Fun and Easy Ways to Teach Telling Time

“I want to learn to tell time!”

Interest means “I am all in and listening!”

I went to find our student, geared clock purchased at an educational resource store. It’s pretty, with gears and moving hands. Littles loved it.

For this learner, making our own clock sounded like a better idea; and hence, I fostered the ownership of the idea. I smiled, knowing if we worked together on the project, there would be greater, meaningful buy in.

Relationships matter.

I chose a dinner plate from the kitchen cabinet, turned it upside down on cardstock, and traced.

My little learner couldn’t wait to cut along the pencil line.

Next, we searched our sticker collection for numbers, big ones! It wasn’t long before we found them and my little learner eagerly placed them on the freshly cut out clock while I cut out the hands and found a brass brad in the junk drawer. She colored the hands by the time I made it back to the table.

Since our initial introduction to and exploration with the clock, many fun impromptu lessons have blossomed, first learning to tell time to the hour, then the half- and quarter-hour, and finally, minutes. She loves moving the hands to match a given time. To encourage the connection to symbolic representation, I have her use the hands to show the time and then ask her write the time on paper, modeling one or two examples first. We’ve also used the clock to practice counting by five. Our homemade clock has been a welcomed learning resource, and we’re very proud of our crafty accomplishment.

Materials

A dinner plate

Number stickers

Minute hand, cut out of cardstock

Hour hand, cut out of cardstock

Beyond the Paper Clock

It’s important for children to learn to tell time on both analog and digital clocks and watches. With this in mind, we’d purchased our little learner a fun watch, which she picked out among the masses available. Though she was curious about it and about time, the real “need” to know wasn’t strong enough to foster the learning of the concept…at that time. However, when the interest resurfaced, I encouraged.

Investigate other ways to keep time: water clocks, cuckoo clocks, egg timers, grandfather clocks, pendulum clocks, alarm clocks, and stop watches.

Search for clocks in use in public places. This can be a fun way to pass time while waiting in line.

Use the stop watch on your phone to internalize Elapsed time. Children need to know what a minute (or five and thirty) “feels” like, and elapsed time is a hard concept for children to understand. Stopwatches help master the concept. This new found time tool will add spark to afternoon doldrums. Try timing

• cars going down a ramp,

• family members running around the block,

• the length of time it takes to boil water, and

• relay races.

Use an egg timer to brush teeth.

Read picture and non-fiction books about time (extensive list in my book, Cultivating Curiosity)

Hearing the excitement, “I want to learn to tell time!”?

Dig in and make it intentional, real, and relational!

When Learning Doesn't Have a Paper Trail

Learning is often measured in paper. Thirty-problem speed drills. Handwriting practice sheets. Chapter tests. Lab reports. Paragraph summaries. In and of themselves, these items aren't terrible or wrong. They have their place. However, valuable learning also takes place when there are no visible, tangible traces, especially when teaching young children.

Last spring, we had one of those weeks where significant educational progress was made but not all our activities could not be measured in paper. Our experiences were stellar and our children talked about them with joy and amazing recall. They were life-impacting and applicable. Learning took place, but we didn't have sheets and sheets of paper to prove our efforts. Here’s a glimpse into some of the learning fun we had during the course of the week.

• reviewed number recognition, numbers 1-75, while playing BINGO with great-grandma

• sorted, counted, and rolled coins (collected in the family change jar for our anticipated family night out)

• played the Pizza Fraction Fun game several times and then the younger children cared the pieces off to play “restaurant”

• weighed potatoes and onions on a kitchen scale and compared the weights

• made figures with tangrams (geometry)

• played Scrabble with older learners for spelling

• wrote letters (olders wrote their spelling words) on the driveway with sidewalk chalk

• retold a story we heard someone else tell and then discussed how point of view and experiences determine potential bias

• read three picture books: Blueberries for Sal, Caps for Sale, and The Raft

• read a recipe, followed directions, and measured ingredients

• listened to Jim Weiss stories on CD

• spelled three- and four-letter short vowel words on a whiteboard

• listened to The Tale of Two Cities and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (audio books enjoyed by older learners)

• reviewed state abbreviations while driving to grandma's house

• watched bees pollinate flowers

• assembled a floor puzzle of the United States

• listened to me read Meet the Pilgrim Fathers by Elizabeth Payne to the youngest learners

• learned body systems and their functions while listening to Lyrical life Science: Human Body

• discussed the nutritional content of three types of cereal by comparing labels; discussion of fats, sugar, and minerals

• cared for the neighbor's dogs and evenly distributed the money earned with the children who participated

Children were engaged. Learning occurred. There was not a traditional paper trail for these activities. Much of the evidence resided in the minds of my children.

How did we document our learning?

We kept a resource list of books we read, recorded the activities on our log, and took pictures of the whiteboard, tangram creations, games, and completed puzzle.

What I loved most about our week was that we learned together. We were relaxed and enjoyed our conversations. As I read, the children asked questions and we added to our vocabulary. When we needed to be outside, we went. There was joy.

Our learning was

Intentional. Real. and Relational.

And, it mattered.

Kindergarten Skills

YOU can homeschool Kindergarten.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Kindergarten at home doesn’t have to look like Kindergarten in a traditional school for learners to make progress.

• Being “ahead in Kindergarten” doesn’t mean the child will be ahead by third grade.

• Mastering skills doesn’t take as long when homeschooling one-on-one.

Kindergarten Skills

Math

• Count objects in a group to twenty

• Associate a number with a quantity

• Identify more than and less than to ten (quantity)

• Identify more than and less than to twenty (quantity)

• Number words through twenty (one, two, three, four, and so on)

• Understand that numbers eleven to nineteen represent tens and extra ones

• Create a pattern with two, three, and four objects

• Understand the concept of addition as adding two or more groups to get a sum total of all objects

• Understand meaning of “all together”

• Understand concept of subtraction as beginning with a large group and taking some away

• Add sets with one to five members

• Associate the action of adding two or more groups with a symbolic (equation) representation

• Solve word problems

• Count by one from a number other than one

• Count to 100 by tens

• Make positional statement about the location of an object: above, under, left, right, front, back

• Name common shapes and the side associated with each

• Understand difference between two- and three-dimensional shapes

• Recognize coins

• Associate coin with a value

• Write the numerals in the phone number

Language Arts

• Recognize upper and lower case letters

• Writing upper and lower case letters

• Match letters to sounds

• Recognize the beginning sound of a word

• Recognize the ending sound of a word

• Blend sounds

• Recognize rhyming words

• State a word which rhymes with another word.

