It's almost Labour Day! This time of year always fills me with hope. Although it's sometimes sad to be leaving the fun and comforts of summer - spending time with my children, sleeping in, enjoying the back yard with my pup - it's exciting to think of the possibilities of another school year. Like a blank canvas waiting to be painted our classroom evolves and changes over time as the children and I learn and explore together.  As we head back into the school year many educators are working thoughtfully to create environments that are rich with math possibility. In Reggio Emilia the envi ..read more

"Exploring trees outdoors is an enjoyable experience that children love to do! Swinging from a branch, exploring leaves and bark, and observing gnarled roots are all favourite activities that also integrate rich learning. Heading outside to explore the yard uses children's excitement and enthusiasm for sensory and nature experiences to inspire rich mathematical and scientific inquiries about what they are seeing and experiencing."   I was excited to see a review of my book Tree Math in the MAMT Spring Journal! You can access the review here ..read more

The solar eclipse of 2024 is an exciting event for children! Here are some resources I quickly put together to help educators and families explore the eclipse and use it to inspire a few activities! Here is a great picture book to help explain what an eclipse is: Here is a video that delves into the science behind the eclipse: Here's a neat time lapsed video of an eclipse: And here are three quick and easy math resources to use that capture children's excitement about the entire experience! 1. Roll, Subitize and Cover the Suns! 2. Which One Doesn't Belong? 3. See, Think and Wonder ..read more

I have spent time reviewing many of the resources and materials I have created over the years. Over the next few weeks I would like to share some on this blog. Learning the names and sounds of upper- and lower-case alphabet letters take time, patience and practice. Many families are eager for 'take home' activities to help their children practice literacy skills at home. Educators are also looking for easy to gather and implement small group work for children to use at school. In this file I have shared 20 alphabet activities that can be printed and shared with families or used with children ..read more

St. Patrick's Day is a fun holiday that helps jump start the spring season! Here are a few easy to plan math activities for children! 1. Shamrock Subitizing- Write different numerals in the center of each shamrock and encourage children to place dominoes with the corresponding number of pips in each leaf.   2. Estimation/Counting Jars - Fill jars with a variety of different seasonal loose parts. Encourage children to estimate how many objects are in each jar. They can then use a variety of math tools (e.g., number grid, ten frame, hundreds chart) to count the total objects. These can then ..read more

A fun activity this time of year is to decorate ugly holiday sweaters with a variety of loose parts! This activity promotes math as children create patterns on the sweaters. An interesting discussion of the differences between area and perimeter usually emerges as children use strings of beads to outline the sweater while filling it in with seasonal trinkets.             Click here for a copy of the free printable sweater page.     ..read more

The holidays are such a lovely time of year to spend with children! However the last few weeks before the winter break can be hectic. Here are ten easy to assemble activities that can infuse playtime with math by capturing the magic of the season! Many of the seasonal loose parts included in these photos were found at the local dollar store. Enjoy! 1. Count the Presents - offer children mini presents (or other seasonal trinkets including bells or ornaments) and number cards. Encourage children to match the corresponding number of objects to the cards. Children can also place presents on a lami ..read more

“There is an unreasonable joy to be had from the observation of small birds going about their bright, oblivious business.”  Grant Hutchison   Colder weather and light snow this week have inspired new observations during outdoor play and exploration. The children have noticed birds hiding in the trees. It's been fun to watch them flit from branch to branch, observe their tracks in the snow and identify their different calls. I hoped to continue with these observations indoors. I introduced Cornell's live bird cam and invited children to spend time observing the animals that visited th ..read more

Subitizing is the ability to instantly recognize the number of objects without actually counting them.   This week we practised subitizing using a number cube and this subitizing grid. Children rolled the number cube and dabbed a corresponding square on the grid. There are so many possibilities for how else children can extend this game. It's perfect for small group math work, a math center or independent practice during whole group time. Visit the link to download a copy of the grid. Enjoy ..read more

I grabbed a coffee from a drive through this past weekend. While there I chatted with the employee working at the window. I asked him how his day was going. "It was great until about five minutes ago," he said. "I just saw my former math teacher. I haven't seen him in years. Nice guy but I dreaded his class. I just never really felt like I belonged. I hated the math. Just couldn't relate. Seeing him brought up all those old feelings for me again." As someone who loves math I was devastated to hear this story. As a kindergarten educator I try my best to cultivate a safe and supportive space wh ..read more