Activities! A Circus. A Space Adventure. Hamsters. And...Scrubba Dub, Carlos!
Every other Wednesday, we post selections from our vast and wonderful archive of Early Math & Early Childhood Ed activities.
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Hello!
I just read a very interesting article about the importance of the “K-2 years” for setting up children for success. New America reporter Laura Bornfreund interviewed the authors of the new report about Making the Early Grades Matter.
“…We know that children who start behind will stay behind, underscoring that grade 3 is too late to start focusing on student proficiency… [The] focus on standardized assessments later in elementary school has increased academic demands in the K-2 space. That push-down of academic expectations is not aligned with developmentally appropriate teaching and learning practices, leading to challenges for K–2 teachers charged with providing that continuous and robust educational experience for their students…”
K-2 teachers have a big, critically important job! My MathStart and I See I Learn books were developed to leverage how children naturally learn by combining stories and visual learning strategies such as charts, graphs and illustrations. Even very young children are already accomplished visual learners! And who doesn’t love stories?
This week’s I See I Learn book is Scrubba Dub, Carlos. Apparently, there is a nasty tummy bug going around so washing hands is really important! Scroll down for a video and free pdf poster!
Our three featured MathStart books are all about shapes and angles:
Circus Shapes (recognizing shapes)
Captain Invincible and the Space Shapes (3D shapes)
Hamster Champs (angles)
Do you have a favorite math activity around shapes and angles? Please share!
Your friend,
Stuart
Mathstart is a series of 63 storybooks organized into three levels for Pre-K through Grade 4. Each story teaches a different mathematical skill.
You can buy individual books, sets by level, or a complete library. Here is list of where to find MathStart books!
• Level 1, Pre-K/ Kindergarten:
Circus Shapes (recognizing shapes)
First the elephants form a circle, then the monkeys make a square. Circus shapes are everywhere! Can you find all the circles, squares, triangles and rectangles?
Recognizing shapes is the beginning of geometric thinking.
• Level 2, Kindergarten / Grade 1:
Captain Invincible and the Space Shapes (3D shapes)
Sam—a.k.a. "Captain Invincible"—and his trusty space pooch Comet have their hands and paws full trying to navigate through the universe.
Meteor showers, flying saucers, and a "galactic beast" are some of the dangers lurking among the stars.
They have to push the right button—the cube, pyramid, cylinder, cone, sphere or rectangular prism—in order to land safely in…Sam's bedroom!
Recognizing and classifying three-dimensional shapes is an important part of geometry.
• Level 3, Grades 2 - 4:
Hamster Champs (angles)
The car drives away and suddenly it’s just Hector the cat and three clever hamsters: Pipsqueak, Chuckles and Moe. The hamster champs offer to show Hector their new stunt, which requires they leave the safety of their cage, but only if Hector promises not to chase them. “All right,” he says, “But if I get bored…watch out!” Using a protractor to measure a 30-degree angle, the hamsters set up a ramp made out of a board supported by blocks. Then they get in a toy car, parked on the couch, and race down another ramp—this one made of pillows—which gives them enough speed to climb up the board and briefly fly in the air. Wheee! Hector’s not impressed. So they try again with a 45-degree angle. Then a 60-degree angle, but it's too steep. Hector’s getting bored! He wants a larger angle. Guess what happens when the champs try a 180-degree angle?
Learning about angles helps children identify and describe different geometric shapes.
I See I Learn is a series of 16 stories that follow the adventures of the children in Miss Cathy’s class at Ready, Set Pre-K in See-and-Learn City (see map).
Each story focuses on a different social, emotional, health & safety and cognitive skill important for success in school and in life. For Pre-K / Kindergarten.
Scrubba Dub, Carlos! (sequencing)
Carlos gets mess when he draws with chalk, builds with clay, and plays in the mud. He doesn’t like to wash his hands. See how Carlos’ friends show him that washing up can be easy and fun!
It is especially important for children to wash their hands after coughing, sneezing and using the bathroom; and before and after eating, too.
Scrubba dub! Get those hands squeaky clean!
Do you have a story or a question? Please send me an email!