Math classes for kids in Canada

Our view, labelled as ours: coding in math is useful when the program says something about the math. A loop that adds 3 each time is a pattern rule in motion; a program that counts how many times a die lands on six is a probability experiment. That is how we use it in class, and it is why the Snow Fort Wall example below ends with eight lines of Python. Children who enjoy that side can go further in our Math Through Coding course.

Sources: the Ontario curriculum content service behind Ontario elementary mathematics (2020), and BC ADST 6, read 22 October 2026.

Worked example 1 (Grades 4 and 5): Canoe Water Share. Four paddlers share 3 litres of drinking water equally on a canoe day. How much does each paddler get?

1. Picture it. Draw 3 bottles, one litre each. Four people cannot share one whole bottle each, so cut every bottle into 4 equal parts. Each part is one quarter of a litre.
2. Share it out. There are 3 bottles times 4 parts, which is 12 quarters. Twelve quarters shared among 4 paddlers is 3 quarters each.
3. Name the answer. Each paddler gets three quarters of a litre. The child writes it as 3/4 L and then, because 1 litre is 1000 mL, as 750 mL.
4. See the pattern. 3 litres among 4 people gave 3/4. The teacher asks what 5 litres among 4 people would give. The child predicts 5/4, which is one and a quarter litres, and checks it with the bottle picture.
5. Say the rule. Sharing a things equally among b people gives a/b each. The fraction bar means "shared among", which is the idea Grade 6 division of fractions will lean on later.

Worked example 2 (Grades 7 and 8): Snow Fort Wall. A fort wall is built in stages. Wall 1 uses 5 blocks, wall 2 uses 8 blocks, wall 3 uses 11 blocks, and every wall adds the same number of blocks as the one before. How many blocks does wall 20 use, and which wall uses exactly 92 blocks?

1. Find what changes. The blocks go up by 3 each time, so 3 belongs next to n in the rule.
2. Find what stays. 3 times 1 is 3, but wall 1 has 5 blocks, so 2 more blocks are always there. The rule is blocks = 3n + 2.
3. Test the rule. Wall 4: 3 times 4 plus 2 is 14, which matches the table. Wall 20: 3 times 20 plus 2 is 62.
4. Work backwards. For 92 blocks, take away the 2 that are always there (90) and share by 3: wall 30. Check: 3 times 30 plus 2 is 92.
5. Let a program check it. The short program below grows the wall step by step and then searches for 92 blocks. It agrees with the rule.

# Our Snow Fort Wall pattern (a Grade 7 or 8 coding-in-math task)
blocks = 5            # wall 1 uses 5 blocks
for wall in range(1, 11):
    print("Wall", wall, "uses", blocks, "blocks")
    blocks = blocks + 3   # every new wall adds 3 blocks

# Working backwards: which wall uses exactly 92 blocks?
wall = 1
while 3 * wall + 2 < 92:
    wall = wall + 1
print("92 blocks makes wall", wall)

Wall 1 uses 5 blocks
Wall 2 uses 8 blocks
Wall 3 uses 11 blocks
...
Wall 10 uses 32 blocks
92 blocks makes wall 30

Sources: CEMC Problem of the Week, Beaver Computing Challenge, Gauss Contest, CEMC Courseware, How contests work, and the UFV Canadian Math Kangaroo page, read 22 October 2026. Modern Age Coders is not connected with CEMC, the University of Waterloo or Math Kangaroo.

The surprise for many families: from 1 November 2026 Manitoba stays on UTC-5 all year and BC stays on UTC-7, so when Ontario moves its clocks on 14 March 2027, a Winnipeg or Vancouver family's class moves an hour earlier on their own clock. We confirm times again with every family at both changes. For younger children we usually suggest a weekend morning or an early evening slot that leaves time for dinner and bed.