Mathematics

 

 

I am amazed how the children independently take what they are learning at school and implement it into their play situations either at home or at school.  Last week there were several children who independently took a white board and marker, drew a line down the middle and went around to survey the children on their own made up survey. Some of the surveys were: Do you like trees or flowers best? Do you like chocolate or vanilla ice cream? Do you like to listen to songs or listen to stories? Do you like gym or play? I was able to see first hand how some of the Kindergarten children successfully reinforced their mathematical learning.

 

 

This coming week the children will be introduced to "capacity" as a form of measurement. In the sand the children will be offered a variety of containers and use Dixie cups to measure which has the largest capacity and how they know. The goal is for the children to be able to reason their answer and to orally explain their mathematical thinking. They will be offered with additional questions regarding capacity.

 

 

As a large group the children will be learning about part-part-whole. An example of this is using 6 teddy bears. I always have 6 teddy bears, some of them are outside playing and some are hiding in their home. If there are 3 teddy bears outside playing, how many teddy bears are there in the home. This is a very important mathematical skill for the children to learn about number. Each day for the next two or three weeks, the children will be offered with opportunities with part-part-whole mathematical thinking.