Horton Hears a Who is a Dr. Seuss classic, with revived interest from the younger generation thanks to Hollywood. This story is a great tale of the commitment and unselfishness of Horton, and the importance of cooperation and individual contribution from the Who’s.
Dice Play that Teaches Kids Numeracy
I am a passionate believer in play as the best method for teaching young children. And sometimes, the kids teach me a little something through play as well!
Part of a play-based learning philosophy is having materials that will invite the child to play with concepts and ideas. So, being the nut for play and learning that I am, I have shelves and drawers and pockets full of these kinds of materials. A simple material that’s been getting some increased attention from my kids lately is a container full of dice.
Introducing the Number Bag: Teaching Preschool Math Concepts with Meaningful Objects
First off — Congratulations to Lora who was randomly selected for the Playful Learning Spaces Giveaway! You’ll be contacted shortly, Lora. And for the rest of you, there’s still time to sign up for Mariah’s inspiring course.
How to Get Your Child's Hands On Math
Numbers can be a pretty abstract concept for a preschooler to wrap her mind around. But just as a storybook turns abstract letters into a meaningful story, the abstract concepts of numeracy, patterning, and comparison find real meaning in the objects they represent. Putting these real objects into the small hands of young children makes the abstract concrete as we connect these math terms and concepts with experiences and understandings they’ve been building over a lifetime.
How to Get Your Child’s Hands On Math
Numbers can be a pretty abstract concept for a preschooler to wrap her mind around. But just as a storybook turns abstract letters into a meaningful story, the abstract concepts of numeracy, patterning, and comparison find real meaning in the objects they represent. Putting these real objects into the small hands of young children makes the abstract concrete as we connect these math terms and concepts with experiences and understandings they’ve been building over a lifetime.
Take a Trip: A Song, A Graph, and Safety Talk
If you’re exploring a transportation theme, here’s a fun little ditty about transportation I found years ago. (I didn’t write down where I found it, so if you know the original author let me know!) It’s a fun piggy-back song, to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle:
Travel Mix: Math You Can Eat!
Who doesn’t enjoy a good snack to take on the road? Here’s a snack activity that fits well in the transportation unit, that not only fills rumbling bellies, but also reinforces math concepts!
Will it Float? Simple Graphing for Preschoolers
I really do love graphing with preschoolers. It makes math concepts like numeracy, 1-to-1 ratio (counting one number for one item), comparing numbers, and sorting objects very visual and hands-on. Graphing does not have to be complicated. We’re not talking parabolas here, just simple T charts will do.
Just recently I did a sink or float activity (because no matter how many times we do it, my boys still think that 20 pound pumpkins will sink) and I used the back of the door for our graph. Just a door and some painter’s tape. Voila! A graph! [Read more…]
Gum Drop Adventures
While enjoying some family time at the cabin (the memorable scene I wrote about here) my sister-in-law pulled out a brilliant activity that I thought I would share with you all here! There were three very simple ingredients, and you don’t have to live near a specialty store to find them: [Read more…]
Eric Carle Author Study: The Grouchy Ladybug and The Very Clumsy Click Beetle
The Grouchy Ladybug always catches me off-guard, because it seems to be missing the “Very”. You know, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Lonely Firefly, The Very Busy Spider, The Very Clumsy Click Beetle, and…..The Grouchy Ladybug. I guess he’s just a little grouchy.
Well, this ladybug, who’s feeling a little bit grouchy, lands on the same aphid-laden leaf as another ladybug, who’s not feeling the least bit grouchy. One ladybug suggests they share, the other insists they’re all for him (I’m sure you can guess which was which). The rest of the story follows the grouchy ladybug as he goes from one creature to the next, each bigger than the one before, trying to pick a fight. He ends up trying to pick a fight with a whale, whose tail smacks him all the way back to that same aphid-laden leaf. There, the polite ladybug offers again to share, and this time Mr. Grouchy realizes his life is much easier when he tries to get along.
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