• Recognize common sight words: a, the, and, to

• Understand the role of author and illustrator

• Move eyes across a page from left to right

• Explore different genres (fables, rhymes, tongue twisters, biographies, fantasies)

• Make a prediction

• Tell a story

• Retell a story

• Understand cause and effect

• Put pictures in a proper sequence

• Answer questions related to something heard read aloud

• Understand the first word of a sentence is capitalized

• Understand first letters of names and places are capitalized

• Understand that sentences have punctuation

• Engage in a conversation

• Spell first and last name

• State street address and city of residence

• Name the members of the family and state two sentences about each member

• Name the days of the week, in order

Social Studies

• Expose to differences in cultures and traditions

• Understand how past influences present and future

• Understand family culture and heritage

• Understand the background and significance of holidays

• Understand meaning of recycle, reuse, repurpose

• Develop map skills (north, south, east, west)

• Name and locate state and country of residence

• Name the continents

• Learn the difference between maps and globes

• Explain how to get to a destination visited frequently (local grocery store, navigate neighborhood to get home)

• Understand difference between land and water

• Recognize landforms (lake, stream, river, ocean, mountain, hill, plain)

• Learn about different types of shelters or homes

• Learn the roles of community workers

• Learn roles in sharing and taking turns

• Understand importance of conflict resolution

Science

• Learn personal safety - wear a bike helmet, bike on the right side of the road, supervision with sharp objects)

• Identify major body parts and describe their action and function

• Identify the five senses

• Name the four seasons and corresponding characteristics

• Observe weather changes

• Identify and describe daily weather

• Describe differences in day and night sky

• Describe differences in nightly changes of the moon

• Understand differences in characteristics of ocean, desert, mountain habitats

• Investigate and observe characteristics of soil, rock, and water

• Understand differences of living and non-living things

• Observe local plants and animals

• Understand and explain differences between plants and animals

• Describe and identify basic parts of a plant

• Observe behaviors of animals and describe how those behaviors are related to their environment

• Explain the difference between insects, fish, mammals, and birds

• Describe items in terms of which they are made (cloth, wood, plastic, paper)

• Name the physical features of items in terms of color, texture, shape, size

• Observe changes in matter (beaten egg whites, popped corn, ice cream)

• Understand properties and uses of water in gas, solid, and liquid form

• Understand terms and conditions of sink and float

• Understand why magnets are attracted to objects

• Make predictions

• Make observations

• Explain a process

Physical Education

• Increase flexibility and muscle strength

• Understand the health benefits of being physically active

• Participate in cardiovascular activities

• Play follow the leader

• Participate in the Hokey Pokey

• Climb stairs, alternating feet

• Balance on one foot

• Balance on a beam or line

• Walk backwards

• Run at different speeds, stop on command

• Jump

• Hop on one foot

• Skip

• Gallop

• Kick a ball

• Dance to a rhythm

• Understands safety precautions for familiar sports equipment

• Throw a ball overhand

• Throw a ball underhand

• Throw a ball at a target

Art/Music

• Explore elements of art: line, shape, color, texture, space)

• Develop art vocabulary

• Hold a paint brush properly

• Experiment with brush movements

• Understand proper use of glue sticks and bottles

• Understand proper care of art supplies (paint brushes, paper, paint, glue)

• Clean up art area properly

• Understand safe handling and use of child-friendly scissors

• Cut in a straight line

• Cut on a curved line

• Understand and name primary colors

• Know which primary colors (red, blue, yellow) can be mixed to make secondary colors (green, purple, orange)

• Experiment with various art mediums

• Create a sculpture with found materials

• Describe etiquette for an art museum

• Make observations of visual art

• Keep a steady beat

• Recognize differences in tempo, fast and slow (lullaby, march)

• Recognize differences in dynamic (loud and soft)

• Recognize difference in pitch (high and low—drums, piccolo, violin, bass)

• Identify basic instruments

• Listen for specific instruments in a composition

• Listen to music and describe tempo, dynamics, and sounds heard

• Experiment with singing voice

• Experiment with kazoo, recorder, harmonica, or tin whistle

• Move to music

• Describe etiquette for a concert

• Attend a concert or recital

• Listen to variety of genres of music

Young children are naturally inquisitive, if we allow them the time and space to be curious and explore.

Teaching children to observe, take notice of differences, make predictions, and ask questions fosters their natural need to learn. Kindergarten is a perfect time to engage in these activities and nurture skills.

These lists are guidelines. Home educating parents are responsible to oversee the education of their children based on each child’s individual ability. When in question, consult with a professional.

Seven Things Preschoolers Need

Preschool education forms the foundation for life and learning. In fact, it is during the preschool years that little learners master foundational skills which serve as a knowledge base for the years and skills to come. Included in that foundation are the attitudes toward learning.  If the days and the education in those days are rushed—pushed—learning becomes burdensome, uninteresting, and often irrelevant. When learning flows naturally from that which is real and relational—interesting and personal—joy and wonder fuel their unending curiosity.

A love of learning is nurtured and begins with the items and people little learners love most.

How is a love of learning fostered, nurtured, and cultivated?

Go outside. Bikes. Bird nests. Sand. Water. Rock wall. Littles are on the move and interested in things that move! Movement is part of their physical and cognitive development. Littles are not made to be at tables and desks for extended periods of time. Instead, they need to be involved, moving and engaged. Outdoors—at the playground, on a nature trail, in the park, along a shoreline, at the beach—provides a natural classroom with endless possibilities for learning.

Read aloud. Reading aloud has been one of the most rewarding activities we've done in our more than years of teaching and parenting littles—picture books, biographies, non-fiction wonders. Each title opens opportunities for setting a template for the English language, building vocabulary, bolstering listening skills, understanding parts of a story, retelling events, the list goes on. Interestingly, there have been times when our little learners are seemingly off in their own world—playing, stacking blocks, coloring—while I read and yet, hours later, they remember EVERY word. So, as you embark on the read aloud journey, I encourage you to read, even when you think your learners are not engaged or paying attention. They are listening. Your reading matters!

Pretend play. Preschoolers learn by imagining and doing, by role playing and creating dialogue in relaxed and uninterrupted environments. Pretend play utilizes the senses and engages the mind, building language and thinking skills. Beginning in the toddler years, littles can be found feeding baby dolls, talking on pretend telephones, playing store, and mixing marvelous meals in a play kitchen. What's needed? Props! Some of our favorite pretend play items have been:

• measuring cups and spoons

• calculators, adding machines, and toy cash registers

• dress up clothes and hats, backpacks and purses

• fabric pieces, scarves, or old costumes

• magnifying glasses, binoculars. or a Brock Magiscope

• rulers, tape measures, protractors, and shape stencils

• aprons, chef hats, pretend food, and dishes

• stuffed animals and dolls

• receipt books, stickers, and play money

• old telephones, computer keyboards, and monitors

• puppets and make-shift card table theaters 

Games. Playing games allow children to learn important life skills, naturally, in a relax environment. While playing, littles practice turn taking, deferment to another person, waiting for others to make decisions or complete a turn, as well as a multitude of cognitive skills. Our favorite preschool learning games include:

• BINGO (number recognition 1-75)

• Matching cards (similarities and differences)

• Dominoes (matching similarities, quantity recognition 1-6, counting 1-6)

• Scrabble Junior (letter recognition, introductory phonics, initial consonant sounds)

• Uncle Wiggly (number recognition 1-100, counting)

• Guess Who? (critical thinking)

• Hi-Ho Cherry-O (early counting, addition and subtraction concepts)

• Barrel of Monkeys (GREAT for motor skills!)

