule in check this summer.

sleeping

1. Plan fun morning activities! This way, your child will have to both sleep and wake up early in order to have the energy to do the activities they’re excited about.

2. Stay busy during the day! Whether it’s having them come to Mathnasium to get summer math practice in, taking them on hikes, or playing Frisbee with them at the park, keeping kids active during the day will ensure that they’ll want to hit the sack by night.

3. Set strict alarms! Making sure that their alarms go off at the same time every morning of the summer will keep them on a schedule that their body will quickly grow used to. Eventually, their bodies will know to wake up around that time.

We hope these tips help with staying well-rested this summer! For more fun ways to learn math, visit The Mathnasium of Palo Alto-Menlo Park.