Explore the Cambridge Math Playground on Saturday, May 3!


4/8/2025 • 5 weeks ago

A group of several young people and families participating in a math event at an indoor venue

Cambridge families and young people are invited to join the Cambridge STEAM Initiative, Cambridge Public Schools (CPS), and The Young People’s Project (YPP) for our Math Playground event on May 3 — an exciting day of family fun that builds math literacy for all ages! The day will include a range of activities that showcase the joy, fun, and wonder in math experiences for young people and families.  

When: Saturday, May 3, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.  Free lunch provided from 12 – 1 p.m.

Where: Cambridge Street Upper School (gyms, cafeteria, courtyard, and theater), 850 Cambridge St. 

  • Explore a dynamic arena filled with engaging math games. Activities draw on YPP’s catalog of games and activities developed by youth and teen math literacy workers and mathematicians to make higher-level math concepts accessible to elementary students.
  • Playgrounds are organized by four “lands”: Number Discovery, Flagway, Algebra, and Fractions/Ratio.  Each of the lands reflect YPP's pedagogical approach of using games, activities, and a focus on multiple representations to develop conceptual understanding and build fluency with mathematical concepts.  
  • Join the CPS Math Department in a variety of games and activities from CPS math curriculum so families can expand elementary school math engagement beyond the classroom! 
  • Attend a screening of Counted Out, a documentary that explores how understanding math is key to creating a more equitable society. The documentary features civil rights leader and late Cambridge resident, Dr. Bob Moses. The screening will be at the CSUS's theater from 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. View the documentary screening flyer (PDF).  

The goal of the Math Playground event is to bring the Cambridge community together to create a space where children own their instructional landscape and have control over teaching and learning approaches. We hope to spark change in the community’s approach to math and create more on-ramps to math literacy for all children. 

Registration details:

After lunch, families are invited to cheer on CPS students in YPP’s Flagway Tournament from 1–3 p.m.! YPP’s Flagway™ game is designed to create environments where students in 5th – 8th grade can practice and celebrate learning math. During game play, students navigate a "Flagway," or course of radial “paths” based on the Flagway rules (derived from the “Mobius” Function). Students from Putnam Avenue, Vassal Lane, and Cambridge Street Upper Schools will compete in the tournament in preparation for a national competition at the end of May. 

If you have questions about the Math Playground, please contact Sharlene Yang, Director of the Cambridge STEAM Initiative, at syang@cambridgema.gov or Cliff Freeman, The Young People’s Project, at cliff@typp.org.