335. How to Build Mathematical Imagination Through Everyday Life, Play, and Curiosity

Brave Writer

Julie Bogart and Melissa Wiley

Education For Kids, Education, Arts, Books, Kids & Family

4.8 • 927 Ratings

🗓️ 15 April 2026

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What if math felt less like drudgery and more like discovery?

In this episode, we explore “mathematical imagination” and the many ways math is already alive in everyday family life. We talk about counting, measuring, predicting, sports, video games, art, nature, and how curiosity can turn numbers into something meaningful. We also share practical ways to make formal math time more inviting, from manipulatives and mystery-based activities to math tea times and even bubblegum math. If you’ve ever wanted to help your child experience math as a language for describing the world, this conversation is for you.

Listen in, then come tell us what math looks like in your home.

Resources:

Explore the Journey North Mystery Class archives
Encounter solar system planet sizes and distances in this fun activity
Find our favorite books for kids and parents in the Brave Writer Book Shop
Visit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!)
Purchase Julie’s newest book, Help! My Kid Hates Writing
Find community at the Brave Learner Home
Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programs
Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention
Subscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of Enthusiasms
Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684
Interested in advertising with us? Reach out to media@bravewriter.com

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Melissa:

Produced by NOVA

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Looking for a great math program?
0:03.0	CTC Math provides online video tutorials that make learning math easy and effective
0:10.0	by using creative graphics and animation that are sure to grab and keep your child's attention.
0:16.0	There's a great testimonial from Lori.
0:18.0	She said, one day, my 10-year-old was in tears over math.
0:23.5	I tried my best to help, but I ended up in tears as well. That very night, I received
0:28.9	an email offer for CTC Math. The following Monday, we reviewed the curriculum together.
0:35.7	She was willing to give it a shot, and we have never looked back.
0:39.8	Start your free trial today by visiting ctcmath.com.
0:49.8	Welcome back, everyone, to the Brave Rider podcast.
0:53.0	Hi, Melissa.
0:54.0	Hi, Julie. Today, I want us to talk about math,
0:58.5	which for a writing company probably sounds out of left field. I think math shows up so much for us
1:08.2	as writers in the business side of our writing lives.
1:12.4	It definitely does.
1:14.1	But we don't often bring it to the writing conversation.
1:17.2	Well, no, that's true.
1:18.4	I mean, even just word count alone.
1:20.3	I remember when I first had to learn, like, how many words are in an essay, how many words
1:25.6	in a chapter, how many words in a nonfiction book,
1:28.2	right? And you start to get a sense of what that is once you engage in the practice of writing.
1:34.9	And I think that really is a nice introduction, a nice platform for what we want to discuss today.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Julie Bogart and Melissa Wiley, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Julie Bogart and Melissa Wiley and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.