Empowering Parents to Teach- Weather craft

Weather Book and Craft

 

Spring is often a time when we think about the changing weather.  Pairing this craft and book will help your child learn about weather, foster reading comprehension, and learn to support ideas with evidence!

 

My son came home from preschool with an adorable craft which went along perfectly with a book we got from the library!

 

Craft idea:

 

Weather craft

 

 

 

 

 

 

They used a strong paper plate as the base, cotton for clouds, and cut- out shapes for a rain drop, the sun, and the kite.  The kite string is made out of ribbon.  The arrow is movable so you can turn it to whatever the weather may be each day.  What a great idea!

 

Pair this craft with the book, What Will Weather Be Like Today by Paul Rogers and you have a fun way to reinforce weather concepts for little learners.  The text is simple and focuses on one type of weather per page.

 

While reading the book, I would ask questions to my preschooler about clues that we see in the pictures to increase comprehension.  For example, the first type of weather mentioned is wind.  The author writes, “Will it be windy?”.   I asked my son what clues do we see in the picture that lets us know that it is windy outside.  At first, he did not have a response.  After giving him enough time to think I said, “Oh look, I see a clue, look at how the tree branches are tilted to one side.  That must be because the wind is pushing on it.”  You can even have the child recall a time when they saw tree leaves moving in the wind.  After hearing my example he pointed to the background where we see smoke being pushed in the wind and said, “I see a clue!”  We continued to find all the windy clues that we could.

 

We did this for the different types of weather.  We noticed people bundled up in the cold weather and people swimming and wearing shorts in the warm weather.  Dark, gray clouds and lightning let us know it was stormy.  Again, when possible relate this to the child’s own personal experiences with the weather mentioned. Have you ever been in a storm?  Were the clouds dark?  Does your child like to swim in the summer time to cool off?  All of these questions help children relate the information to their own experiences which fosters comprehension.

 

Each day, use the craft to show what the current weather is.  Don’t just state the weather, support it with evidence! How do you know it’s windy?  Have the child tell you the clues (evidence).  They will be thinking like a scientist :)

 

 

 

Empowering Parents To Teach- More or Less Game

Comparing Numbers With Math Bears

Comparing Number Quantities- More or Less

 

One of the earliest math skills children learn is the concept of more or less.  We know easily (as adults) that five is more than three, but to young ones this takes hands on experience with objects to gain this understanding.  I’ll show you one way to gain that experience through a fun game. My three year old LOVES this game! I made it up for him after he watched me and his brother play the card game, War.

 

More or Less game

Materials:

  • Math Bears
  • Playing Cards

 

Set-up:

  • Take out any cards that are not numbers, such as the Joker,  Ace,  King,  Queen,  Jack, you only need the number cards.
  • Put the cards face down in one big pile

 

How to play:

1. Each player takes a card from the top of the pile and places it in front of him or herself with the number facing up.

Empowering Parents To Teach- game

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Each player takes out the corresponding number of math bears and lines them up next to his or her card. I would do this in turns. Have the child or parent go first, then switch. That way, the child sees both numbers being constructed.

 

Empowering Parents To Teach- More or Less Game

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. The child may be able to visually see that one number quantity is bigger than the other. If not, try lining them up closer to each other and matching them one to one, like this:

 

Empowering Parents To Teach- More or Less

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Have the child compare which line is longer.  Remember, this only works if you line them up one to one.  Ask the child if they have more or less than you.  If the child has more, he or she wins.  If they have less, you win.

 

5. What if you both have the same quantity? Teach your child the term “equal”. You both have an equal number of bears.  You both win!

 

6. Repeat as many times as your child wants.

 

Teaching Tip: To extend this as your child advances with the skill, you can have your child compare how much larger a number is.  For example, using this method the child can see that five bears is bigger than three bears by two bears. 

 

This game is very simple, but lots of fun!  I made it up on the spot, which is why I love having my math bears handy.  You never know when they may be needed!

Empowering Parents To Teach: Adding with math bears

Adding with Math Bears

Making Math Hands On: Adding With Math Bears

 

Once your child has developed one to one correspondence, he or she can begin to understand addition.  There are many ways to incorporate adding into your day.  When you are playing with cars, for example, count how many cars you have.  Ask your child, “How many cars would you have if I added two more?”  Add two more cars and count them all together.  This is how I introduce the concept of adding, in the context of play with real objects.

 

After the child seems comfortable with the concept, I would add the number representation of the problem along with the manipulatives.   Eventually, after a lot of practice, the child can add without the aid of objects.  But there is no rush!  You want your child to add in a hands-on fashion enough times so that he or she can form mental representations in their minds.  Until then, they need the physical representation of the problem. This takes time and practice and it is very necessary.

 

How to show the physical representation of an addition problem:

 

The set up:

  • Tray
  • Math bears on the right side
  • Foam numbers 0-9 on top
  • A couple of addition problems (based on child’s level) on the left

 

Empowering Parents To Teach: Hands on adding with math bears

 

Empowering Parents to Teach: Numbers

Numbers 0-9

 

Step 1:  Draw a card with an addition problem.