• Busy Bee (an oldie but goodie introduced to us by great-grandma)

• Rivers, Roads, and Rails (another oldie by goodie)

• Hopscotch (great for motor skills)

• Simon Says (listening and following directions)

• Checkers (critical thinking skills)

Do life together. One of the things I love about parenting preschoolers is watching their faces light up—indoors and outdoors, around the home, and on vacation.

• Getting the mail might lead to a conversation about stamps, addresses, states, or modes of transportation.

• Setting the table teaches one-to-one correspondence.

• Folding laundry offers opportunities to make fractional parts by folding in half and in half again.

• Matching shoes and sorting toys provides real-life situations for identifying similarities and differences.

• Making together, kitchen experiences: measuring, comparing, weighing (math skills) as well as muscle skills, scrubbing potatoes, stirring, and kneading together. Doing life together allows preschoolers to learn alongside. 

Every moment is a marvel, especially when preschoolers are engaged in doing life with those they love.

Talk and listen. Preschoolers are relational. They want to engage in face-to-face conversation and hand-in-hand exploration. When we talk to our children, listen to their questions, concerns, and ideas, we model interpersonal skills and they learn how to process information, feelings, and emotions. These skills are some of the most valuable nuggets our little learners will internalize in their early years. 

Ask questions. It is no secret that little learners are natural questioners. They wonder what will happen next, how things happen, and when things will happen. It is in this inquisitiveness that they learn how life and people work, interact, and interrelate. Questioning is one of the most important life skills parents can foster and nurture. Mike and I foster inquisitiveness with commentaries and questions which invite our children to do the same. 

• I wonder how the (insert animal) stays warm.

• What comes next in the sequence?  

• I wonder if (insert item) will work better with this or that.

• What do you think will happen next?

• I wonder where that trail leads.

• Let's watch the (insert animal). I wonder what it will do next. 

• How long do you think it will take to ...?

Looking for a guide, a resource to encourage you through learning in the preschool years? One of my favorite resources for understanding the needs of little learners was Home Grown Kids by Raymond and Dorothy Moore. Once our children entered first grade The Three R's by Ruth Beechick became a go-to resource.

The preschool years are the wonder years, full of life and discovery, ripe with curiosity.

When learning flows naturally from that which is real and relational--interesting and personal--retention follows closely behind.

How to Use What You Have: Counting

We’ve adopted a phrase.

Use what we have to boost what we know.

Could mean one of two things.

Use the resources and items we have to learn something new.

Or

Use the resources and items we have to deepen or reinforce knowledge we learned previously.

Today, my mind is on counting!

Everywhere I look in my home there’s numbers—groups and sets. That’s how I want my children to understand numbers, counting—as part of every day. Last week I recorded a workshop - Math Never Tasted So Good—for the Keep Calm & Homeschool On Conference. I love encouraging families to help their children see math in the world. I reflected on the portion of the workshop which focused on counting.

Counting with little learners.

Counting crackers, rocks, trains, or whatever exists in the learner’s environment today leads to understanding of set notation, number operations, and more in the years to come.

How can I use what I have to foster or reinforce this skill?

Use Real. A vested interest sweetens the learning pot. If you think about it, this is true for adults as well. When you want to learn something or have something to gain, the motivation raises the need to master the skill. Where there is an interest or gain, there’s reason to learn. Find out what matters to your children and start there. Think cars, crackers, acorns, crayons, whatever can be counted or made into groups.

Skills

• Count to five by one.

  • Write those numbers in order.

• Make piles (sets or groups) of one, two, three, four, and five.

• Count to ten by one.

  • Write those numbers in order.

• Make piles (sets or groups) of ten.

• Count to twenty by one.

  • Write those numbers in order.

• Count by two to twenty.

  • Write those numbers in order.

• Make piles (sets or groups) of ten and use those groups to count by tens.

• Use dimes to count by ten.

• Count by ten to one hundred.

  • Write those numbers in order.

• Use nickels to count by five.

• Count by five to one hundred.

  • Write those numbers in order.

• Count by 100.

Keep it Real Activities

• Count the oranges in the two pound bag.

• Count the bananas in a bunch.

• Count a specific number of carrots to clean and cook for a meal.

• Count cars as they are put away for the day.

• Set the table - practice one-to-correspondence and counting table guests.

• Count the slices in a pizza.

• Count the tiles across the kitchen floor.

• Use snack crackers to make piles of two. Count by two.

• Make a number scavenger hunt.

• Play hopscotch - write the numbers and then count while hopping.

Counting and Reading Aloud. Counting books have cycled in and out of our home in our learning seasons with littles. Decades as little learners intentional about conquering counting concepts have helped to grow our list of favorites. Noticing some of our favorites are disappearing from the library shelves, I have intentionality purchased copies to add to our home library so we don't lose our loves. 

• How Many Snails? Rich, bold vibrant colors invite little learners to jump in and count! Though counting is the main skill reinforced, attributes, following directions, and processing fair well, too. One of our favorites! Author: Paul Giganti, Jr. 

• The M&M Counting Book. The familiar candies on the front draw readers to the content. Once opened, this book teaches counting through 12, counting sets, and beginning addition and subtraction. Author: Barbara Barbieri McGrath

• Counting is for the Birds. The rhyming text makes this brilliantly illustrated counting-to-twenty book an all-time favorite of ours. Author: Frank Mazzola, Jr.

• Cardinal Numbers: An Ohio Counting Book. Counting 1-14 with beautiful illustrations and real-world word problems on the last pages, this book is one of many in the Sleeping Bear Press series. A favorite for older children, too, as side bars on each page offer additional opportunities for curious learners. Author: Marcia Schonberg

• Great Estimations. An intriguing look at estimating as an advanced counting technique. Great photography, fun examples, and helpful hints for counting objects in large numbers. Great for older learners, too! Author: Bruce Goldstone.

• The Coin Counting Book. Counting takes another journey into the world of coin recognition and value. Great for beginner coin counters who have a piggy bank of coins waiting to be counted.  Another of our favorites due to the interest most kids have in money. Author: Rozanne Lanczank Williams.

• Eating Pairs: Counting Fruits and Vegetables by Two. Reading and learning odds and evens go hand-in-hand with this unique counting book. We love that the numbers are written down the side bar of each page, begging for us to count along...again! Author: Sarah L. Schuette.

• 10 Little Rubber Ducks. Fictionalized counting story of a real-life event presented alongside the classic Eric Carle collage art. Bright illustrations and a intriguing story line. Great addition to the home library, for sure! Author: Eric Carle.

Make a Counting Book. Grab an old magazine, weekly grocery ad, or catalog, cut out groups of objects and make a counting book.

Opportunities for learning and practicing counting skills abound in our days. How can we be intentional, real, and relational about those moments?

