The notion that young children simply “count” the same way they recite their ABC’s is a misconception of this skill. Yes, young children can memorize a set of words in order (one, two, three, four, etc.) but understanding that each of those words represents a quantity is a skill that comes much later. Knowing “how many” is […]
This little piggie went to market. This little piggie stayed home. This little piggie had roast beef. This little piggie had none. And this little piggie cried, “Whee whee whee” all the way home. There is nothing on earth as precious as baby toes. They are so little and soft and squishy and I really […]
Do you remember kids who were good at math, but not so good at reading and social studies? I do. It seemed like people fell into two groups; those who were good at math and those who were good at reading. Nowadays, it is impossible to be good at math if you are not a […]
Did you know that Early Math Counts has a Pinterest page? We set it up so that we could share ideas about early childhood environments that our readers might find interesting. Most of the images on this site depict areas of the ece environment that support early math learning, although there are some that are […]
I am very lucky to have many friends and colleagues who forward me great tidbits to add to this blog. Yesterday, Dr. Kathleen Sheridan (co-creator of Early Math Counts) sent me this link to the Academic Minute, a radio program from the northeast corner of the US, in which academics from around the country present a […]
Last week, I wrote about egg cartons as a tool that is easy-to-find, free, and versatile. You can’t imagine my excitement when I find these eggs at our local Costco. I immediately started imagining all of the ways I would use this empty carton in my classroom, if I still had one. As a sorting […]
A friend of ours forwarded me this picture over the weekend. A friend of hers saw it and sent it along because she thought it was so great. I, too, think it is great because it is relevant. I don’t know how meaningful this old rap is to young children, and I don’t really know very much […]
There’s a lot of money rolling into the State of Illinois because of the Race to the Top initiatives, and a nice big chunk of that has been set aside for early learning. One of the products of this work is the Illinois Early Learning Project, which includes a website where you can find “evidence-based, reliable […]
I am not sure if I should wish us a “Happy Birthday” or a “Happy Anniversary” but it surely is a Happy Day for all of us at Early Math Counts. 2 years ago today, we launched the Early Math Counts website and I began this blog. Since that time, there have been tens of thousands […]
Many years ago I went to visit one of my students at her center and it was one of those days when everything I saw seemed new and exciting. Sometimes, when you have been in the business of child care and education for as long as I have, you begin to think you have “seen […]