by Taylor Halliday
| This summer, we’re having a Summer Share & Tell in our Facebook group. In one of our great discussions, Taylor Halliday, a Gifted Intervention Specialist working with grades 3-8, shared her enthusiasm for the math game MUGGINS! We all wanted to learn more! She agreed to elaborate in a blog post so that many teachers could benefit. |
I’m always on the lookout for fun and engaging ways to challenge my 3rd-8th gifted students. I first learned about Muggins Math at the October 2021 conference of the Ohio Association for Gifted Children. One session I attended was presented by Heidi Shuler-Jones and her mom Sue, two creators of Muggins Math. It was by far my favorite presentation of the conference! Not only was it interactive and engaging (we got to try out some games for ourselves), but I could immediately see the potential for use in my classroom.
I love that Muggins Math is designed to be used with “ages 4 through nuclear physicist!” The Muggins games are truly designed for ALL students – those who love math AND those who hate math, students gifted in math as well as those who find math challenging. I admit that math has always been a bit intimidating to me. As a student, I struggled to visualize the abstract concepts presented. In high school, I gravitated towards geometry over algebra because I enjoyed the concrete and visual aspects of geometry, while algebra was often confusing. Throughout my education I considered myself “bad” at math. A lifelong dancer, I regularly joked that my math skills consisted of being able to count to 8 repetitively. So when I first accepted a position teaching gifted students, I was determined to change my own mindset and find ways for math to be fun. I’ve found some great math resources, but Muggins is by far my favorite!
Muggins Math is the face of Old Fashioned Products, Inc., a family-owned and operated business that has been creating and handcrafting math games, manipulatives, and math/art books since 1990. Alan Shuler, President, was a middle school math teacher and Sue Shuler, Vice President, taught middle school science. Heidi Shuler-Jones, head of Marketing and Professional Development, specializes in adult education. The first game the family created was Muggins, and it is still their best seller. I can see why- it was the game that sold me on Muggins Math!
The premise is simple: you roll a set of dice and create a math equation using the numbers rolled. Depending on the abilities of participants, players can make equations using addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, or – for those even more advanced – exponents. Once you’ve got an answer you cover that number on the Muggins board with a marble. You don’t have to explain how you got your answer, which leaves the other players to try to figure out what you did. You can also bluff, which my 7th and 8th graders LOVE. If you call someone’s bluff you get to remove the marble they placed plus one, but if they can prove how they got the answer, they can remove one of your marbles, instead!
This video tutorial gives a great overview of the game:
What I love about Muggins is that it is truly engaging regardless of age or ability. My 3rd graders love it just as much as my 8th graders! And yes, even my reluctant math kiddos get excited when Muggins appears at a math station. I’ve even projected a picture of the board on our smart board, rolled a set of dice, and left it up for students to claim spots by writing out equations on the side. (No bluffing allowed for that one, but fun to see how many we can cover with a single “roll” of the dice!)
Muggins was the company’s first game, but the entire Muggins Math collection now includes nine games, two manipulatives, and math/art activity books that all share the common goals of teaching math conceptually, kinesthetically, and visually with an emphasis on higher order thinking skills along with lots of FUN!
The one manipulative I wish I had when I was a student: Pre-Algebra for Visual Learners. Finally – algebra made kinesthetic and visual! In addition to the manipulatives, this set comes with a complete book to download so you can help your students work through the concepts. Not only do my students love it, but it gives me the confidence to teach these concepts I once struggled with as a student. You can check out a demonstration of this incredible manipulative HERE, or view demonstrations of all the Muggins Math products HERE on their YouTube Channel.
I hope your students enjoy Muggins Math as much as my students do!