One bright fall morning, I notice that the noise level at Under the Gingko Tree is exceptionally low. A quick glance around reassures me that all of my early learners are safe and accounted for. Then I notice a quiet but intense play buzz happening in our rain garden, so I wander over to see what has captured the children’s unwavering attention for so long.

“See? We are using the log to make our hill!” Jameson explains to me. 

“We are rolling the rocks down the hill, but our hill has a tunnel!” giggles Noa. 

“They go in and then they roll down!” two-year-old Tariq tells me, trying to keep pace with his older friends.

“This rock is flat on this side. It won’t roll, just like Ricky!” Jameson reminds me. 

The rocks in the rain garden and a hollow log have triggered an idea from another one of our favorite books: Ricky, the Rock That Couldn’t Roll.

Ricky is a flat rock that can’t roll with his friends on their favorite hill. Ricky’s friends help him overcome his challenge and find a way for Ricky to play like everyone else.  

Suddenly we have piles of rocks that have the same names and characteristics as the rocks in the book. I love it when an idea takes hold and inspires creativity and collaboration as the children begin to plan an activity on their own.

We have a STEM morning unfolding in our outdoor classroom! When the children start using words like “in,” “down,” “over,” “under” and “next to,” they are laying the foundation for geometry. Oh, this is going to be a fun morning! 

As I watch the children design and develop models that represent their ideas, I think to myself, “This is what early math and science learning looks like.” Planning and carrying out simple investigations like this one will make your assessment nightmare seem like a dream. Math and science overlap so much in this morning’s quest for understanding. This is the kind of play that hones children’s problem-solving skills and enables them to meet important early learning milestones.

I see the young friends sorting and classifying piles of rocks—grouping the flat rocks together and then creating another classification for the rocks that will fit into the tunnel. I observe and listen as they demonstrate their comprehension of the sorting and classifying process by comparing and sharing descriptions. When children use words such as “short,” “wide,” “heavy” and “light,” they are using descriptors for measurement. When they are guessing, predicting, classifying and putting rocks in a specific order, they are engaging in early algebra. 

By making predictions, changing designs and collecting data for their next rock, the children are building the foundation for more advanced learning in data analysis and probability in the years to come.

“I think there is something blocking it in there….”  Jameson’s voice trails off as he inspects a rock more closely to see why it didn’t tumble in the way that he had expected. He has observed that the rock is encountering some resistance. This is friction!

This is how we lay the foundation of early science through childhood investigation and teamwork. Today, the children are learning about persistence and problem-solving, propelled by the simple but profound joy of creative play.

Now the children are discussing another STEM concept. “Should we flip the log on its other side or move it to a higher rock?” Jameson asks.

I introduce the vocabulary word for their latest STEM adventure: “elevation.”

“Like an elevator! It goes up to the top of the building!” Jameson declares.

I smile. It’s like throwing seeds into the wind. I never know which ones will land on a rock or take root in a little brain. Either way, this is learning through play. Changing the height (elevation) to get a faster roll is working with speed!

The children are also exhibiting a developing sense of spatial awareness as they work out where and in what direction the log should be placed.

“Maybe if we push it, it will go faster!” Sarah suggests.   

When you are working on those early learning standards, listen to the words that your students are using. When Sarah uses the word “push,” this is a change that leads to an action. The outcome of that action is an effect!

This is scientific investigation in progress. Words like “push,” “pull,” “launch” and “force” are all science action words. 

Ricky—the rock that started this play—is long forgotten. We have naturally moved on to racing our rocks down the tunnel. I am not sure that any child actually remembers which rock is “theirs,” but they know which rock came in first, second, third and last. These are the vocabulary words that tell us that the children are mastering rudimentary skills in numbers and operations. This is a morning of assessment magic! 

If you have ramps in your classroom, or this is the type of play that sparks your energy, try reading the book, Ricky, the Rock That Couldn’t Roll, aloud to the children. Then place some rocks that roll, along with rocks that don’t roll, in your block area. Observe the investigations that take place and check off some early learning standards of your own!

Happy November, my friends. Stay safe and keep playing!

]]> https://earlymathcounts.org/rock-and-roll/feed/ 14 13204 https://earlymathcounts.org/steam-learning-with-squirrel-traps/ https://earlymathcounts.org/steam-learning-with-squirrel-traps/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2020 13:10:30 +0000 http://earlymathcounts.org/?p=13116 “If the squirrel comes down from this direction, we can trap him under here!” yells Elliot. The playground equipment sits empty as Elliott, Harper and their fellow “squirrel trappers” congregate at the base of a towering oak tree in our neighborhood park.  The children have long been captivated by this venerable old oak, which has […]]]>

“If the squirrel comes down from this direction, we can trap him under here!” yells Elliot.

The playground equipment sits empty as Elliott, Harper and their fellow “squirrel trappers” congregate at the base of a towering oak tree in our neighborhood park. 

The children have long been captivated by this venerable old oak, which has served as a stimulating “natural laboratory” for many mathematical and scientific inquiries disguised as play.

