Math

According the ECERS-R, which is our states tool to assess our classrooms, in order to score high and have a quality classroom there needs to be materials for counting, measuring, learning shape and size. 

Daily Activities where math is used

These materials need to be available for a substantial part of the day.  The materials need to be well organized and in good condition (ie: game pieces all present, toys sorted).  There needs to be daily activities where math is used.  Math activities need to have more input from the teacher at least every 2 weeks (making charts to compare children's height, counting and recording birds at a bird feeder).  Materials are rotated to maintain interest.

Children put in 5 little apples to show their understanding of 5.

This child drew 6 diamonds on his white board.

This child wrote the number 6 and drew 6 spades.

The giant cards were purchased at the dollar store.  It may be a good idea to white out the smaller spades/hearts/diamonds/clubs under the number otherwise the kids may count 8 spades instead of 6.

Math games you can do with the giant cards:
                        *find a friend to match your number with
                        *count how many hearts you and your friend has altogether
                        *write down the number you have on your card on a white board

These strips are laminated so you can write on them with a dry erase marker.

I just went to a curriculum update about math and how it works in a child's learning.  I found it interesting that when children are counting that they should not be made to count more than 2 numbers higher then what they know.  For example if a child is counting 1,2,3,4,6,8.  You should stop them at that point.  The reason for stopping is that the brain that practices counting wrong continually will start to remember it wrong.  Instead that child should be worked on with only 6 objects until they master that counting pattern.

put 5 pretzels on the square (I would have only 5 boxes not 10)

Number lines with dots to represent the numbers

Each group of 10 has a different color up to 30

Graphing the weather and talking about it at the end of the week.

I bought this game called Leaping Frogs for my daughter a long time ago and I have been bringing it into the classes I work with.  I have adapted it to work on number recognition, counting, and adding.

First the students throws a bean bag and tells me what number it lands on.
The student puts the same number of unfix cubes on a strip of squares.
The student repeats this again .

After I place a + sign between the two sets of unifix cubes
the child counts how many cubes they have altogether.

To help write the number the child can use the number line to see how the number is written.



The child writes the number.



The children then compare who has a larger amount.

The children have the choice to play this game with me.  They all want to do it though because it's a lot of fun!