Call it a coincidence, or call it karma, but this morning’s post about the “Relativity in the Weather” was written before this most recent bout of weather that Chicago and the surrounding area is enjoying. If I were the weather person today, I would be using words like “the rainiest”, “the darkest”, “the yuckiest”, the […]
Sometimes it is easier to think about the weather in relative terms, since temperature may be an ambiguous concept for children. However, if asked in the right way, children might be able tell you if today is sunnier than yesterday was, or if it is colder. This is a great place for adults to use […]
Here’s another one from the one and only Sid the Science Guy. In this game, children click on the weather wheel which spins around and around. When it stops, Sid tells the children what kind of weather it is outside. There are all sorts of weather-specific clothes hanging near Sid and children have to dress […]
Goal 8 of the Early Learning and Development Standards is to Identify and describe common attributes, patterns and relationships in objects. Learning Standard A — Explore objects and patterns. Benchmarks 8.A.ECa – Sort, order, compare and describe objects according to characteristics or attributes. 8.A.ECb – Recognize, duplicate, extend and create simple patterns in various formats. […]
Most of the Blog readers on the Math at Home site are Chicagoans. In Chicago, we have been living with the reputation of being the most dangerous city in the country for well over a year. We have earned this distinction because of the widespread gun violence that is an ever growing epidemic. We wake […]
We might all agree that young children begin to develop geometric concepts when they are able to identify simple shapes, not simply by memorizing the words of the shapes but by recognizing the attributes of a shape by its characteristics (a triangle has 3 sides- and is therefore, by definition a Triangle). Solid shapes are […]
I approach all parents from the perspective that they love their child(ren) as much as I love mine. If you accept this as a premise, working with all parents becomes much easier. It is far simpler to believe that parents are making decisions and behaving the way they are because they think it is best […]
Job charts are a common site in early childhood settings. There is usually a “door holder” and “line leader”. There is a “table setter” and a “librarian”. Usually, there are just enough jobs so that every child has a job. Some teachers like to switch jobs daily and others like to keep them […]
On Monday we looked at a really great classroom tool that helps children keep track of time. That is a very different idea than telling time. It takes children a long time to be able to look at a traditional clock face and tell the time. They need to be able to count to 60, […]
Learning Standards B and C continue to describe the state expectations for young children and early measurement concepts. Learning Standard B – Begin to make estimates of measurements. Benchmarks 7.B.ECa Practice estimating in everyday play and solving everyday measurement problems. Example Performance Descriptors Make predictions and estimations during play (e.g., estimate how many scoops of […]