How to Use What You Have: Sorting, Classifying, Comparing

We’ve adopted a phrase.

Use what we have to boost what we know.

Could mean one of two things.

Use the resources and items we have to learn something new.

Or

Use the resources and items we have to deepen or reinforce knowledge we learned previously.

Today, my mind is on sorting, classifying, and comparing objects.

Looking at the beautiful rainbow of colors I brought home from the grocery store, I remembered the content of a workshop I video recorded a few days prior (Math Never Tasted So Good for the Keep Calm & Homeschool On Conference). The section which specifically stood on the in the forefront of my mind?

Sorting, classifying, and comparing with little learners.

These skills are foundational pre-number concepts little ones need. What are they?

How can I use what I have to foster or reinforce these skills?

Sorting | Classifying

To arrange in groups, separate according to type or attribute

Sorting and classifying is a natural part of everyday life living alongside our little learners.

• We can sort laundry into darks and lights.

• Silverware can be separated by type as it is put into an utensil drawer.

• As groceries are being put away in the pantry, cans may be placed on one shelf and boxes on another.

• And, those toy cars? They can sorted and parked by color. There are many opportunities for young children to sort as we go about our days.

For beginners, start with one attribute—color, length, height, type, origin—and move to two attributes—color and size, texture and color.

Comparing

To make a determination of difference or similarity based on an attribute, generally to answer a question.

As our days unfold, there are often opportunities to point out comparisons. For example, remember those toy cars that needed to be put away and your little parked them according to color? Well, after parking toy cars by color, take a few seconds to determine

• Which color has the most?

• Which color has the least?

The few seconds taken to ask and count will stick. It matters.

As we ask questions, children become accustomed to seeing differences and similarities in size, color, shape, number, origin, and texture. It becomes a conscious part of the day and having this ability helps set a foundation for learning future math concepts.

Questions we could ask children

• Which person is taller?

• Which shoe is larger?

• Which is block tower is taller?

• Which group has more?

• Which ball has the bigger circumference?

Sorting, classifying, and comparing are closely related to measurement and lay foundations for set notation and computation. In addition, becoming in tune to noticing differences and similarities offers children the opportunity to become keen observers, a skill needed for other content areas including science.

Back to the groceries. After I had put away the groceries, I set out to make vegetable soup. I asked my little learner to find the three tallest carrots in the bag. She wanted to be included and was happy to contribute by helping, and she was learning.

What are some of our favorite kitchen-related sorting, classifying, and comparing activities?

Make vegetable soup: A stalk of celery, two potatoes, an onion, two tomatoes, and three carrots. Weigh each item on a kitchen scale and determine which weighs the most and the least. My littles can find the smallest onion or break off two stalks of celery. Some can help scrub potatoes, carrots, and celery while I begin cutting and adding to the pot. While the soup was simmering, read Stone Soup by Marcia Brown or Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert.

Count items. Sort fruits and vegetables. Grapes, apples, oranges, lemons, cherry tomatoes. Which have the most in a set? The least? Make math equations by combining sets. For example, “if we have four apples and two oranges, how many fruits are there altogether?” Write the equation on paper to express the verbal equation symbolically. Read Counting is for the Birds by Frank Mazzola or Animals on Board by Stuart Murphy.

Notice the texture. Pineapples, cantaloupe, oranges, apples. Textures are different. Sort items from smoothest to roughest. Cut open the fruits and compare the texture and seed structure. Make fruit salad or pattern fruit kabobs.

Notice the origin. Different vegetables come from different parts of the plant. Sort vegetables according to the part of plant origin. Clean the vegetables and make a salad. Read Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens or The Vegetables We Eat by Gail Gibbons.

Compare length. Purchase a pound of carrots. Arrange the carrots on the counter according to length, shortest to longest. Prepare cooked carrots for dinner. Read Just Enough Carrots by Stuart Murphy or The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss.

Plant, observe, and measure. Maybe you have some seeds (or beans) and potting soil on hand. Sprout beans or plant seeds. Observe and notice changes. Draw the plants. Measure every other day and make a graph of the growth (older learners).

Maybe all this talk about fruits and veggies has your learner wanting to learn more about plants. Check out this post.

How to Use What You Have: Geometry

We’ve adopted a phrase.

Use what we have to boost what we know.

Could mean one of two things.

Use the resources and items we have to learn something new.

Or

Use the resources and items we have to deepen or reinforce knowledge we learned previously.

Today, my mind is on geometry for little learners.

I opened my pantry to select some items and remembered back a few years when my children used all the cans (cylinders) to built a fort for stuffed animals. In the process, they noticed some cans were taller than others and some had larger ends (circumferences). Using the moment of excitement, I gave my children two new words—cylinder and circumference—and they remembered them! They were interested and engaged. Retention spiked.

Your pantry is brimming with learning. What’s in there, you ask?

Circles, Spheres, and Cylinders

• Introduce the circle, sphere, and cylinder. Find examples of each in the pantry. Take a shape walk finding examples of each: buttons (circles), paper plates (circle), globes and oranges (spheres), cans and oatmeal containers (cylinders), bicycles (wheels), balls (spheres), and garbage cans (cylinders). Older children may enjoy drawing and shading spheres and cylinders.

• Trace the circumference of different size cans. Compare sizes.

• Paint or draw circles. Use crayons, watercolors, or whatever supplies you have. Kinesthetic moving learners may prefer sidewalk chalk outside.

• Make a circle collage. Circle punch cutter to the rescue! Use whatever paper you have available. Introduce fractional parts by cutting your circles in half or quarters.

• Introduce the concept of circumference as the distance around the circle. Use a string or measuring tape to measure and compare the circumferences of cans in your pantry. Write the measurements on paper (to make a connection from visual to symbolic) and compare.

• Ride a bike, run, hop, or skip in a circle.

• Scoop spheres with a melon scoop.

• Make a drum out of a clean, empty oatmeal container.

• Notice coins are circles. Identify each coin and the corresponding value. Play store.

Squares, Cubes, and Rectangular Prisms

• Identify the differences between squares, rectangles, cubes, and prisms. Look for examples of each in the pantry.

• Draw a square. Notice the sides are parallel. Draw more sets of parallel lines. Practice writing letters with parallel lines: E, H, N, and I.

• Find examples of parallel lines inside the pantry, inside the home, and outside around the yard.

• Draw several large quadrilaterals (four-sided figures) on the driveway. Measure the sides and determine the perimeter (distance around the shape). Write the perimeter in the center of the shape.

• Draw quadrilaterals on graph paper and determine the number of squares inside the shape.

Triangles, Cones, and Triangular Prisms

• Define triangle as a three-sided shape. Identify triangles in the home. Are there any in the pantry? Discuss why products are not as likely to made in the shape of a triangle.

• Draw triangles of different sizes. Count by threes.

• Use a ruler to make triangles. Use pretzel sticks, toothpicks, or craft sticks to make triangles. Identify sides and corners. Define angle.

• Make a paper cone. If you have ice cream cones on hand, enjoy a cool treat!

