Activities! Hours, Timelines, Schedules & Percy Plays It Safe!
The Stuart J. Murphy Activities Newsletter comes out every other Wednesday, filled with selections from a vast and wonderful archive of Early Math & Early Childhood Ed activities.
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Hello Everybody!
Are you still adjusting to “spring forward!” and the beginning of Daylight Saving Time? I sure am! Moving the clock ahead an hour means it is still dark in the morning and I want to snuggle under the covers. But the extra hour of daylight at the end of the day means more time play at the park!
All the kids at Ready, Set, Pre-K love Stay-and-Play Park. The week’s featured I See I Learn story, Percy Plays It Safe / Percy juega con cuidado, is about playground safety / securidad en los par ques de recreo, which is an important health & safety skill. It is also an important social skill. Following the rules of playground and respecting others who are playing keeps everyone safe and happy. Safe play is fun play! Just ask Percy! (*Scroll down for free PDF posters in English and Spanish.)
In the spirit of Daylight Saving Time, this week’s three featured MathStart stories are themed around time:
It’s About Time! (Hours. Can you tell time? What time is it? When are we going to the park?)
Get Up and Go! (Timelines. Can you make a timeline of your day from when get up in the morning to when you go to bed at night?)
Rodeo Time (Making a Schedule. What does your daily schedule look like? Your weekly schedule? I hope you carved out some time to play at the park! )
Your friend who loves to play,
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:
It’s About Time (hours)
The little boy's day starts at 7:00 A.M. with a great big stretch. Puppy stretches, too. By 8:00 A.M., it's off to school — "Good-bye Mom!" At 9:00 A.M., it's time to learn, and by 10:00 A.M., it's time to play with friends. The story follows the little boy throughout all 24 hours of his busy day, noting the time with an analog clock face and digital display that shows A.M and P.M. Lunch time! Dinner time! Bath time! Bedtime! When the boy is all tucked in for the night, friendly monsters come out to play. And then, before you know it, it's 7:00 A.M, and time to start another day.
Being able to read both analog (traditional) and digital clock faces is an important part of everyday life.
• Level 2, Kindergarten / Grade 1:
Get Up and Go! (timelines)
The puppy is worried. Will his Little Girl be ready to go to school on time? First, there is a five-minute snuggle with Teddy. Then another three minutes spent washing up, and eight minutes for breakfast. And there's still so much more to do! Pup creates a colorful timeline to help keep track.
Constructing and interpreting timelines helps children determine elapsed time using such skills as adding on to find sums.
• Level 3, Grades 2 - 4:
Rodeo Time (schedules)
Katie and Cameron are all excited to help their uncle, Cactus Joe, with chores at the rodeo. Their first chore is watering the horses before the Bareback Bronc Riding event. "It starts at 3:00, so be there at 2:00 sharp," Joe tells them. "You'll need an hour to get the job done." Katie makes a schedule. The next day, the rodeo starts with a Parade and Grand Entry at 10:00 a.m., followed by lunch at noon, and then it's time to water the horses at 2:00 p.m. By lunchtime, Katie and Cameron are running late. Will the kids make it?
Reading a schedule involves time-telling skills, developing a sense of elapsed time, and an ability to anticipate and plan.
ATTENTION TEACHERS! 20% off on book sets on the I See I Learn store!
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 Plays It Safe (playground safety)
Percy loves to go to the playground. He plays on the swings, the slide, and the monkey bars—and in the big sandbox. But what happens when Percy doesn’t play it safe?
Knowing how to follow playground rules, use common sense, and respect others are important skills to keep children from hurting themselves or others.
Safe play is fun play!
FREE PDF POSTER
Percy juega con cuidado (securidad en los parques de recreo)
A Percy le encanta ir al parque. Juega en los columpios, en el tobogán, y en las barras -- y en el arenero. Pero, ¿qué sucede cuando Percy no juega con cuidado?
Saber como seguir las reglas del parque de recreo, usar sentido común, y respetar a los demás son destrezas importantes para asegurar que los niños no se lastimen a si mismos o a los demás.
FREE PDF POSTER
Do you have a story or a question? Please send me an email!