Today’s outdoor learning adventure may look like a simple game of make-believe, but complex learning is taking place as the children use their creativity, observation, planning and problem-solving skills—along with their emerging knowledge of math and science—to construct a squirrel trap at the base of their beloved tree.           

“Wait! Wait! Are you trapping…Miss Suzy?”

Five-year-old Maya sounds slightly panicked as she blurts out the question. The urgency in her voice catches the squirrel trappers’ attention.

A booklover with a fertile imagination, Maya is worried about the beloved squirrel featured in our favorite fall book, Miss Suzy, by Miriam Young. This captivating story about a gray squirrel whose cozy home is invaded by a group of six red squirrels has been in our library since day one. If you haven’t read this classic, see if you can find it in your library. It’s an oldie, but a goodie. We have been reading this book to the children in our program for more than 30 years. Every autumn, without fail, I will hear a child say, “Hello Miss Suzy” to every squirrel we see. This charming literary tradition has been passed down through decades and generations in our Under the Gingko Tree Nature Classroom program!

“We aren’t trapping her, we are trapping the red squirrels,” the boys reassure Maya.

Relieved and intrigued, Maya joins the squirrel-trap design team. Soon, colorful leaves, acorns and other small seeds make their way into the trapping area. The older boys are shouting out orders to the younger trappers. “We need some sticks—about this long!” Elliott declares, using his hands to indicate the length of the sticks that will be needed. “And bark! We need some bark!”

The younger girls wander over to other tree trunks and begin to use their collections to create cozy squirrel homes like Miss Suzy’s. They seem content to leave the squirrel trapping to the boys. Three-year-old Lauren makes a squirrel nest by arranging pine cones in a circle on a bed of pine needles. From observing the upper branches of the tall trees that surround our school, Lauren knows that squirrel nests are round and full of leaves, acorns and possibly pine cones. These hands-on investigations are authentic learning experiences that the girls will remember and build on as they continue to hone their problem-solving skills.

Four-year-old Ava, our loose-parts aficionado, creates a home design all her own, using bark for the beds and acorns to represent the squirrels’ heads. She repurposes the acorn caps as bedside water bowls. Another acorn cap filled with tiny seeds and nuts becomes a food bowl for late-night snacking next to a “crackling campfire” consisting of a red leaf topped with stacked twigs. A green leaf becomes a staircase that the squirrels will use to exit their comfy abode.

We could knock out early learning standards galore just by studying the photo below! We find these delightful little creations all over our school grounds.

This fall, open the door to the possibility of using nature to create authentic, engaging and accessible science and math experiences through outdoor play. Throw away your “curriculum” stopwatch. If it’s snack time, hand out the snacks. Let them eat like pirates for the day. No one will die. No one will call the teacher police. If they do, I want you to whip out your school’s list of early learning standards and state your case. You hold the key! Let’s take play back for this generation of early learners! The fresh air will do us all good this fall. Stay safe, friends—and don’t forget to make time for learning through play!

This is a delightfully illustrated book that centers around a small red brick who grows up and tries to find her place in the world. She travels to lands near and far searching for a structure that she fits into. She visits castles and famous buildings and walls, searching for the place that feels like home. I won’t spoil the book and tell you where she ends up, but it is a lovely story about belonging and life. It is not necessarily obvious where the math come into play in this book, but it jumped out at me when mathematical vocabulary was used to describe the brick (small), the buildings (tall) and other math vocabulary words such as same, different, wide, etc. In addition, the illustrations lend themselves to talking about similarities and differences, size, shape and number.

This is a deep and thoughtful book that is perfect for a quiet time during the day or evening when you and your child(ren) have time to really examine the illustrations and talk not only about mathematical concepts, but about doing great things, being brave and belonging.

The second book is a classic children’s book written by Bill Martin and illustrated by Eric Carle called Polar Bear Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? This book is a delightful companion to their book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? 

Polar Bear Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? is a classic pattern book. A pattern book is typically a book with few sentences on each page that has a very repetitive and predictable sequence to it. This allows children to be able to anticipate what the next word of a sentence is because it is repeated throughout the book. The book starts with a Polar Bear who is asked “Polar Bear, Polar Bear, what do you hear?” The polar bear then states that he hears a “lion roaring in my ear.” The lion is then asked what he hears and he tells us…. and so on. Children easily begin to predict that each of the animals will be asked what they hear…using the same simple words each time.

How does this help children with mathematical thinking? The answer is PATTERNS! The repetitive nature and predictability of the story helps children begin to acquire the important skills of predicting and hypothesizing. To start to predict what comes next is an important math skill. Recognizing patterns provides the foundation for being able to make predictions based on observation of the repetition of patterns and, as children grow in their mathematical skills, later make predictions based on data.

I hope you will enjoy reading these two books to your child(ren) and that you will continue to find books that foster mathematical thinking and skills. Please share your favorite books with us in the comments and tell us how they help children develop mathematical skills!

There are two rather sophisticated, fun and fantastic books that I want to tell you about this week.

