Teaching Mathematics and Science in the Home
Mobilizing Minds: Teaching Math and Science in the Age of Sputnik
Teaching Mathematics and Science in the Home (page 1 of 2)
During the years following World War II, the population of school-aged children in the United States grew rapidly. Especially after Sputnik, many parents encouraged children to study science and mathematics, buying a wide range of objects. Some were new versions of devices like flash cards, chemistry sets, and microscopes that had sold for decades. Others, such as cards for teaching principles of physics through very simple experiments, and toys designed to convey basic computer logic, were new.
Bassinet Quilt, 1950s
Gilbert Microscope and Lab Set, 1957

Things of Science Kits, 1960s
Topics ranged from seeds to rocks to materials like carbon black and polypropylene to optical phenomena like holograms. Distribution initially was to 5,000 subscribers, but by early 1957 this number had risen to 20,000. The examples shown are from the mid-1960s, when subscriptions peaked at about 40,000 kits a month. Contemporary school curriculum projects also emphasized providing simple apparatus for teaching mathematics and science.