• Experiment and make shape designs with pattern blocks or tangrams. We carry Puzzles for Pattern Blocks: Pattern Animals in our store. We’ve loved this resource through reprints and new editions for over 20 years! Great for thinking and problem solving.

• Cut triangles from several types and colors of paper. Make a triangle collage.

• Identify the corners (vertexes) or the triangles. Find examples in the home.

• Pitch a tent in the backyard. Camp overnight.

• Make a sandwich. Cut into triangles.

• Make a batch of pan cookies. Press and bake dough in a jelly roll pan. When cool, cut into squares, then triangles. Serve.

These activities are included in my Month of Math: Geometry. This resource provides parents and learners with multi-sensory, experiential opportunities with everyday items, real objects which make children curious. It also introduces children to math vocabulary in context, allowing for retention, understanding, and application.

Make YOUR Own Math Books = Learning

My little learner decided she wanted to make her own books.

Math books! 

We'd been choosing and reading math literature from our home library shelves, borrowing others from the local library. Math was intriguing. Math was fun. She wanted to make her own books and apply her creative bent to master concepts. 

Thankfully, we had blank books on hand. 

My little learner chose a book from our stash, one which would match the fall leaf table toppers I found while grocery shopping. 

Once the leaves were sorted, we made piles of ten. 

On a piece of paper, I wrote numerals 1-10 alongside corresponding number words. From the sample, my little learner copied the numerals and corresponding words, giving each number a page in her book. By the time she was done copying, she felt very confident in her ability to form the numerals and count objects into sets. The more her book took form, the happier and more excited she became.

"I'm writing a book!" 

She wanted to write the number words. I wrote the words on a piece of paper and she copied them into her book. The final step was to count out leaves to correspond with the numbers on each page. 

I showed her how to set her book--open like a fan--on the kitchen table so the glue could dry. This prevented pages from sticking together. 

In the end, my little learner had not only written her first math book--she was quite proud of her accomplishment--she had also learned to match number words with a set of objects and mastered one-to-one correspondence--all foundational math concepts.

---

Shopping for Christmas wrapping paper, I discovered stocking table toppers. I immediately thought of my eager book-making learner and added them to the conveyor in the check-out line. 

Arriving home I told her there was a surprise in the  bag for her. 

She was thrilled.

Once again she chose a blank book from our collection and started to work. 

Before long, she added another counting book to her collection. 

She was ready for addition--adding two small sets to make one big set. 

As the weather cooled, I found foam snowflakes online. I knew they could be the makings of her next book, Adding Snowflakes. I pulled one of our favorite reads, Snowflake Bentley, from our home library shelf and sat side-by-side on the couch, engaged in the unfolding plot. 

When we finished reading, she sorted the foam snowflakes by size, shape, and color--three attributes--another foundational math skill. This was a perfect start to making sets!

Once the snowflakes were sorted, I asked her to make sets of two, three, four, five, six, seven, and eight. 

I explained the concept of addition--the combining of two sets to make a larger set and wrote some addition facts on the two-page spreads of her blank book. She read the numbers and glued the set required on each page. When gluing was complete, my little learner added the two sets and wrote the sum on the bottom right-hand corner of the two-page spread. 

Book complete--now three in total--my little learner had the makings of a math library!

---

The next concept, addition with three addends--three sets. 

With Valentine's just around the corner, I knew what we would do--add three sets of hearts. 

Again, she chose the blank book--red stripes this time--sorted hearts by size and color, counted sets, and started adding. For this book she wrote the equations vertically. I explained that equations could be written horizontally or vertically without changing the answer. She was intrigued by the tidbit of knowledge. I wrote an equation both horizontally and vertically on a piece of paper and proved the concept by adding foam hearts. Indeed, the answer was the same.

In the end, she completed the book and added it to her collection! 

Perhaps we will tackle subtraction next season?

I love that we were able to work side-by-side on these projects and that she was engaged and eager. She enjoyed math and wanted to learn more.  

Time well spent.

Indeed, intentional, real, and relational. 

Winter Fun for FREE Plus Extras!

We all need mid-year boosts--teachers, parents, and learners! 

Celebrate Simple is all about encouraging and equipping parents and families; adding spring in your winter steps! 

We have created several winter-themed, inter-related learning resources for your family--all ages preschool to high school. The contents of the resources are related, nothing is duplicated. 

Our first FREE winter resource is FREE to subscribers! If you are a current subscriber, you will receive this resource in the next newsletter. If you haven't yet subscribed, please do! We would love for you to have this handy, practical winter-themed unit. The contents are related to all of our NEW winter items listed below. The content of Simple Winter Family Fun includes

• conversation starters for family members of all ages,

• winter-themed book lists for preschool through high school,

• practical ideas for family team building,

• learning activities for Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin (different from those included in Math Adventures: Experiencing Math in Snowflakes),

• a four-year plan worksheet for families walking the home education high school journey,

• winter-related spelling words with fun spelling practice ideas, and

• math practice for patterning, counting by fives, and solving word problems.

Our second FREE winter resource can be found in our FREE RESOURCES tab. Math Adventures: Experiencing Math in Snowflakes is a shorter math study similar to Math Adventures: Experiencing Math in Parks and Math Adventures: Experiencing Math in Nature. Click on FREE RESOURCES to download your copy!

Whether your winter days will be spent outdoors making snow forts or putting a little spark and refreshment in the mid-year, winter blahs, check out these fun new ideas and resources. We would love for your family relationships to grow and for this to be your best winter EVER!

Remember, every moment matters when using what is intentional, real, and relational! 

Preschooling, Intentionally

Life is learning. Learning and life go hand-in-hand, everyday!

Learning is the natural outcome of everyday living, especially for little learners. With a few intentional questions here and a purposeful explanation there, preschoolers can learn naturally from walking alongside older siblings and significant adults. Through everyday experiences, preschoolers gain a jump start to mastering foundational cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual life skills.  By the time the young learner blows out six candles on the birthday cake, significant progress toward mastery of foundational skills has likely been made.

Math

• Identify colors
• Understand and demonstrate one-to-one correspondence
• Make sets of 1 to 5 objects
• Identify sets of 1 to 5 objects
• Associate a number with a set of objects
• Recognize numerals 1 to 10
• Recognize and draw simple shapes--circle, square, rectangle, and triangle
• Count to 20 orally
• Recognize similarities and differences in objects (Comparison is a foundational pre-number skill.)
• Recognize and identify coins (This is an easy one. I haven't met a little learner who isn't interested in how much money is in his or her piggy bank. Capitalize on this interest by sorting, counting, and identifying.)
• Identify tools of measure (Tools of measure include thermometers, speedometers, scales, Knowing the purpose of each is important to later math skills.)

