On Monday, I wrote about pentominoes as a great manipulative for young children. The shapes that make up a pentominoes set are always created by combining 5 squares (pent=5). These can then be manipulated to create larger shapes as well as. There is a fun website connected to Blue Balliett’s book Chasing Vermeer. Children can […]
The first time I read anything by Marian Wright Edelman, I was a student at the University of Illinois-Chicago, and I remember feeling so moved by her words. Our professor had assigned “The Measure of Our Success” and I felt that every page was inspirational, truthful, enlightening and thought-provoking. Yesterday, the Children’s Defense Fund publicized […]
I started doing some research on developing a budget for a home-based or center-based child care center. I found dozens and dozens of resources available online, but when I went to actually complete a budget myself, I found that many of the terms/line items were unfamiliar to me. So, before we look at creating a […]
When my oldest son was in 4th grade, we started a mom and child book group with a great group of kids who all went to different schools. This was a great way for us to get together on a regular basis so we could talk about books and reconnect with one another. One of […]
I’ll never forget the first moment when I actually witnessed, first hand, a child constructing knowledge right in front of me. This was long before I had children of my own and had the privilege of watching the construction of knowledge unfold before my very eyes every single day. I was an assistant kindergarten teacher […]
Happy New Year to All of My Early Math Counts friends. Have you been discussing the concept of the “new year” with your kids? I hope so. I actually remember when a teacher said to me when I was really young, “I’ll see you next year.” This was at the end of December and I […]
On Monday, I wrote about the Chinese puzzle “Tangrams.” This website allows children to complete puzzles with the Tangram shapes on the screen. There are easy puzzles and harder puzzles. I am spatially-challenged so even the easiest puzzles are too hard for me. However, there are some children who have really strong spatial skills who […]
During the month of January, we will be looking at the Business of Child Care. I can’t tell you how frequently I have young people come to my office telling me that they want to open their own child care center. Many want to open home-based centers, while others are intent on establishing a bigger […]
A Tangram is a Chinese puzzle that has 7 shapes. They are always the same, in every set. There are: • Two large right triangles • One medium-sized right triangle • Two small right triangles • One small square • One parallelogram According to Gwen Dewar, PhD. in Parenting Science (2009) Arranged correctly, the shapes […]
No, this is not about food (well it might be, sometimes). It is just a little tidbit of information to keep you thinking about math all day long. These will appear from time to time….just to keep everyone excited about math.