Clackamas ESD Math Specialist Lori MacKenzie has a lot of ideas for making math accessible, understandable and – dare we say it – fun. And one of her best ideas has been making its way through Clackamas County schools in Molalla, Oregon City, West Linn and Wilsonville over the past two years, as elementary school students and their families, play “Don’t Break the Bank,” “Guess my Number” and other activities that show how enjoyable using math skills can be.

Lori first came up with the idea of family math nights when she was a teacher on special assignment for a partner school district before coming to Clackamas ESD in 2024. Over the past two years, the elementary school math nights she’s helped coordinate have drawn close to 1,900 attendees.

“Coming up with this idea really brought me joy,” Lori shared. “I tested out family math nights at a couple of elementary schools, and the events were hugely popular. That got me thinking how I could expand the concept to make it easy for any district to host one of these events.”

Over the past several months, Lori and her teaching and learning colleagues have been creating a “math night in a box” option that will allow districts to borrow all the materials they need to put on a family math night in their schools.

Lori provides hands-on support for any school taking this event on for the first time, meeting with the principal and math staff to go through many options, from basic activities that require little prep time, to more expansive possibilities that include training students to facilitate games and bringing in vendors to supply treats.

Here are a few popular offerings that elevate the buzz in the room and make everyone feel successful:

  • “The Answer Is…,” where the answer (such as “the number 6”) is provided, and contestants provide the question. What makes this ideal: There are so many variations of the right question.
  • “Which One Doesn’t Belong?,” an exercise where four objects are shown and families find which of the four options is unique and why. Again, multiple correct answers abound.
  • “What’s My Number” game with multiple clues.

“I’ve created lots of group games you can play two versus two, so there’s lots of talking and strategizing,” Lori explained. “I’ve worked hard to develop activities using materials families probably have at home, such as playing cards or dice, so they’re understandable and replicable. I even provide a QR code people can scan to get a list of other math games people can play with card decks.”

District staff have told Lori they love having community-building events that are so easy to coordinate. Title I elementary schools holding a family math night are able to use Title I funds to augment the event with food and other extras. Some schools even give prizes or hold raffles at their family math nights.

Regardless of how a school wants to shape an event, Lori wants all elementary schools in our region to know she’s available to help them launch family math night traditions in their community.

“They can be really simple to set up, and they have immediate and lasting value to kids and families,” Lori said.

For more information about exploring a family math night at your local elementary school, contact Lori at lmackenzie@clackesd.org.