In this activity, we will create a Hexbug maze using straws, popsicle sticks, tape, and poster board! This fun activity not only allows young children to deepen their understanding of spatial relationships by connecting words, actions and symbols, but also gives them opportunities to build and problem solve. Many young children understand concepts related to […]
Spatial reasoning is a set of cognitive functions and skills that enable us to understand and describe spatial relationships between objects, others and ourselves. Our relationship with spatial reasoning begins at birth. Infants use these skills to recognize human faces, understand their body/body parts, and location of objects and others in relation to themselves. As […]
Spring is right around the corner here in the Grand Valley. Farmers and families are starting to plan out their vegetable and fruit gardens. To me this is truly the start of the New Year as it represents a shift in both the weather and the activity level of the community. We get to see […]
Cats and dogs have always been a large part of my life. I have fond memories of my grandparents dog Pepie, cat Tiger, and my favorite horse Sniffer. Pepie would ride with us to feed the horses and run around the pasture with reckless abandon. Sniffer loved having me visit because it meant a treat […]
Our nation is seeing an expanding interest in healthy foods that are grown in local family and small business gardens. This link will help you find one in your area: https://www.ams.usda.gov/local-food-directories/farmersmarkets . In my area, starting in June, there are several farmers markets that offer a wide variety of seasonal goodies to take home. Everything from fresh […]
Grandma Great always had a flower garden no matter where she lived. I remember, as a young child, helping to plant, tend, and then harvest the garden foods that we would later eat. At her house there were two sections set aside for flowers, one in the front and one on the side where there […]
Welcome to our final blog entry for this month. Throughout the month, we have talked about the importance of helping our youngsters not only know their numbers, but also understand what they represent. This ability to understand what numbers represent lays the foundation for future mathematical thinking. Therefore, it is important that our children have […]
Welcome to week three! Hope you had fun playing the matching dot games. Do you see dots everywhere now? Get ready for another dot-filled week! For this week’s activity we are going to reinvent the game of bingo. Again, we will not be using symbolic representation of numbers. Instead, we will be representing numbers with […]
As we talked about last week, subitizing is foundational and relies on visual patterns. Often parents focus on symbolic representations of numbers and encourage their children to memorize these symbols. Parents might believe that when their children know these symbols they have an understanding of what that symbol means and represents. However, “knowing” the number […]
Have you ever seen children as young as three who can count up to 100, but struggle to answer when you ask what comes after number 100. It is not uncommon that young children learn rote counting without really understanding the meaning behind the numbers. How can we help our children develop a deeper understanding […]