Activities! Double the Ducks (it's more fun!) Understanding Halves (also fun!) a Shark Swimathon (yipes!) & Percy Gets Upset (oh no!)
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 like ducklings. They’re adorable! Especially the five little ducks (then ten little ducks) drawn by the wonderfully talented illustrator, Valeria Petrone, for the MathStart story Double the Ducks (doubling numbers). One of the many joys of writing the MathStart series has been the opportunity to work with nearly three dozen illustrators. This is very unusual! The editors and I felt it was important that each storybook have its own look and feel.
G.Brian Karas illustrated Give Me Half! (understanding halves), a story that literally hits close to home: It was inspired by children!
Lynne Cravath has illustrated three of my books, including Shark Swimathon. There are a lot of competitive swimmers in my family, so more inspiration!
This week’s featured I See I Learn story, available in Spanish and English, is Percy se enoja / Percy Gets Upset. It teaches several strategies to help young children deal with frustration. I have used them, too. They work for all ages!
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This week we have special bonus: I was interviewed on TikTok!
MathStart books are now available in Chinese in China, published by Look Book. Zhou-Zhou, the founder of Youyang Growth Media, Ltd and a popular TikTok’er with eight million followers, is the presenter. The first part of the interview is Zhou-Zhou describing the series in Chinese. It’s my turn in the second half!
Your globetrotting 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:
Double the Ducks (doubling numbers)
The young cowboy has his two hands full with five little ducks. They need three sacks of food and four bundles of hay. And when they each bring home a friend, it's twice as much work. For 10 little ducks, he needs double the food, double the hay and double the hands!
The first step in mastering basic addition is adding a number to itself (for example, 3+3).
• Level 2, Kindergarten / Grade 1:
Give Me Half! (understanding halves)
When a boy tries to eat a whole pizza without sharing half with his sister, it's not pretty. Of course, she isn't too keen on sharing her juice or cupcakes. With a little adult prodding, however, they soon learn the benefits of sharing and split everything in half, including clean-up chores.
Recognizing that half means one of two equal parts leads to understanding fractions.
• Level 3, Grades 2 - 4:
Shark Swimathon (subtracting 2-digit numbers)
The Ocean City Sharks swim team—Gill, Fin, Stripes, Tiny, and the hammerhead twins, Flip and Flap—really want to go the state swim meet, but they're short on funds. If they can swim 75 laps over the next four days, the local newspaper will sponsor them. The first day they swim a total of 14 laps (75 - 14 = 61). The next day they do a little better with 17 laps (61-17 = 44) But will they make their goal?
Learning to subtract 2-digit numbers with and without regrouping prepares children for subtracting larger numbers.
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.
Percy Gets Upset (dealing with frustration)
Percy sometimes gets upset. He crosses his arms, stamps his feet, and scowls. But when he learns how to calm down, he has fun again!
Developing strategies for managing anger, such as taking a deep breath and counting to ten, helps children calm down and feel better.
When you’re not upset, you have more fun!
Percy se enoja (como superar las frustracions)
A veces Percy se enoja. Cruza sus brazos, da patadas con sus pies, y pone mala cara. Pero cuando aprende como calmarse, ¡puede divertirse más otra vez!
Desarrollando las estrategias para calmarse, como respirar profundo y contar hasta diez, ayuda a los niños a calmarse y sentirse mejor.
Cuando no estás enojado, ¡puedes divertirse más!
Do you have a story or a question? Please send me an email!