Author: kate [loop] hannon

After having her own view of math transformed, Katherine has been researching, writing, and speaking on a biblical worldview of math for more than a decade. Her books on math and a biblical worldview have been used by individuals, homeschool groups, and Christian schools and colleges, and she recently finished a junior high math curriculum. Receive her free Math from a Biblical Worldview e-mail course at mathisnotneutral.com
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Story: I’ve Told You What to Do

spilled milk

“I don’t know what to do!” Jenna cried for the 10th time in between her sobs. She sat surrounded in the kitchen by spilled milk. Such a mess! What, oh what, was she to do? If only she knew!

“Wipe it up with the rag right there,” her mother’s voice called out yet again.

“But then I don’t know what to do!” Jenna cried.

“I’ve told you what to do. Wipe it up with the rag.”

“But then I don’t know what to do!” Jenna sobbed yet again.

“I’ve already told you what to do, Dear. You don’t need to know all the other details yet. I’ll guide you step by step. But start with what I’ve already told you.”

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 (ESV)

“…For this is the will of God, your sanctification:” 1 Thessalonians 4:3 (ESV)

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Parenting Moment: Wisdom

prayer

Ever had a day with your children where by the end you felt simply defeated and like you really didn’t want to face them again the next day? It’s so easy in those moments to let our thoughts go to unhelpful places. We might mentally compare ourselves to others, feeling like a failure (or like the hero, depending). We might feel like we’re trapped in a hopeless situation, unsure where to turn.

God, though, welcomes our honest cry for help. He can handle our questions and frustrations. And He invites us to ask Him for the wisdom we desperately need.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. James 1:5 (ESV)

I have been recently reminded of the importance of prayer through studying the life of Daniel. God wants us praying, not only on those overwhelmed days, but “without ceasing” (1 Thes. 5:17 ESV), and Daniel’s life illustrates this.

Daniel truly understood that God is the true King in charge–the One Who can truly change the heart of even a pagan king like Nebuchadnezzar who went from building a statue of himself for all to worship to acknowledging God as King. Daniel “prayed and gave thanks” (Daniel 6:10b) three times a day, even when he knew it could cost him his life. He never forgot that God was the giver of all his wisdom.

Are our lives, including our parenting, marked by prayer? What are some habits we can develop to make them more so?

If we want to parent and live for God’s Kingdom, we need God’s strength and wisdom every day.

 

 

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Short Story: Deal with the Mess

“Just stuff it in the closet!” Johnny heard his mom call out. They were all frantically cleaning the house for company.

Johnny opened the closet door cautiously. It was stuffed to overflowing with other things they’d just “stuffed in the closet” before. He shook his head. What a mess!

He knew it wasn’t just the closet either. The basement, garage, and other closed-off places all needed hazmat suits to enter. They were running out of space to stuff; what would they do then?

“What are you doing?” Johnny asked his mom. The hallway was filled with stuff—stuff he hadn’t seen in what felt like forever. Where had it all come from?

“We are cleaning out the closet…and the then the basement and garage,” his mother replied, wiping sweat off her forehead.

“Ummm, Mom, it looks worse now. We can’t even walk through the hallway.”

Mom sighed. “I know. Facing the mess is no fun, and it does look worse. But it’s the only way to get it all better. We need to deal with the junk, not just hide it. And then once we do,” she added with determination, “we’re going to keep dealing with it instead of trying to hide it.”

Mom’s organizing project seemed to take forever. The whole house, not just hideaways, felt overrun for a time. But then, order—true order—arrived. Johnny could find his toys again…and his roller blades. In the end, it had been worth it to not just hide everything away.

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7 (ESV)

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Why High School Math? (Plus AI, Logic, & the Creator)

Does algebra even matter?

As I released my new Consumer Math course, I kept hearing how excited moms were for a high school math that was actually practical. While Consumer Math certainly is that, other high school math should be too!

In all of my math courses, I’ve striven to show students why they’re learning what they’re learning. Granted, algebra might not be something students incorporate into their daily life. However, they use technology based on it daily. For example, how fast will a metal pan heat up? We can use an algebra equation to figure that out.

formulawhere

formula

We can write formulas like the one above because of the consistent way heat transfers into pans based on their heat capacity. And why is creation so consistent? Because a faithful God governs creation in a predictable way! Algebra should be something students finish up with a deeper wow at our amazing Creator.

Now, high school math problems can get challenging and involved. Some multi-step problems can make your head spin. These problems not only prepare students for real-life math problems, but they also teach them to look at a situation where they don’t know what to do and think of different ways they could potentially approach it. That’s a skill we need with real-life non-mathematical problems too!

And then there’s logical thinking skills. If a > b and b > c, we can conclude that a must also be greater than c…but we couldn’t conclude that it’s greater than h, for instance. Why do we care? Learning how to draw logical conclusions helps us think through real-life scenarios.