The first is a book written by Barbara Kanninen and illustrated by Serge Bloch called Circle Rolls.

The main character in this book is a spunky, bespectacled Circle. That’s right, a circle—and all kinds of funny things happen when Circle starts to roll.

As Circle rolls, he smacks into Oval, who rocks because he is not perfectly round, and Square, who sits because his sides are straight. As Rectangle is bumped into, he stands and, as Triangle is smacked, he points. Then, as Circle hits the point of the Triangle, he POPS!  All kinds of crazy things happens when Circle pops and, soon, other shapes get involved.

This book is perfect for talking about the attributes of each of the shapes (the circle is round, the triangle has three sides and three points, etc.) In addition, the words rhyme. Rhyming helps children experience the rhythm of language. Through rhyming, they can anticipate the rhyming word, which will help them with making hypotheses, or predictions—an important early math and science skill.

My three-year-old grandson, Charlie, loves me to read this book with him—and we both laugh a lot when that circle POPS! Laughing and learning at the same time is a fantastic way to spend an early morning story time.

The second book is about a bunch of party-loving hippos called Hippos Go Berserk by Sandra Boynton.

Hippos Go Berserk starts with one hippo sitting all alone who calls two hippo friends to come over. Those hippos bring other friends and the party begins as the house fills up with hippos playing, partying and working.

They go BERSERK having a fantastic time all night long. When dawn breaks, the hippos start to leave in groups until just the one hippo is left, missing the other 44 that were with him all night long.

This is a great book for practicing counting, composing (adding) and decomposing (subtracting). It is also a just a fantastically fun book that children and adults of all ages love.

I highly recommend these two fabulous, fun and fantastic books that will leave you and your children laughing while you learn!

Check it out.

Ann Morris’s many books include Families, Bread Bread Bread, Hats Hats Hats, On the Go, and Loving. She lives in New York City. As a children’s book writer, Ann Morris has been able to successfully integrate her varied experiences in teaching young children, travel, writing, and editing. Having grown up in the polyglot public schools of New York City, where each child’s ethnic heritage was revealed by his name or by the contents of the lunch box from home filled with sausages, egg rolls, matzos, or pizza, she developed a strong Interest In cultures other than her own. “I’m a gypsy by nature,” she says. “I always have my suitcase packed.”

The books are all nonfiction, focusing on various aspects of multicultural lives that are very much the same and very much different.  The book above centers on bread from around the world.   The way she approaches each subject is to choose something that is familiar to children, for example, bread and then introduces the children to the many different ways that bread looks and tastes in different communities around the globe.  She takes something that is familiar and conceptualized for children and provides a means of further exploration of the concept.  This only works (and works really well) because children already have personal understandings about the subject matter.  Starting with what may seem mundane, she expands the child’s experience via photos of real people.

Here she looks at houses,

and here she looks at shoes.

The opportunities to talk with children about same/different, compare/contrast,  and categorizing, using these books are endless.  The photographs (taken by her husband) are brilliant.  These are a must for your classroom library.

Many of these come from my favorites.  Some are new to me.  All are good.

Check it out.

20 Quotes From Children’s Books Every Adult Should Know

First, you need some backpacks.  They don’t have to be (they probably shouldn’t be) big or too sturdy.  They are really meant as a means of transporting the books to and from child care.  I bet you could find some really appropriate small backpacks at the dollar store for- you guessed it – a dollar!

Then you need extra copies of favorite books.  I might have a backpack for Eric Carle books, one for Ezra Jack Keats, one for Maurice Sendak, one for Arnold Lobel, one for Robert McCloskey, one for Beatrix Potter, one for Margaret Wise Brown, and one for Ann Jonas.  These are just some of my favorites, you would make your own.

In addition to putting one book in each backpack at a time (just in case the entire backpack goes missing) you might also put some other resources inside for parents.  You could include a handout about tips for reading aloud with children, or extension activities that will support the book concepts.  This doesn’t have to be too broad or complicated.  The idea is to get books home and into the hands of families.  They will be so appreciative.

There are multiple reasons why children may or may not have access to children’s books at home.  Most of these reasons are deeply contextualized and cannot be explained in one or two sentences.  No matter.  We can encourage the love of reading and book exploration at home through a variety of creative and supportive programs.

The first, and maybe the most obvious, is to create your own lending library where children can check out their favorite books and then have the responsibility of returning them.  I know, I know.  You are thinking about how you will either have to chase down the books to get them back, or how they might get destroyed- and they might.

Years ago, I began collecting children’s books.  Rarely, did I buy new books.  I went to the second hand store, or the used book store and bought copies of my favorites, even if I already had copies.  I did this so I always had several copies of the best books on hand, so if one went missing, I wouldn’t worry or fret.  I hoped that the missing book had found a good new home, where it was loved and read over and over, as it was meant to be.  Garage sales are also great places to find children’s books.  I ALWAYS look- just in case there is a copy of “Owl Babies” out there without a home.

The more you make your own lending library look like a “real” library with sign-out cards and due dates, the more likely families will treat it as such.  This website sells all of the materials you will need to get started.