 

Step 2:  Have the child put the corresponding number of bears for the top number and the bottom number. These two numbers are called addends.

 

Empowering Parents To Teach: Adding with math bears

Step 3:  Explain that the (+) plus sign tells us that we are to count the bears all together.  So if we have one bear and we add five more bears, how many do we have all together?  The child may begin to count all the bears.  If not, show the child how to count them all together.  Sometimes moving them together helps:

Empowering Parents to Teach: Adding with math bears

Putting them all together

 

I put them all together under the equal sign so that the child gets a visual image of where the answer goes.

 

Step 4:  Have the child find the number that corresponds to the quantity.

Empowering Parents To Teach: Adding math bears

 

 

Teaching Tip:  As your child learns the concept of addition, he or she is also learning math vocabulary.  Words like, “plus”, “all together”, “equals”, “sum”, and “addend” are great words to include in your explanation.

 

The more hands on practice your child has with the concept the better!  Often times, we jump too fast into paper and pencil before the child was able to form a solid foundation of the concept.  If your child comes home with addition homework and needs your help- break out the math bears!

 

Linked to: Montessori Monday on Living Montessori Now

 

 

 

Empowering Parents to Teach: Math Manipulatives

Math Manipulatives Must Haves

There are two items I always have around to help teach math- math bears and linking cubes. If I am tutoring, helping with my son’s homework, or trying to answer my preschooler’s math question, these two tools come in very handy!

 

Math is best learned in a hands on way. These two items allow me to do that by creating a physical representation of a math problem or concept. The best part is I can use them for so many things, I don’t have to buy a ton of different materials!

 

For older kids, there are a couple more items I like to keep around for more advanced concepts. I will share those in another post. You’d be surprised how much learning you can foster with just these two! If you are preparing your environment for teaching math, these are both great to have.

 

 

Math Bears

Empowering Parents to Teach: Math Manipulatives

 

 

Linking Cubes

 

Empowering Parents to Teach: Math Manipulatives

 

Both can be used for:

 

 

To order these on Amazon:

*These are affiliate links which means if you make a purchase from the links below, I receive a very small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.


Baby Bear Counters (102 ct.)


MathLink Cubes (Set of 100)

Snap Cubes Set Of 100 (Sorry, no picture)

Ordinal Numbers: Connections in Literature

 

Math Connections: Ten Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin Jr.

Aside from learning cardinal numbers (our counting numbers), such as one, two, three, etc., kids also learn to use ordinal numbers such as first, second, third, and so on. Bill Martin Jr.’s book Ten Little Caterpillars is the perfect book to introduce ordinal numbers to your child!

 

In this book, we meet ten caterpillars. Each caterpillar is introduced one at a time and referred to by it’s position or ordinal number. For example, we meet the first caterpillar, then the second caterpillar, all the way until the tenth caterpillar who eventually turns into a butterfly. The sentences are very short and have a rhyming pattern. This makes the book easy to read and allows you focus on the new concept of ordinal numbers. If your child already knows ordinal numbers have your child predict what will come next in the pattern. This book is a great resource to reinforce the idea for your child!

 

How to extend this:

  • When you are walking up the stairs, have your child say out loud, “First step, second step, third step…” until you reach the top.
  • Line up a group of toys (cars, action figures, blocks, dolls,) and ask your child questions such as, “Which car is third in line?”. If your child needs help, show him or her how we start on the left for the first car, the next one is second, the next one is the third car.
    Empowering Parents to Teach- ordinal numbers

    You can use cars in a line.

  • When you are playing a game, state who is going first, second, third, etc.
  • If you are playing baseball outside, for example, you may keep track of the pitches you threw- first pitch, second pitch, third pitch, and on.
  • Making a salad? Tell your child, the first step is wash the lettuce, the second step is slice the tomato, third step is cut the carrots, etc. Or, use ordinal numbers when you are following a recipe.

  • Toys around the house:

       Melissa & Doug Caterpillar Gear Toy  (Bonus: This toy also practices motor skills, color recognition, and spacial skills)

  • There are so many possible ways to use ordinal numbers. Anything in order can be identified with an ordinal number. Keep your eye out for those opportunities and include your children. It won’t take them long to catch on!

 

Teaching Tip: These activities show children how ordinal numbers are used in everyday life. It puts the skill in context of how it is actually used, versus a contrived experience or worksheet. Real life application gives the child a better understanding of the concept and allows the child to later extend that knowledge to new situations. 

 

Science Connections 

In the book we also see:

  • The caterpillars eat leaves, flowers, and vegetables.
  • One caterpillar build a chrysalis.
  • The caterpillar becomes a butterfly.
  • The end of the book shows art work of different kinds of caterpillars and what they look like when they become a butterfly or moth.

All of these things can spark conversation about the life cycle of caterpillars!

 

Enjoy the story!

 

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase on Amazon from this link, I receive a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you.

Amazon links:


Ten Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin Jr.

 

Melissa & Doug Caterpillar Gear Toy