Two things that have never mixed well:  Math and me.

It started with Mrs. DeBlock’s eighth grade Algebra class.  Up until that point in my life, I was always a great student without putting forth any effort.  Then my brain collided with Algebra.  It was the first time I could not understand something being taught in the classroom.  This was a totally foreign feeling.  And I hated it.  Unfortunately, my disdain and fear of math never really went away.  My years of college prep classes included torturous runs in Geometry, Trigonometry and Statistics — I hated each one more than the last.  My mind, it seemed, was not cut out for math.  I convinced myself that was OK — I wouldn’t really need it.  My life’s work would be word and language-driven.

And it has been.  But, still.  Even as an adult, I can’t escape math.  My inadequacy has always haunted me and leaves me easily intimidated at times.  In business settings, going through necessary financial discussions and equations — I always felt like I wasn’t on top of my game.  And forget about it when I have to someday help my kids with their Algebra or Trig.

The point is, I needed math to be my friend more than I ever thought.  And, like many other things, I’m determined not to pass this deficiency or fear on to my kids.

So I was intrigued last week when I was invited to attend a press preview for the new Math Midway exhibit at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City.  I took my two year-old (figuring she and I have the same math acumen) and went to check it out.

I was really happy to see the approach this exhibit took with math — which was both highly interactive and rooted in real-world examples that kids of all ages could relate to.

The best part?  The kids don’t really realize they are dealing with math in most of the activities.  Like here.

Do you think she knows she’s creating a tessellation of monkeys?  Nah.  {Neither did I, FYI.} To her, it’s just fun magnets that fit together in a pattern.

Or here.

I can assure you that she doesn’t realize there were 11 steps to creating a Tetraxis with these mats.

I think she was somewhere around step three.  But owning it.

Or here.

Bending mirrors at various angles create different images.  Hey — I like any math that makes my legs look four times longer.  Where was that in high school?

And, my personal, way-over-our-heads favorite.  You start with this.

Crank it through the machine with your favorite math attributes.  Cube it, square it — you decide.

It was about here that my anxiety flashbacks started to kick in.  And then we got this.

Obviously.

* * *

One of the exhibit coordinators put it best:  “Math is the science of why.”  And if your kids ask “Why?” half as much as mine do, then the reason to get them into math at a young age is pretty compelling.  That, and they should avoid my math fear hangover at all costs.

So, thanks, Liberty Science Center, for showing this old gal how math can be a friend after all.

{I was not compensated for this post.  I received complimentary admission to the exhibit for the purposes of a review.  All opinions, as you would expect, are entirely my own.}