From Horse Races to Tantalizing Tangrams and Metric Olympics, Tanglewood Elementary will be bustling with a variety of engaging math activities Thursday, Feb. 24, at the annual Family Math Night.

From 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., students and their families can rotate around the school to participate in various creative games and activities. Each station is set up by Tanglewood faculty members in order to encourage a love for math.

The math nights are held at every elementary campus in the109 and have been going on for four years, said Connie Smith, the district director of elementary math.

“My favorite part is watching kids and parents see math come to life,” Smith said. “I often go to observe and participate. They’re really fun and so interactive.”

Along with learning games and activities, this year’s math night has additional events in store for those who attend.

Carter BloodCare will host a blood drive in the auditorium to benefit Tanglewood’s campus monitor, Alex Williams, who battles sickle cell disease. The area will be set up from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. to allow people more time to donate blood.

“The blood drive may bring more adults this year,” Tanglewood Math Coach Julie Goodwin said. “Our staff and families love Mr. Williams, so they respond well when there’s an opportunity to support him.”

Since the Tanglewood Auction event is Saturday night, the PTA will be selling auction basket raffle tickets for the event. Additionally, the fifth graders will be selling brownies and water as refreshments for any 109ers that attend.

There will also be about six door prizes in a raffle that Tanglewood students can enter, and Goodwin says the students get very excited for it.

“We’ve had great attendance from the beginning,” Goodwin said. “I would guess 150 families attend.”

This is Goodwin’s third Family Math Night to coordinate. One of her tasks is to distribute activity guides to families at the entrance so they will be able to find either their grade level’s location or a specific teacher.

“Students can go to any station but it’s good to go to one that’s grade-level appropriate,” Goodwin said.

For example, the fourth graders work together in an activity like Metric Olympics to practice measurement through solving problems that deal with money and addition or subtraction. Before Goodwin became math coach and she taught second and third grade, she used to make lemonade at her station as a measurement activity.

“We really encourage the parents to participate too because it helps encourage their kids,” Goodwin said. “They learn a lot, and they have fun doing it. Tanglewood is exceptional in parent involvement.”

The event is not exclusive to Tanglewood students. Goodwin says it is open to Tanglewood friends and family. “We don’t exclude anyone,” she said. “The doors are open to the community.”

For more information visit: http://www.fwisd.org/math/Pages/FamilyMathNight.aspx