Language

• Recite the alphabet (Why not sing the alphabet song while jumping up and down.)
• Recognize letters
• Recognize similarities and difference in letter formation
• Recognize similarities and differences in sounds
• Speak in complex sentences
• Hold a book and track from left to right (One of the best natural ways to learn this skill is by modeling others, doing as they do. As you read aloud, trace a finger under the words, working from left to right, top to bottom.) 
• Retell a story (This is a foundational skill for reading comprehension and vital for auditory processing.)
• Follow a two-step direction
• Hold a pencil with correct grip
• Write lower and upper case letters (There are so many ways to learn letter formation. Some of our favorites are writing in shaving cream on a bathroom wall while taking a bath, finger painting on easel paper, forming letters in a salt tray, and writing with a stick in the mud. 
• Spell first name
• Recognize cause and effect (Offering explanations if every day cause and effect will help your little learner do the same. If we leave the door open, kitty will run out. If we put all the cold groceries together they will help each other stay cold until we get home.)

Science

• Recite phone number and address (This is a safety life skill. While learning this information we explain to our children why they may need it: emergency, calling 911.)
• Name basic colors
• Identify living and non-living
• Identify parts of a plant: roots, stem, leaf, flower, pedal
• Make simple predictions
• Develop observation skills
• Form questions and find solutions

Social Sciences

• Order daily activities
• Locate home state on a United States map
• State the significance of and the similarities and differences between people who work in the community: police, firefighters, librarians, grocers, etc.
• Learn left, right, straight, and diagonal (When entering your neighborhood, speak the directions as you drive. For example, we turn right at the stop sign. We will turn left at the corner, and so on. Once you have repeated these directions several times going in and out of the community, ask your child to tell you how to get home using left and right.)
• Identify basic geographical formations: river, mountain, cliff, ocean, and continent

Physical

• Draw a person with a recognizable body
• Use utensils properly
• Catch a ball
• Kick a ball
• Run
• Gallop
• Skip
• Use a scissors (Providing a cutting box, old magazines, or newspaper ads for cutting along lines and curves.)
• Identify body parts. (Play Simon Says. Simon says touch your nose. Simon says touch your elbow.)
• Walk a balance beam (Okay, so most of us don't have balance beams in our homes. However, there are curbs and lines to walk. See a line, seize the moment and walk, carefully as a tight rope walker does.)
• Dress and undress
• Personal responsibility (Taking care of oneself and the areas in which he or she works and plays. Tidy up the toy room. Use a tooth brushing chart to encourage consistent care.)

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In the early years, our homes provide a place--a haven--where our children can gain a foundation for future cognitive, physical, emotional, mental, relational, and spiritual health.

8 Skills Children Practice in Puddles

Rain poured.

Five years ago. One solid week of on and off rain. Our learners caught cabin fever. Petty arguments found themselves frequent visitors to play and learning time. My children and I needed outside time, desperately. When thunder and lightening pushed away, I announced it was time to find the raincoats.

Out we went!

There was much to learn in the puddles. Each learner carried a small fish net, sand bucket or shovel. They were off on an adventure.

Catch. Look in the puddle when the water is still. Do you see insects? Do you see any tadpoles? If there are tadpoles, try to catch some in a container. Once home, place in a larger container or fish bowl and observe over the next week or ten days. What happens to the tadpoles?  Draw pictures of each change. This is an amazing first lesson about life cycles. 

Jump. Who doesn't love to jump in puddles? Puddle jumping allows little learners to learn about the properties of water. If the weather is particularly rainy or cold, a raincoat will help keep little learner warm during his or her discoveries. Experiment with stomping. How does the force of stomping effect water displacement?  These experiences build physical skills while placing important files in the brain for later science learning. 

Listen. Listen to the rain drops hit the water. Listen to the rain patter on the house roof. How does the sound of rain change? Once inside, make a rain stick. Find a paper roll. Cover one end with wax paper. Measure (another great skill for littles) 1/4 cup of rice. Pour into the tube. Cover the other end to keep rice contained. Decorate. Shake. Try to replicated the sound of rain. While making music, chant Rain, Rain, Go Away or sing The Eensy Weensy Spider. Differentiating sound, replicating sound, and moving to music are important to auditory and physical development. 

Measure. Take measuring cups and spoons out to the puddle. Experiment with measuring. How many 1/2 cups can be poured into 1 cup? How many tablespoons can fit in a 1/4 cup? If you have a balance scale, compare the weight of 1 cup of water to 1 cup of mud. Compare 1 cup of wet leaves to 1 cup of broken sticks. Measuring and comparing are important math skills for little learners. 

Sink and Float. Collect objects. One by one, choose an object and guess whether the object will sink or float. If the object sinks, place it on one pile. If it floats, place it on another. This is a great activity for children to experiment with making predictions.

Write. Use a stick to write numbers, letters, or words in soft mud surrounding the puddle. For littlest learners, begin with writing the first letter of the child's first name. From the first letter, move to the whole name. 

Count objects. Are there object floating on the puddle's surface? Are there objects around the puddle? Count objects. Are there more objects in the puddle or on the edge? 

Evaporate. After rain, puddles disappear. However, evaporation happens at different rates. Be sure to go back outside to check on the puddles. Are they still there? How are they different each time you return.

Read. Once inside, place wet clothes in the laundry and redress in dry. Choose a few rainy read-alouds while sipping on hot chocolate. 

Some of our favorite rainy reads have been: 

• From Tadpole to Frog, Wendy Pfeffer (one of three books available in the Math Adventures Math and Science Combo Kit)
• Frogs, Gail Gibbons
• Why Frogs are Wet, Judy Hawes
• Ducks Don't Get Wet, Augusta Goldin
• Peter Spier's Rain, Peter Spiers
• Weather Words and What They Mean, Gail Gibbons
• Down Comes the Rain, Franklyn M. Branley and James Graham Hale
• Clouds, Ann Rockwell
• Feel the Winds, Arthur Dorros
• Flash, Crash, Rumble, Roll, Franklyn M. Branley
• Weather Forecasting, Gail Gibbons
• Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean, Arthur Dorros

As long as it is safe to go outside, rainy, puddle-filled days can provide memorable learning moments.

It's intentional, real, and relational. And, it matters!

Want to learn more? This Psychology Today article offers further explanation about what really happens when little learners play in the rain. Fascinating!

Old Magazines Become Interest-Driven Math Tools

Graph Paper with Purpose

One of my favorite SIMPLE resources is one-inch graph paper. 

I renew my supply every year as we use it for all ages and stages. 

Graph Paper Patterning. Littles, markers in hand, enjoy making colorful patterns. For the very youngest we start with simple ABABABA patterns and work up to harder ABBCBBABBCBB patterns. They love creating their own patterns or copying patterns I give them. Patterning is a prenumber skill needed for numeration, counting and even language arts skills.  

One-to-One Correspondence and Counting. One-inch graph paper (or larger) is perfect for learning one object to one number. The child counts, writing a number in each square. 

Column Guide. Graph paper can be a gentle guide, keeping columns in math problems aligned. For example, the problem 32 x 21 can be written on graph paper, one digit per square, to keep children on process (in other words, which number or column is added, multiplied, subtracted or divided next) and digits in line (making the last steps of problems easy and natural, not swinging and swaying between ones, tens and hundreds). Graph paper can be helpful for all number operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) keeping problems neat and organized. 