I’ve put below a video Answers in Genesis recently released that shows an AI, when prompted to answer “according to strict math, logic, and mathematical probability” agreed a biblical Creator makes sense and evolution is foolish. Logic matters…and algebra and geometry help students develop it.

Looking to Help Your Students See Math’s Purpose This Year?
Check out these high school and junior high school programs, complete with optional eCourses that will walk students through the lessons. Also check out the Big Book of Math timeline, usable to add in math’s application and purpose to any curriculum. It is possible for students to see God in math while developing skills that will last a lifetime.

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Math & Curriculum Planning

books

It’s that time of year again: time to start planning for next homeschool year. As you plan, consider showing your students how you’re using math to help you!

  • Math can help you compare the cost of different curriculum…or of buying the same curriculum from different vendors. Have a coupon? Shipping? You’ll need to use math to calculate the total costs to compare.
  • Math can help you track what you’re spending so you can make sure it doesn’t exceed the money you’ve budgeted in your overall budget for curriculum…or if it does, you can adjust somewhere else.
  • Math can help you figure out how to pace yourself through the books. Dividing the total pages or lessons by the days you plan to school (or what to use that particular material) gives you a rough starting point.

Math is a tool that helps us with the work God’s given us to do–including with homeschool planning! Your students are going to need to use basic math throughout their lives…and now’s a great time to give them an illustration by showing them how you’re using math.

Be sure to also check out my new Consumer Math course that’s designed to really equip high school students with both the knowledge and biblical perspective they need to navigate life’s little (and big) financial decisions.

Consumer Math
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Short Story: Purposefully Hard

Boy school

“Why does it have to be so hard?” Josiah moaned, burying his hand in his head. This particular assignment felt like it was just too much. How was he ever supposed to complete it? He wanted to just give up.

Josiah wished he could find a way to transport himself somewhere else. He wanted to escape this challenge. He saw his brothers outside playing, and wished he could join them. Why was he stuck with this task?

“Do you want to learn?” Josiah’s father’s compassionate voice interrupted his thoughts.

Josiah looked up. “Yes, I do,” he replied. “But why can’t we do the assignments we did last week? They were easy enough.”

“Because if you kept just doing them, you wouldn’t keep learning. I have to make it hard for you to learn.”

“This hard?” asked Josiah.

Josiah’s father looked at him lovingly. “Will you trust me to give you the assignments you need?”

Josiah sighed. He didn’t like this assignment at all, but he knew he could trust his father. It helped knowing that there was a purpose to the hard.

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness." James 1:2-3 (ESV)
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Parenting Moment: You Can’t…and It’s Okay

woman upset

“Go spend some time with Jesus.”

That was my husband’s wise advise. It’d been one of those weeks–sickness had ravaged the house, and my body screamed for rest. Yet so many other needs screamed at me too. How could I do this?

Feeling at the absolute end of myself, I took my husband’s advise and headed up for some time with Jesus. I ended up reading the evening Daily Light devotional, which included this verse:

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8 (ESV)

While the context is referring directly to financial sufficiency, the point is that God is able to equip us for the good works He desires us to do. Here was another one:

...he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:18b (ESV)

There it was again. Jesus was able.

As parents, we don’t have what we need to love our children the way God calls us to. But Jesus does! If we’re His child, then He can demonstrate His love in us.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:11-12 (ESV)

Think about Jesus’s love for a moment. He spoke the universe into existence, yet He chose to become a helpless baby, dependent on others for everything. His love led Him to give up immeasurable power for weakness…and a birth in a stable no less. Ultimately, His love led Him to the cross.

God is the perfect Father. His love is beyond comprehension. And He is able to strengthen us for the task of parenting the children He entrusts to us. It’s okay to admit that the task is beyond us–it is!–but it’s not beyond our God.

It’s also okay to admit to others when we need help. We’re called to love one another, and as we do, it displays God’s incredible love. I’m so thankful for other believers who have come alongside me and carried me in challenging seasons. They’ve been the tangible display of God’s love.

Dear parent, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, look to Jesus. He is able. And open yourself up to His people. You’ll be amazed at what God can do.

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Math and Taking Care of a Baby

baby

Have a young person who loves children but who doesn’t see the point of math? Try walking them through some ways you use it when taking care of a baby!

  • How Many Supplies to Get: How many diapers do you need a week if baby uses 5 a day (5 x 7 = 35)? How many jars of baby food if baby uses 2 a day (2 x 7 = 14)? Multiplication comes in handy when figuring out your shopping list.
  • Costs: How much per diaper is diapers in bulk versus those in a smaller package (divide package cost by diapers in package)? If a baby dose is 2 mL, how many doses are in a 10 mL bottle (10 divided by 2 = 5)? Division aids in analyzing costs, as does comparing numbers (you’ll need to compare your results to see which is truly less expensive).
  • Timing: When does baby need his next bottle if he eats every 3 hours and last had one at 9 am? How long of a nap did he get if he went down at 1:30 and woke at 2:45? Mommies and daddies have to do lots of mental time calculations as they care for baby.
  • What Eaten: How many ounces of food is baby getting? Add up each amount they’ve had to find the total.

