Walking Wed.

 

An invitation to show what you know about numbers greeted our friends today.

Dice, numeral tiles, loose parts and our amazingly smart brains were all the materials we needed to let you teachers know what you were thinking!

Most of our friends began by rolling the dice and counting the dots.

"I got 5" JL

"Ahh, I got 3 this time!" JL

"Five again!" JL

JL you were turning your rolling and counting into a fun game for yourself.  I could tell that you were aware of the quantity of the number and were trying to roll the highest number you could.

HW you were dropping the dice and finding the numeral tile that was the number you rolled.

I wondered how you might show me those numbers with our loose parts.

"I, 2, 3....." HW

You showed me lots of ways to create numbers!

CG you sat down and immediately declared, 

"Three and three makes six!" CG

What?!  How do you know that?  Show me!

"I counted on my fingers!" CG

You wrote, counted, and wrote again.

"Roll the dice again and see what I get next." CG you asked me.

I rolled again and I got a 1 and a 5

"WHAT?  Six again???" CG

This sparked a great time of work and learning where we talked all about how these things can BOTH make six.  I wondered how you knew that 5 and 1 made six when I hadn't seen you counting.

"Because when you're 5 years old then the next time you are six!" CG

Wow!  You are thinking about something you know and connecting it to our math invitation!

Kiss that smart brain!  You know a lot about numbers!

             AD you were rolling the dice, counting the loose parts, looking for the numeral tile, and then writing the number down on the dry erase board!  You created a game for us to play together by asking me to roll the dice so you could see what numbers to find next.  I loved watching your brain light up as you noticed how these materials all went together to create a world of math!

Often during the day we have an awkward amount of time to fill.  Not enough time for a full invitation but too much time for nothing.

One of Ms L's favorite games is "I'm thinking of......"

And our friends get to guess what it is!

Sometimes I'm thinking of an animal.  Sometimes I'm thinking of a food.  One time I was even thinking of something a person might wear.

Our friends know now that they need to ask "clue questions" to figure out what is in my brain.

The Birch friends LOVE this variation of twenty questions so much that we have noticed them begin to play in amongst themselves!

As we took our Walking Wednesday adventure I couldn't help but smile as I watched and listened to these friends.

We were thankful for the sunshine and the chance to enjoy our beautiful community today.

Now I know my A, B, Cs

 

What letters can you create from these materials?

Our friends were so excited to show us what they know about creating letters.

There was such a combination of approaches.

Some friends chose a letter from the basket to help them create.

Some friends constructed a letter first and then found the corresponding one in the basket.

Some friends built their letters on the floor, others in the air, and still others placed them on the projector surface.

A few friends even traced the GIANT letters on the wall with their whole bodies!

We used our fingers and hands.

We used our arms and legs.

We used our brains!

"I made this one." ESE

"I want to make this one." JL

"I made an 'O'!" MS

"It's an 'F'!" PS

"I'm trying to make a 'Q'." CF

Make it Monday!

 

"What day is it Ms L?" RM

"It's Monday."

"Yeah! Make-it Monday!!!" RM

The routine and predictability of our days are a source of security and comfort for our friends.  We "make" something different every Monday - we are flexible after all - the security comes in the knowledge that we will be creating!

So, what did we make today?

PLAYDOUGH!

We have been working our way through several recipes in search of the best one and today we found it!

Following a recipe takes a lot of hard work!

We are measuring and using words like "biggest", "smallest", "medium"

We are paying attention to filling up our measuring utensils to the "very tippy top but don't spill!"

We are working together to hold our measuring tools so still so a friend can pour into them.

We are working on using two hands together to carefully fill our tiny measuring spoons.

"It doesn't look like playdough at all!!!!"

Nope, not yet!

But...with a little heat and a lot of muscles...

"It's SO soft!" JI

"This is the best playdough ever!"