Activities! Math and Mighty Maddie, Flying Kites and Selling Lemonade (a toe-tapper, too!); Cooperation and Fun on the Beach with Camille’s Team!
Every other Wednesday, we post selections from our vast and wonderful archive of Early Math & Early Childhood Ed activities.
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Hello!
This is very special week on in the newsletter graphic. That’s Maddie (“Mighty Maddie”) standing by me and indomitable Camille with her bucket and pail ready for the beach. Both of these talented little girls are named after my granddaughters! Let’s hear it for Maddie and Camille!
This week our three featured MathStart books are:
Mighty Maddie (comparing weights)
Let’s Fly a Kite (symmetry)
Lemonade for Sale (bar graphs)
And our featured I See I Learn book is:
Camille’s Team (collaboration)
Camila y su equipo (collaboracion)
Be sure to check out my video on Helping Young Children Develop Strong Social and Emotional Skills and the FREE PDF posters.
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Don’t forget to sign up for the FREE Fall Early Math Forum coming up on October 5. Register here. (Bonus! You could win some of my books!)
Now, let’s get to all those activities!
—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.
Here is list of where to buy MathStart books!
• Level 1, Pre-K/ Kindergarten
Mighty Maddie (comparing weights)
Maddie's birthday party and the house is a mess! Toys are everywhere, even in the bathroom. Dad helps carry heavy things up to her room, while Maddie gathers the rest. But it's up to Maddie to put everything away. As Jumbo the cat and Teenie the dog watch, she turns into "Mighty Maddie," a caped super-hero able to sort toys in a flash by how much they weigh. The fire truck is heavy, but the ballerina tutu is light, and the feather tiara is even lighter. Sometimes things that are big, such as pillows, are lighter than things that are small, such as books. Will Maddie manage to get everything stashed away neatly in time for the party?
Understanding that the weight of an object is not always dependent on size—mass—is an important measurement.
• Level 2, Kindergarten / Grade 1:
Let’s Fly a Kite (symmetry)
It's a good thing that Hannah and Bob have such a nice, smart babysitter. When Laura suggests that they make a kite to fly at the beach, the kids immediately start arguing over whether it should be decorated with a lightning bolt or a whale. Laura draws a line down the length of the kite, so they each have exactly the same size and shape to draw on. Later, the children divide the back seat of the car, the beach blanket, and even their sandwiches into two equal parts.
Symmetry is a geometric property that helps children classify shapes.
• Level 3, Grades 2 - 4:
Lemonade for Sale (bar graphs)
When members of the Elm Street Kids' Club decide to sell lemonade to raise money to fix up their clubhouse, they do it in style.
Dressed in special “lemon hats,” with Petey the Parrot, the club mascot squawking, “Lemonade for Sale!,” business booms at first. Sheri keeps track on a bar graph, plotting the number of cups sold against the days of the week. But sales drop quickly when Jed the Juggler comes to town.
What will the Elm Street kids do?
Gathering, charting and comparing data is an important skill for assessing progress and making predictions.
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Lemonade for Sale is featured in The Main Street Kids’ Club: A MathStart Musical!
It’s a toe-tapper!
For more about graphs, see my latest book, Show and Tell: Great Graphs and Smart Charts!
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.
Here is list of where to buy I See I Learn books!
20% Discount for Sets of 16 books at the I See I Learn Store!
Camille’s Team (collaboration)
Camille loves to build sand forts at the beach. But it’s hard to build a big fort alone. See what happens when Camille and her friends make a plan, work together, and share the fun.
Learning how to work together to achieve a goal helps children develop mutual respect. Children see that they can get more done—and have more fun doing it!
Share the work. Share the fun!
Camila y su equipo (collaboracion)
A Camille le encanta construir castillos de arena en la playa. Pero, es difícil construir un castillo solita. Ve lo que sucede cuando Camille y sus amigos hacen un plan, trabajan juntos, y se divierten.
Aprendiendo como trabajar juntos para lograr una meta ayuda a los niños a desarrollar como respetar a los demás. ¡Los niños aprenden a completar más trabajos - y a divertirse mientras trabajan!
¡Compartir el trabajo! ¡Compartir la diversión!
Do you have a story or a question? Please send me an email!