Concept of Multiplication. Rows and columns not only provide a visual picture of a multiplication equation, but also prepare a student for learning the concept of area: length times width. Once the multiplication concept is mastered, begin learning the multiplication facts. 

Concept of Area. A natural next step to the column/row concept of multiplication above, graph paper allows the concept of area visual. I begin by drawing a large square on graph paper. Then, I teach area as length times width, tracing my finger along the square while speaking "length times width". I then write the corresponding numbers and operational symbols (squares along the length x squares along the width) under the square and solve the multiplication equation. Lastly, I count the number of squares inside the large square to check.

Algebraic Graphing. Graph paper helps big learners, too. My bigs have drawn x- and y- axis graphs on quarter-inch graph paper to solve slope intercept problems. Some learners cut out their graphs and pasted them into their regular math notebooks while others have me purchase a graph paper notebook to work their lessons, both graph and not-graphing problems.   

More than Math. We have also used graph paper for spelling, writing one letter per square. When comparing word lengths, we have cut and placed words strips side-by-side providing a visual tool for word comparison. For children who have difficulty with letter and word spacing in sentences, use quarter-inch graph paper to spell words one letter per square, leaving a square empty between words. 

Valuable Visual. Many children need a visual reference to file in the brain, especially when learning a new concept. Graph paper has provided this colorful visual for my children and many others to whom I have made this recommendation. Try it! See if graph paper presents the visual tools necessary for your child to master foundational concepts. 

Graph paper is an education staple in our home. For some children it has kept columns straight, for others graph paper offered opportunities for patterning and geometric design creation. As we look forward to the coming school year and inventory our back-to-school needs, graph paper will be a must-have resource.  

Picture Pie: Fractions, Art and Fun!

One of our favorite picture books related to fractions is Picture Pie by Ed Emberley.

Learners often use fractions and dread in the same sentence. 

It doesn't have to be so.

Picture Pie by Ed Emberley allows fractions and fun to partner for intentional learning and retention. 

My children found the circle cutter in the scrapbooking cabinet, the one that hadn't been opened for quite some time. One child carried the circle cutter. Another carried twelve bright-colored sheets of construction paper. Each raced to the kitchen table, inspired by Ed Emberley's book. 

Within minutes, piles of rainbow-colored circles grew on the table. Elmer's glue flowed, spurted, then sputtered from orange tops as contents were drained. 

The results. Folds. Fractions. Art. 

Mastered. 

What we did?

• Read the explanations and looked at Ed Emberley's collage work.

• I explained fractions are parts of a whole. The bottom number is the denominator. It tells how many total parts are in the whole. The top number is the numerator. It represents a specific part of the whole.

• Each child selected one paper circle from the circle piles and followed directions to fold the circle in half—two equal parts. Together, we unfolded and cut along the fold line. I had each child write the fraction 1/2 on each semicircle.

• I encouraged the learners to select more paper circles to fold and cut into two equal parts. I demonstrated how each half circle could be folded in half again, making four equal parts. I labeled each part with the fraction 1/4.

• I allowed time for experimental folding, cutting and creating. WOW! Creative. Fraction. Fun.

• One child suggested using printed papers and aluminum foil.

• At the end of the afternoon, I offered our magnetic circle set, demonstrating equivalent fractions by laying pieces on top of one another. For example, I modeled how two 1/4 pieces fit on top of one 1/2 piece with no edges extending over, making the statement 2/4 = 1/2.

My learners not only understood fractional parts and equivalent fractions, they applied what they learned to create amazing art--an all-around WIN WIN WIN for fraction, fun and art. And we learned together!

Intentional. Real. Relational.

More to Playing Store

"Let's play store!"

There is much more to playing store than meets the eye. 

In fact, as a struggling learner, I believe playing store--adding customer orders and writing receipts--saved my declining math and spelling skills while building my learning confidence. As a mom, I have observed my children build the same skills behind their cashier stands and in their make-shift restaurants. 

Playing store is an essential developmental milestone, academically and socially. Playing store provides valuable educational entertainment. 

I remember, fondly, my pretend store years. Every day after school, I spent the afternoon at the neighbor's house until my mom arrived home from work. My friend and I would spend all afternoon in the basement, playing. The basement was alive with learning. In one corner stood three tall metal cabinets packed with craft supplies: old jars, paper, stickers, glitter, colored pasta, craft feathers, beads, and GLUE...lots of glue. Oh, and PAINT! Along end wall, all twenty to thirty feet of wall, was THE STORE! My friend's mom saved and cleaned EVERY box, plastic container and bottle she emptied from her kitchen--especially the ones loved most by children: Lucky Charms, Jell-O pudding, Tastykakes, soda. When the recyclables were cleaned, they were placed in THE STORE. There was a cereal section, a dessert section, a dairy section. Oh, and there was THE CASH REGISTER--an old adding machine with a roll of register tape a mile long. The store was a child's dream! We spent hours playing in the basement. 

When my oldest showed interest in "playing store" I began saving boxes and containers. I purchases garage sale price tags and we made an OPEN sign. The boxes lined the wall of my kitchen and provided hours of play...and much more!

Yes, the box shelf grew and grew, spilling over into the living room. Visitors were understanding, almost envious. They wanted to play, too! 

Today's the day. Save that box. Wash out the plastic container. There's learning in those recycles. And, there is so much more to playing store!

To cultivate the interest in playing store, gather

• coins- real will provide opportunity for responsibility
• paper money
• receipt book
• garage sale price tags
• We're Open sign- with analog clock with movable hands to practice time telling
• adding machine or cash register
• extra paper for menus and handcrafted paper pretend food
• clean recycles materials- drink holders, washed cups and plastics from food vendors and retailers
• aprons
• chef hat

Playing store creates opportunity to

• write numbers- numerals and decimals
• associate numerals with values
• apply number concepts
• add money values (decimals)- coins and bills
• practice math vocabulary
• use shapes and symbols
• practice language and communication skills
• read and spell high frequency vocabulary
• write with purpose- menus, orders and receipts
• repurpose recyclable materials
• collaborate with playmates regarding rules of play and responsibility

There is much more to playing store than meets the eye. Yes, there is the potential for recyclables to take over a corner of a kitchen or develop into a basement marketplace, maybe even make a mess of a living area. However, the rewards of the store playing season are indeed life-impacting. The mind will imagine. The feelings toward learning, brighten. Conversational skills will develop.

Celebrate the learning!

Indeed, when the cardboard boxes and plastics finally end up in the recycling bin, children will have been encouraged and empowered. And that is definitely worth a season of box and container collecting. 

Making Multiplication Mastery SIMPLE

There are some questions I am asked frequently. This one is no different. Comes often.

"How do you get children to master multiplication facts?"

The question is usually followed by a great sigh of,  "I've tried everything." 

