Our next big thing: 21st Century and Upscale Pattern Blocks
over 1 year ago
– Thu, Aug 04, 2022 at 08:09:49 PM
I'm thrilled to announce two new block sets now available. If you loved the visual mathematical approach in Multiplication by Heart, you may be interested in these as well.
This beautiful set contains high quality wooden blocks in eight shapes, each with a distinct color. It's been fascinating to discover everything that's possible... and we've only just gotten started.
Also wood, Upscale Pattern Blocks contain the four essential pattern block shapes, in three different sizes. Perfect for exploring area, perimeter, units, fractions, or just building architecturally satisfying designs.
Additional games for your Multiplication by Heart deck (& more)!
almost 2 years ago
– Thu, Jun 23, 2022 at 11:57:23 AM
Hi Everyone!
I wanted to share a new PDF booklet of quick, fun games to play with your Multiplication by Heart deck. These are designed to give a different approach to solidifying math facts, and may be especially useful for situations where you don't have a deck for every student you're working with. (A classroom, for example.)
Other updates! Multiplication by Heart has now won five awards! It has a 4.8-star rating on Amazon, and our friends at Mathigon tell us that the virtual version has been used to practice over 80 MILLION math facts!
It's back in stock on our website and at Amazon, so you can get copies for friends, or direct them our way. We're also offering bulk educational discounts, so email [email protected] if you're interested in buying for a school or district.
In Other News
We've recently launched two new products for sale on our website (not Kickstarter this time): 21st Century Pattern Blocks and Upscale Pattern Blocks! We're incredibly excited about the potential of both these block sets, and thought backers of our previous games might be interested in them too!
These are so new that they're not yet up on Amazon. But you can get them (in the US) from our website. They'll be available internationally soon too, though we're still setting that up with our distributors.
A new game to try with your deck!
over 2 years ago
– Thu, Dec 16, 2021 at 04:23:03 PM
I've finally got the kinks out of a new game to try with your Multiplication by Heart cards. This one uses just the array deck, and I think it's solid enough as a game that it could have defined the product on its own.
You may recognize this as a new take on a classic - past variations have included Crazy Eights and Uno. This version is called WILD SQUARES. A write-up lives here, and I'll be adding photos and video when I get the chance.
WILD SQUARES
For 2 – 6 players
Play Wild Squares with your Multiplication by Heart array cards.
Take the 100 array cards, shuffle them, and deal five cards to each player. Place a card with the factors (not the product) face up, and put the deck beside it.
The goal is to discard all of your cards. Whoever can get rid of all their cards first wins.
Players take turns. On a turn, play a card on top of the discard pile. To play a card, one of the factors must match the card below it. For example, if the card on the top of the pile is 4 × 5, then you could play 7 × 4 on top of it, since the cards share a factor (4).
As you place the card, say the product (“28”) or the equation (“7 × 4 = 28”). If you’ve said the correct product and matched with the card below, the next player takes their turn. (Or if no one speaks up to correct you, the next player takes their turn.)
If you said the wrong product (“7 × 4 = 26”) a player challenges you by saying “correction” and giving the correct product (“7 × 4 = 28”) you take back your card and they can play ANY card from their hand on top of the discard pile, even if it doesn’t match the factors of the card below. Play then continues as normal.
If it’s your turn and you don’t have a card that matches the factors of the top card on the discard pile, draw cards until you have a legal play.
If you have a square array in your hand, you can play it on top of ANY card, without matching factors. (You still have to name the product correctly to play it.) Then you can discard a second card of your choice on top of the square.
Example: the card on the top of the pile is 4 × 5. I play 7 × 7, saying “49.” Since this is a square array, the play is legal. Then I play 1 x 9 on top of that, saying “9.” Then the next player takes their turn.
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That's the game! I hope you enjoy playing it. I think it's great for home, and especially great for the classroom, where you're unlikely to have enough decks for each student to have their own.
By the way, thanks to all of you who tried to review Multiplication by Heart on Amazon. Unfortunately, the influx of reviewers who didn't buy the game through Amazon caused them to temporarily shut down reviews from outside sources. It's a bummer for us, but there's nothing to be done. You can try to review sometime in the future, but I can't guarantee those reviews will be accepted.
Happy holidays everyone!
Multiplication by Heart is on Amazon! Plus, instruction video
over 2 years ago
– Thu, Sep 23, 2021 at 09:00:06 AM
A step forward in our effort to get Multiplication by Heart out in the world: in addition to being available at Math for Love (in the US), it's now available on Amazon.
If you love Multiplication by Heart, review it on Amazon! Five-star reviews mean a lot.
Instruction Video
In other news, I put together a first take on an instruction video here. This will be up on our website soon. It's a little longer than I'd like, so maybe I'll get a chance to update it down the line. For now, I hope it's useful!
If you're finding new ways to play with the cards, shoot me an email and let me know! (I'm at [email protected].) I'm concocting a Crazy Eights variation and a Dominoes variation using the array deck. I think a lot is possible, and I'd love to know what you're trying!
All sets delivered! (And what to do if you haven't gotten yours yet...)
over 2 years ago
– Thu, Aug 19, 2021 at 10:25:29 AM
At this point, all sets of Multiplication by Heart should have been delivered. If you're a backer who wanted one, hopefully you should be playing it now!
If you didn't get yours, you can email us at [email protected] and we'll figure out what happened. There are always a few that go astray for one reason or another. But we'll get it all sorted out as quickly as we can.
If you know folks who'd be interested in getting a copy, tell them that they're available at https://mathforlove.com/product/multiplication-by-heart/. For now, it's US only, but we do have distributors in New Zealand and Australia (email us at [email protected] to get connected). Canada will be coming soon, hopefully. We can also ship internationally... it's just spendy.
We're also offering bulk educational discounts, so if you want 8 or more for a classroom, schools, or district, please reach out!
If you'd like to see Multiplication by Heart made available in your local bookstore or game store, the best way is to walk in and ask them if they have it yet. If they hear from their customers that they want it, they'll find us to get it.
Here's our official photo of the card set :-) Hope you're enjoying them as much as we are!
