One of the key benefits of The Math Worksheet Site’s worksheets is that they’re freshly generated every time. One type of worksheet, Number Recognition, chooses the artwork from a pool of possibilities every time you click “Create It.”

However, our daughter, Joy, then 3 years old, didn’t want just any piece of art. If she wanted puppies, she definitely wanted puppies. Sometimes she wanted apples. So Scott would click “Create It” a dozen or so times until our daughter finally got the one she wanted.

Repeatedly clicking “Create It” got tiresome! So he made a “back door” of sorts to specify the illustration he wanted.

For our subscribers who work with young children with definite preferences, I would like to share the “back door” with you.

Log in to The Math Worksheet Site and go to Number Recognition. Choose your selections and click “Create It.” If you did not happen to get the illustration you wanted, put your cursor at the end of that long URL and type a semicolon, the letter p, and an equal sign, thus:

;p=

then the name of the illustration, and hit the “Enter” key. It will give you a new worksheet that includes the artwork you specified.

For example, if you want apples, type:

;p=apple

then click “Enter” and you will be given a worksheet with as many apples as the number you selected.

Here are the options:

(If you wonder why you haven’t seen the worm before, he’s new. He was added tonight. Isn’t he cute?)

(Later update: The tortoise was drawn by my daughter, Anna, and added on July 31 of 2006. The tortoise’s story is entitled “New Tortoise Artwork.”)

I hope this insider’s trick makes life a little easier for you while working with the opinionated children in your life.

–Denise

I would really love to hear some feedback from you.

Sometimes Scott will develop a new type of worksheet, but for some reason it doesn’t quite work. He has several partially completed worksheets that he hopes to finish.

We currently have two types of worksheets that are very near completion, and we would love some input from people who might use them.

One is posted here: Put the Numbers In Order. Make some selections and click “Create It.” The worksheet technically “works,” but it seems flat. Are we finished with it? Is there more that should be done with it? In which category does it belong? Counting? Greater Than/Less Than? Something else?

The other is posted here: Function Tables. Does the selection page make sense? What should the instructions say on the worksheet? The instructions will be vary depending what is selected. How can we make it clear to the student what he is supposed to do with this worksheet?

As soon as we get some good answers to these questions, these two types of worksheets will be added to The Math Worksheet Site. I look forward to hearing your suggestions. Thanks!

–Denise

Update

We received good input, finished Function Tables and added it to the subscribers area. Now you need to be a subscriber and logged in in order to access the Function Tables worksheets.

We’re still interested in more input about the other type of worksheet, Put the Numbers In Order. Constructive criticism, loud accolades, or something in between… I’m interested in your thoughts.