Multiplication is a common frustration for parents. Mike and I hear concerns at evaluation time. I read worries on Facebook. Parents inquire while visiting my booth at conventions. And, I find the question in my inbox.

And, we are walking the journey with you!

We have personally faced this problem, several times.

Others have, too. YOU are not alone!

Developmentally, children must understand the concept of multiplication before they will understand what the symbolic (the number and signs) equation means. After understanding the concept and hence what the symbolic equation represents, children can begin mastering the facts.  In other words, children must understand the language " ____ groups of ______" and the corresponding numerals before mastery will make sense (unless, of course, the goal is to simply master the facts).

Based on our experience and the experiences of those whom we have coached through the process, the answer to the question about mastering multiplication depends on the child. In other words, every child has a unique developmental time table and there is no one right answer as to how to master facts (there are however, many opinions). In addition, some who once mastered the facts forget over a year's time and need review.

Though we all hope for an easy answer, one that works for every child, over time. It's just not so. 

At least it hasn't been for us or the folks we know. 

Thankfully, however there are many options and ideas from which to choose when working with children to master facts.

Start with the concept. Go back and review it when needed whether several times in a lesson, several times a year or once every year. The learner must innately understand (even see a picture in the mind, for visual learners). Remember, the wording to internalize is "(a number) groups of (a number)".  For example, a dozen eggs can be 2 groups of 6 OR 6 groups of 2. 

Draw a picture. Drawing a picture is a great help, especially for visual learners, though it can be beneficial for other learners as well. 

Find it in life. Look for examples of multiplication in real life where math can be taken off the page and made relevant, meaningful. This is especially important for kinesthetic learners. Examples are a box of 16 crayons divided in 2 rows, 3 four-legged animals, 2 tricycles, etc. This strategy was helpful for all of our children.

Make a visual or model. Outlining arrays (rows and columns of squares) on a piece of graph paper, drawing a picture for a math problem in a lesson, counting objects to represent an equation, really anything a child can relate to and then save as a picture in the mind. 

Skip Counting. In our twenty-one years of home education experience (as well as experience with hundreds of homeschoolers through mentoring and annual evaluations), skip counting does not always equate to understanding the concept multiplication. The child must be able to have the memory and the processing abilities to convert and apply the information. Skip counting worked for one of our learners.

Turn Math into an Art Project. For our creative learner who likes to cut and paste, math is palatable when accompanied by color and flare. Last Thanksgiving we enjoyed making multiplication turkeys. Placing the 8 facts on colored feathers not only added festivity to our day but allowed quick access to troublesome, hard to remember facts. Picture Pie by Ed Emberley provides creative ideas to explore and understand fractions.

Read about Math. We have had great success finding math-related books in the non-fiction section of the library. In fact, I have shown my children where the math books are shelved to give them greater independence as they dig deeper into math concepts introduced at home or in their math program.

Triangle Flash Cards. For one of our learners loved this idea, probably because it presented as more of a game than flash cards. Regardless, we were pleased with the results. Sherri Seligson explains her version of DIY Triangle Flash Cards on her blog, Just Extraordinary. 

Whole Equation, Including the Answer. "Are you kidding me?" That was my reaction to this method. For some learners we know, writing the fact (the whole equation factors and product) on flash cards and then verbalizing the equation aloud was the only technique which yielded mastery.This approached worked for one of our learners. 

No matter which strategy or technique you choose, there is an easy, natural sequence which helps learners feel successful, almost immediately. Mastering the facts in this order is helpful in terms of ease and building confidence: 1s (and number times one remains the same), 2s, 3s, 5s (perfectly illustrated with nickels), 4s, 10s (pull out the dimes), 6s, 7s, 8s, and 9s.  

For example, if using flashcards with answers (full equation), write all the 2s on 3x5 cards. Mix up the cards. Set a timer for two minutes. have the child go through the stack verbalizing the full equation on the card and moving the card to the back of the stack. Repeat through the deck until the timer rings. Repeat the activity once or twice a day for one week. To evaluate whether mastery is emerging, give an oral drill. If all the facts were mastered, move to the next fact grouping. 

Check-Off List. Using a check off list, learners can cross out mastered facts. A dry erase check off list has worked well in our home. Once we practice drilling the facts with verbal and visual cues (using cards mentioned above) twice or three times a day for several days, we do an oral drill. Sometimes we do this while driving to a field trip or while enjoying shade outside under a tree. If the leaner knows the answer to the fact I give, we exchange high fives (if I am not driving!) and I tell the child they can cross the fact off the list. If we drill in the car, we high five and mark off facts when we arrive home. Checking off facts is always a CELEBRATION! 

I must add, I was not a fan of flash cards UNTIL I had a child who could only learn multiplication with this strategy. Though I was hesitant, I wanted my child to learn as desired. And, at the child's request, I tried and was pleasantly surprised. We did, however have to review for several years.

You may be on the mountain (as it seems) to mastery. Take courage! You are not alone. 

We are walking the journey together.

Preschool to high school and every stage in between.

Read Aloud to Foster Counting Skills

Counting books cycle in our home; about every four years over the past two plus decades as little learners grow and start their quest to conquer the concepts and skills involved in counting. 

Noticing some of our favorites are disappearing from the library shelves, intentionality finds me adding to our home library so we don't lose our loves. 

How Many Snails? Rich, bold vibrant colors invite little learners to jump in and count! Though counting is the main skill reinforced, attributes, following directions, and processing fair well, too. One of our favorites! Author: Paul Giganti, Jr. 

M&M Counting Book. The familiar candies on the front draw readers to the content. Once opened, this book teaches counting through 12, counting sets, and beginning addition and subtraction. Author: Barbara Barbieri McGrath

Counting is for the Birds. The rhyming text makes this brilliantly illustrated counting-to-twenty book an all-time favorite of ours. Author: Frank Mazzola, Jr.

Cardinal Numbers: An Ohio Counting Book. Counting 1-14 with beautiful illustrations and real-world word problems on the last pages, this book is one of many in the Sleeping Bear Press series. A favorite for older children, too, as side bars on each page offer additional opportunities for curious learners. Author: Marcia Schonberg

Great Estimations. An intriguing look at estimating as an advanced counting technique. Great photography, fun examples, and helpful hints for counting objects in large numbers. Great for older learners, too! Author: Bruce Goldstone.

The Coin Counting Book. Counting takes another journey into the world of coin recognition and value. Great for beginner coin counters who have a piggy bank of coins waiting to be counted.  Another of our favorites due to the interest most kids have in money. Author: Rozanne Lanczank Williams.

Eating Pairs: Counting Fruits and Vegetables by Two. Reading and learning odds and evens go hand-in-hand with this unique counting book. We love that the numbers are written down the side bar of each page, begging for us to count along...again! Author: Sarah L. Schuette.

10 Little Rubber Ducks. Fictionalized counting story of a real-life event presented alongside the classic Eric Carle collage art. Bright illustrations and a intriguing story line. Great addition to the home library, for sure! Author: Eric Carle.