At this Moment: Our Work in Math

 At the beginning of the year, we would ask the children to "show their work" at the Counting Jar, a weekly experience. 

The children did not understand why this was necessary. "We counted ten jewels....there just are ten jewels."

As time passed, the children began to see that the questions we asked during our math workshop were similar to the  questions asked throughout the day.

 "What do you think?"

 "How did you discover that theory or strategy?" 

"Would you explain that theory or strategy to others?"

"Would you draw your thoughts?"

 

Our world is a collage of shapes. The children deconstructed our environment  using shapes. 

What are the shapes that surround us?  This study is fluid, open and relevant to the children. There is always a social exchange and collaboration which in return heightens the learning and the complexity of the finished pieces. 

  

Geoboards have come along way and can still captivate. Shapes snugly fit next to other shapes. Several shapes overlap to form a new shape unexpectedly.

The game, Blockus, uses 21 shapes based on free polyominoes from one to five squares ( monomino, domino,  trominoes/triominoes,  tetrominoes, and pentominoes). The rules are simple but it does require much strategizing and consideration of spatial relations.

The Kindergarten is telling, writing, acting out and solving word problems using numbers. We realized that this is sometimes a different process than story writing (however a true writer cannot pass up the opportunity to insert some detail and suspense).