Almost a year ago I wrote about a pretty neat web resource named Math Chimp, a collection of online math activities organized by grade level and/or objectives found in the Common Core State Standards.

So, what does this mean for you as a classroom teacher? Well, for starters—no more endless searching the web for the best site to teach, practice and/or reinforce a particular math skill.

But that’s not all! Through recent conversations with creator Tom Gaultney, I learned that a bunch of sweet new features are being released today. For example,  the “Add An Activity” component will for the first time allow site users to submit their own activities to Math Chimp. In addition, users will also be able to identify new activities they would like to have included in the Math Chimp listings. Of course, these recommendations will be reviewed and approved before they are added to the collection.

The goal of providing these upgrades is to not only expand the quantity of activities on Math Chimp, but to improve the quality of them as well so that educators will view the site as the go-to place for finding K-8 resources aligned to the Common Core.

Oh, and did I mention that Math Chimp is free—and always will be!

If you haven’t already done so, I’m advocating monkeying around with this awesome “cool tool”!

Classroom Connection:

Besides utilizing Math Chimp as a fun and engaging classroom resource to practice and/or reinforce math skills, developer Tom Gaultney explained the following educational uses for his web site.

When we first launched Math Chimp, most of our users were students seeking extra practice at home. But recently, we’ve seen an uptick in classroom use.

For teachers, Math Chimp can be an excellent resource. Here are three ideas for effectively including Math Chimp in your classroom.

» iPad days: Some schools offer iPad days, where each student gets a day of instruction using the tablet. Giving students a choice in what they do on these days enables them to take ownership of their learning. Guide them to the relevant section on Math Chimp for that day and then have your students pick the game of their choice.

» Homework refreshers: Suggest videos for students to watch before starting their homework. Math Chimp’s simple navigation is helpful and easy to understand. Students can find relevant videos with just a few clicks.

» Flip your classroom: If you’re considering flipping your classroom—or using classroom time for one-on-one assistance and home time for instruction, Math Chimp can help. Use our catalog of specific, on-topic instruction videos to find relevant content your students can access from home. Consider giving this switch a try.

These are just a few ideas for incorporating Math Chimp into your classroom, but there are many more. If you have ideas that you’d think other teachers can use, let us know!

As previously mentioned, Tom Gaultney is the creator of Math Chimp. He lives and works in Washington, DC,  where he started Math Chimp in 2010.