Math & More: Activities about Time and Manners
Every other Wednesday, we post selections from our vast and wonderful archive of Early Math & Early Childhood Ed activities.
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Hello!
Can you believe how quickly time flies? Before you know one second turns into 60, which is a minute; 60minutes is an hour; 24 hours is a day; 7 days is a week; 365 days is a year (except, of course, in a “leap year” which has 366 days).
Multiply by 10 and 3,652 days is a decade! (Leap years come once every four years, so there are two of them in a decade, which the extra two days.)
Months can be as short as 28 days or as long as 31 days. When I was growing up, this is how we were taught to remember the number of days in each month:
Thirty days hath (has) September, April, June, and November.
All the rest have 31,
except February, which has 28, but sometimes 29.
So that’s four months that have 30 days, seven months that have 31 days, and February which has an extra “leap day” every four years.
That adds up to 12 months in a year (4 + 7 + 1 = 12).
Do you know anyone with a February 29 birthday? How many birthdays will they have in a decade (10 years)?
This week, our three featured MathStart books are:
It’s About Time (hours)
Get Up and Go! (timelines)
Rodeo Time (reading a schedule)
Our featured I See I Learn story is about being polite. Good manners make such a difference. “Please” really is a magic word! And doesn’t it feel good to hear “thank you” for something you’ve done? Then you can say, “You’re welcome!”
Freda Says Please (being polite)
Thank you for reading my newsletter!
– 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 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 (reading a schedule)
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.
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 find I See I Learn books!
20% Discount for Sets of 16 books at the I See I Learn Store!
Freda Says Please (being polite)
Freda likes to play school. But when she pretends to be the teacher, she doesn’t always say “please” and “thank you.” See how her friends help Freda learn how to be polite.
Saying “please,” “thank you” and “you’re welcome” shows respect for others and demonstrates appreciation for kind behavior.
Thank you for reading my book!
FREE POSTER
Social Skills: Chart of Span Across Domains
Do you have a story or a question? Send me an email!