• Nerdle converts Wordle into a numbers game by challenging players to figure out an eight-character calculation, for example 7+6/3=9, in just six guesses.
• The game was created in the UK by Richard Mann, who has worked in tech startups for 20 years, after discussing with his teenage children the absence of a Wordle equivalent for maths fans. His son worked out the 17,723 valid solutions for eight-digit Nerdle.
• Since launching on January 20th, the game been played by more than 1 million people in more than 200 countries.

DCBEAGLE Challenges

BEYOND THE TEXTBOOK – MARCH 2022
It is such good news that there is more and more freedom as the COVID virus is starting to dissipate. May this last. My calendar for February and March has / is full, with me travelling around England hosting my infamous maths challenges.
As you all know creating maths teaching is my pet and I am not ashamed to include more ideas and thoughts in the newsletter this month. Also in this edition is another fiendish Dudeney puzzle for you, many ideas with an Easter theme, descriptions of 28 playing card games and activities (your Easter break homework sorted!) and some videos delivering some fun maths facts.

Creative maths teaching
“The bell rings, you tell students to take out their math work, and then...groans of disappointment.” A quote written in a blog, Prodigy which I am sure resonates with many of us teaching young pupils maths. Do look at the 15 ideas and arrangements on the website which can only benefit the enthusiasm of the pupils in lessons.
Another interesting website I have come across is Build Math Minds and their opening quote is: “Are you ready to Build Math Minds and not just create calculators?” This website is managed by a body of teachers whose original teaching methods were very formal and, like many of us, and including me, found that there is more benefit to approach the teaching on maths differently which would enrich the pupil’s thinking. They have produced over 200 15-minute podcasts with some interesting topics and approaches. “Show me your working …… in fact it should read, …” show me my working!” The world of mimicking in the maths lessons is rife!

Puzzle of the Month (a H E Dudeney infamous conundrum)
THE BELL ROPE
A bell rope, passing through the ceiling above, just touches the belfry floor, and when you pull the rope to the wall, keeping the rope taut, it touches a point just three inches above the floor, and the wall was four feet from the rope when it hung at rest. How long was the rope from floor to ceiling?
Playing cards – God’s gift to maths learning and teaching
Being a great advocate of playing cards and its relationship to maths skills I have come across the website, We Are Teachers. There is a page describing 28 games and activities which will be enjoyed by your pupils as well as honing their number logic and skills.

Easter bunny activities
Maths Whizz - https://www.whizz.com/blog/easter-maths-activities/ Several activities for 9 to 11 year olds covering fraction work and simple equations.
Primary Resources is always a reliable website to give a wide variety of activities with a theme. All ages. https://www.primaryresources.co.uk/seasonal/seasonal1.htm
 
More spatial awareness
Several people have approached me and asked to suggest places to visit to increase the range of spatial awareness in the classroom.
https://kidpillar.com/16-spatial-reasoning-activities-for-kids/ Point 7 in their list of 16, I quote, “Spatial Intelligence is believed to enhance cognitive skills including IQ.

• According to research, a single 20-minute session of mental rotation puzzles improved the maths performance of the children in control group compared to their peers.
• The evidence is compelling and positions Spatial Intelligence at the forefront. There is no reason for parents and educators to ignore this crucial skill. Spatial Reasoning, is indispensable!
• When you engage your child in simple activities like blocks, painting and drawing, you are essentially enhancing their spatial reasoning skills.
• For young children, research indicates a direct relationship between spatial reasoning for kids and their arithmetic abilities at primary level.
• There is also evidence suggesting that these skills influence early reading abilities of children.
• And when we do lessons on shape and similar spatial awareness activities? Just before half term breaks or end of term “fun” activities.

Fun maths videos
Five Cool Math Tricks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-88ptUOMCBA Year 6 – 8
15 Mind Blowing Math Facts – insane but true https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR_8AxIwKV8 Year 6 – 8
9 tricky riddles - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9somyEzpaY – Years 5 – 8

Puzzle solution
THE BELL ROPE
The bell rope must have been 32 ft. I ~ in. in length from ceiling to floor.
Final words
If you have not tried it yet, Nerdle is similar to Wordle but involving number notation. And, if you are looking for a fiendish word activity, that is Wordle but finding four words, then Quordle is the one for you!