Height is probably one of the first ways we explore measurement with young children. Words like “shorter” and “taller” already exist in a young child’s vocabulary. How “tall” someone is visual and easily seen. Children are very interested in themselves, so conversations about how “big” or “tall” they are is engaging to them. When I […]
On Wednesday, one of my practicum students brought me last spring’s edition of Parental News from DFSS and the UIC Center for Literacy. The whole edition was dedicated to Math in Action. Here is a link to an electronic version in English and here is one in Spanish. On page 3, there is an interview […]
This morning I posted “Tangrams” which was look at tangrams, a Chinese puzzle. I thought that my first introduction to tangrams, was through the book Chasing Vermeer, but one of my most avid readers reminded me (at 6:30 AM) that the book was not about tangrams, but about pentominoes. I really did think my memory […]
Growing up I lived in a house with 5 people. There was me, my mom, my dad, and my two sisters for a total of 5. We also always had a dog, so there were really 6 members of my family in the house. When my older sister left home, there were 4 of us […]
I don’t know about you, but understanding the Electoral College is really difficult. Today, some of your children might be talking about yesterday’s election. They might want to talk about it. They might want to explore it a little. If you pull out the newspaper, you can show the children the map of the United […]
This is a another good one. Champ the monkey is eating lots of bananas. He needs help counting how many bananas he is eating. Not only can children see him take bananas one-by-one out of the bunch, but he also throws the peel to the ground so children can count them there as well. This […]
Vote here ! Which candidate do you think will provide more support for young children, families and communities over the next 4 years?
Are you going to have a mini-vote in your center or classroom tomorrow? Young children don’t need to take on the adult worries of the actual election, but having a small election for something small and meaningful to them is a great way to introduce the democratic process, teach them about the “majority,” and offer […]
These nesting rings are a traditional first sequential toy for infants. They are usually made of plastic so they can be gummed and chewed to an infant’s content. Much like the nesting dolls and nesting blocks of the past 2 Mondays, these rings provide the youngest children with a toy that supports sequencing. Most infants […]
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