If you sit back and think hard enough, you might be surprised how much math you use in a day–even when carrying for little ones. Math applies outside of a textbook like this because God governs creation in a consistent fashion, and He gave us the ability to have dominion over it (Genesis 1:28). Whether that be in a science lab or changing diapers, math helps us with the tasks He’s given us to do.

I’m super excited about my new high school Consumer Math course, as it will help students see how they can use basic math in tons of different settings they’ll encounter as adults–and how to do so with the heart of one stewarding God’s resources, not pursuing money itself. We’re making the finishing touches on it now, so keep an eye for its release soon! (And keep the whole team in prayer as we complete it.)

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Valentine’s Day Math & the “Heart” of Budgeting

Valentine's Day Math

Math is a useful tool we can use to help us in everyday situations…including around Valentine’s Day! Here are some math-in-action Valentine ideas:

  • Make cards, having the child measure dimensions. Practice simple arithmetic by asking questions such as how much would be on each side if you stuck a 3 in. heart in the middle.
  • If eating chocolates, have the student count the total chocolates. Have them figure out how many would be left if they ate 1, 2, etc.
  • Find the price per rose if you get a dozen for $24 (or $20 if the student knows decimals).
  • Find how much 12 roses would cost if bought individually for $2.50.
  • Point out that they can use facts they’ve memorized or step-by-step processes they’ve learned to solve the situations above because God is faithfully holding all things together. Thus $24 divided by 2 always equals $12, 5 chocolates minus 3 will equal 2, etc.
  • Discuss the need to keep a budget in mind when deciding how to celebrate things like Valentine’s Day (see below).

The “Heart” of Budgeting

We often don’t think about the cost of ordinary purchases, yet they can add up. According to the NRF, $27.5 billion dollars is expected to be spent on Valentine’s Day this year. That’s a lot of money!

We make choices every holiday about how much we’ll spend. Those choices affect other choices–like how much money we have to give away or to save.

It’s easy to spend a lot on holidays, and retailers make it even easier. A pricey card, fancy restaurant dinner, ornate flowers, and decadent chocolates–the bill could easily reach the averages I saw of around $200. But holidays can also be meaningful with a low price tag, using a homemade card, meal cooked with love, origami flowers, and a homemade dessert. The point is that living expenses like these can vary drastically–and students need taught how to navigate these decisions in different seasons to live within what God gives them and be faithful to other goals (like giving).

If we want to raise students who see their money as God’s and remain free from the love of money we’re warned about in 1 Timothy 6:10, then we need to teach them to look at what God’s entrusted to them and have an overall plan that can then guide these decisions. If they learn to set aside money to give and save and for their bills, it can help them know what is left for things like Valentine’s Day, thereby guarding them against spending more than they meant to due to a marketing pull. The heart of budgeting is to be free to manage resources God gives us with a big (and eternal) picture in mind.

I’m excited about my new Consumer Math course, as it will disciple students on both the mechanics of making a budget and on thinking through both big and little decisions in light of biblical principles. It will help them grasp the heart as well as the how of budgeting. Check out the details I’ve posted about it. I would also greatly appreciate your prayers for everyone working on it as the final editing is completed. I can’t wait to share a preview and more information in the upcoming weeks!

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Parenting Moment: Why Do You Parent the Way You Do?

pathway

Why do you parent the way you do?

We tend to default to what we know. It’s easy to fall into bad habits without realizing it. We tend to act like we saw our parents act–both the good and the bad. And the way we parent will become our children’s default one day.

Even if we were blessed with a godly heritage, our parents were still fallible human beings. They were also different than us, and parenting different children in a different time. We’d be wise to pause and look at our parenting decisions in light of God’s Word.

I was recently listening to a talk on teens and trauma, and the speaker (Tera Melber) pointed out that are brains literally rewire themselves as teenagers, letting go of pathways that aren’t used often. She explained that teens need to practice the things they want to keep, thereby creating firm pathways. She also brought us back to Romans 12:2 and how God wants to renew our minds.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2 (ESV)

God wants us to let go of bad pathways and form new ones. This process continues our whole lives! It made me stop and think about the pathways I’ve formed as a parent, and if they’re really the pathways I want to continue, or if I need some rewiring.

Forging a new pathway takes patience and consistency. It’s easy to just do what we’ve always done. But it’s worth the extra effort to follow Christ and His way more and more in how we parent our children. We can run to the cross, thankful for forgiveness for the past and power to move forward on a different pathway.