Full, Half, and Empty

Pouring water is a favorite activity for children. In this

occasion, the children were prompted to practice control
and precision to create mathematical awareness, in
particular an appreciation of quantity. The children started
pouring colored water from one cup to another as an initial practice. Then, the
students were shown how to pour up to the marked half level. For this, the
childrens hands required to be sufficiently controlled as the eye focused on the marked level. They were invited to
observe if they went above, below, or right on the half line, which also enriched their vocabulary about position and
quantity

Sorting and Matching Colors
Sorting is a beginning math skill. It may seem that early math is about learning
numbers and quantity, but there's much more to it. By sorting, children
understand that things are alike and different as well as that they can belong and
be organized into certain groups. While these are important skills for young
mathematicians to master, building a foundation for complex mathematical
thinking begins in the early
childhood years. In this occasion,
the teacher provided a method
that prompted the children to
sort colors using bowls and teddy bears. Since they sorted with
ease, the teacher provided a more complex game which required
meticulous observation. The children were challenged to match and
pair socks which were stripy and had different colors on the bottom
and on the top. The children said, I got a Pair! Recognizing
groups of objects that belong together requires logical thinking, which is an important skill
for all children to have.
An Investigation on Absorbency
As all babies use diapers and some of the children in the class are still in diapers we talked about diapers and how
they help keep babies dry. The children experimenting pouring the water into the diaper and then watching it
disappear. They measured how many cups of water the diaper could absorb. This allowed the children to develop
their mathematical and scientific curiosity. Throughout the activity the children wondered what happened to the
water and they learned about absorbency.




Demographics and Census in the Classroom
Who lives in your house? asked the teacher to the students as part of our
project on Families. The children were able to
enumerate the family members
living in their house, including pets.
This activity had a math
perspective which consisted of
creating a graph, counting using
one to one correspondence, and using rapid recall (a life-long
math skill). Since the statistics showed that most of the families
range from 3-5 members, the children were invited to recall
cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents to extend the counting skills.

Exploring Marbles
The students were presented with marbles on the light table. While
exploring, the students began to sort the marbles by colors and by
size. Some students even began to work together to collect as
many marbles of one color as they could. The students would pour,
count, sort, and collect the marbles. Sorting and
classifying are early math skills and develop as
the child gets older. This activity strengthens
their logical-mathematical intelligence as well as
reinforces their fine motor development.
Edible Math
The children were delighted to participate in this activity
about fractions and subtractions. While the children
exercised their fine motor skills by peeling the mandarins
skin, the teacher talked about this citrus nutritional
property: Vitamin C. Once their mandarin was peeled,
they had to split in into wedges, which were fractions of their
fruit. The teacher asked, How many wedges do you have?
When the children finished the counting process, the teacher prompted them to eat them,
which was the subtraction part. If you had nine wedges and you have eaten two, how many do
you have left? Is that more or less? asked the teacher. This activity turned a real world
situation, such as eating, into a subtraction equation, and then they solved it.

Patterns, Patterns, Patterns
It is important in early learning to introduce children to patterning as it helps
develop their understanding of mathematical concepts such as addition and
multiplication. To help develop this skill in the classroom, the students
revisited various pattern activities this week. Patterns are
everywhere, in clothes, routines and nature. Through
various beading activities the children expressed a
great interest in creating jewelry for themselves and
their families. Following the childrens interests, the
teachers brought out various beads and allowed them
to create bracelets. While beading these, the children created various
patterns with the different shaped and colored beads. The children
practiced shapes and colors as well as their fine motor skills. The children
also utilized different shapes stickers to develop their own patterns on paper.
Through these activities, they were able to expand their understanding of the
patterning concept. While out with the children, the teachers encourage parents to
help their children recognize the different patterns that surround them.
Art and Shapes
While investigating different artists from Russia the children explored the different geometrical
forms that Wassily Kandinskys utilized in his abstract work.
As an extension to studying his work, the children created a
collaborative painting utilizing different shapes. Through the
activity the children were able to learn about symmetry as
well as reviewing primary color mixing.
Organic and Geometric Shapes
When the children have tried to make shapes, they were heard
saying, I wanted to make a triangle or a square but it doesnt look
like a triangle or a square. The teacher said, Well, you were
making other kind of shapes, you made organic shapes. Organic
shapes are natural forms that are uneven, flow, are not
symmetrical, and are complex. To help the children have a better
understanding of organic shapes, they participated in the making
of a collage using organic and geometric shapes. While the
children were placing each shape on the contact paper, they were invited
to review if it was an organic or geometric shape.
Making organic shapes came easy to the children as they could let their
hand flow naturally while holding the color pencil. They also identify what
objects resemble to the organic shapes.

Discovering Shapes
Shape recognition begins in the early years of childhood
as students begin to identify the basic shapes; square,
triangle, circle, rectangle, diamond, and oval. Shape recognition combines
three separate skills; matching, identifying, and naming being the more
difficult skill. In this activity to have students recognize
shapes, they participated in a sensory activity where they were invited to
get their hands messy with shaving cream and discover the hidden shapes!