Activities: Lots of Counting and also Learning How to Write Your Name!
Every other Wednesday, we post selections from our vast archive of Early Math & Early Childhood Ed activities.
Please tell your friends, colleagues, librarians & parents about our FREE newsletter. Have fun, everybody!
Hello!
This week in Activities, we are featuring:
• Three MathStart stories about counting. I love to count! I bet you do, too.
• An I See I Learn story starring my good buddy, Carlos, who just learned how to write his name. Write On, Carlos!
• Some very exciting news about my newest book, Show and Tell! Great Graphs and Smart Charts
• And a fan letter from Australia in our Mailbox!
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Also, I’d like to let everyone know that registration is now open for the California Math Project’s FREE online Early Math Symposium on June 23. I will be presenting—more about that in the next newsletter! Register today and please spread the word.
Now, let’s have some fun!
Stuart
MATHSTART
Mathstart is a series of 63 storybooks organized into three levels for Pre-K through Grade 4. Each story teaches a different mathematical skill.
Here is list of where to find MathStart books!
• Level 1, Pre-K/ Kindergarten
Every Buddy Counts (counting)
When a little girl wakes up one morning feeling "crummy, yucky, very sad," she cheers herself up by counting all her friends—which include pets, playmates, neighbors and even older sisters.
Not only can counting make you feel better, it is also an essential math skill.
• Level 2, Kindergarten / Grade 1:
Spunky Monkeys on Parade (counting by 2s, 3s & 4s)
The "Monkey Day" parade is a very big deal. The crowd loves to watch the Monkey Cyclists who cycle two by two (2, 4, 6, 8…). They're followed by the Monkey Tumblers, who travel in groups of three (3, 6, 9, 12…). Finally, there is the Monkey Band lined up four across (4, 8, 12, 16…).
Counting by 2s, 3s and 4s is called skip-counting. Itis an important step in the development of multiplication skills.
• Level 3, Grades 2 - 4:
The Penny Pot (counting coins)
At stake: two free tickets to the All-Star Game. And all you have to do is guess the correct number of jelly beans in a jar at the Planet Toys store. One particularly smart boy has an idea: Why guess when you can estimate? He plays a game with his buddy as they head over to the store on the bus. With four people per row, 10 rows, and a few folks standing in the aisle, he estimates that there are 43 people on the bus. "I didn't even need a pencil," he boasts.
Knowing how to estimate is an essential skill that helps children determine approximate totals as well as check the reasonableness of their solutions to problems.
BONUS VIDEO
Jack the Builder (counting on)
I SEE I LEARN
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. 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.
• Write On, Carlos! (writing your name)
Carlos wants to write his name like some of his friends can. He asks his mom for help. He practices over and over again. See how proud Carlos is to show his friends what he can do.
Learning how to write one’s own name helps a child learn how to recognize and form letters and leads to writing more words.
Writing is fun!
“SHOW AND TELL” IS A MUST-READ!
It’s exciting! My latest book, Show and Tell! Great Graphs and Smart Charts, was just selected for the long list of “Must-Read Massbooks 2023.” Thank you Massachusetts Book Awards judges!
FROM THE MAILBOX
This week, our letter comes all the way from Adelaide, Australia.
Henry the Fourth (ordinals)
Too Many Kangaroo Things to Do! (multiplying)
Jump, Kangaroo, Jump! (fractions)
Do you have a story or a question? Send me an email!