Have masking tape and sidewalk chalk? Then you can invite children to create amazing geometric artwork outdoors in just a few steps!
Create the outline of the art by placing tape on the ground in different designs. I personally like creating a large square or rectangle and then using various shapes to fill the area inside.
Looking for some professional development to help you refresh your math program using play and exploration? My next workshop is just for you! Join me with Early Childhood Investigation Webinars on April 16 at 2 pm Eastern Time.
Do you feel less confident or enthusiastic about incorporating math experiences into your early childhood program? If so, you’re not alone! Many early educators feel more comfortable teaching language and literacy than math. This hesitation may stem from your own experiences as a young learner.
If you’re looking for inspiration to bring joyful math moments into children’s play and make this learning visible to families, this webinar is for you! Young children are curious about Math-related concepts and Math connects to every aspect of a developmentally appropriate practice in early learning. In this idea-filled session presented by experienced educator, researcher, and writer Deanna Pecaski McLennan, we’ll reimagine what math looks like in early childhood. You will explore ways to reinvigorate your practice with hands-on, integrated activities that excite and engage young learners based on Deanna’s real-life examples from her kindergarten classroom.
Discover how to create invitations for young children to explore math through art, literacy, and outdoor play. We’ll focus on designing learning spaces where children see themselves as mathematical thinkers, valuing their ideas in meaningful and authentic ways. Drawing from her extensive experience and her books, Deanna will inspire you to approach math with curiosity, take risks, experiment with new strategies, observe deeply, and collaborate with children as co-learners. Let’s transform the way we think about early math together!
In this workshop you will:
Toni Cameron and Deanna McLennan in conversation with Stenhouse’s Kassia Omohundro Wedekind about creating a supportive, curious, and playful environment for mathematics in early childhood classrooms, the importance of stepping back to listen, and (of course!) what this all looks like these days.
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As an educator I have always tried to include diverse texts in my classroom. Whether they are provided freely and permanently to children in the cozy reading area or explored during whole and small group learning, I feel it is so important to help children learn about the amazing diversity in our world. I have spent my entire career collecting texts that help represent the diversity of the children in my care and introducing them to the beauty of humanity beyond their current life experience. I want children to feel seen, represented and appreciated in our learning space.
A favourite character of mine is Peter featured in books by Ezra Jack Keats. Peter is a typical little boy - spending time exploring nature, connecting with his dog Willie, and feeling the changes that happen in his family when a new sibling is born. I appreciate the artwork created by Keats in the Peter books. They are a staple in my classroom.
This winter I was inspired to research Keats more deeply. I knew he authored The Snowy Day in 1962 but was surprised to learn that Peter is considered to be one of the most consequential children's book characters. Keats felt it was unfair for children to read books that only featured white characters so he created more diverse stories. How did I not know this? Peter is one of the first Black protagonists in a children's story that won the Caldecott award.
Looking back on past readings of The Snowy Day and Peter's Chair, I felt I may have glossed over Peter's Blackness, focusing instead on the plot of the book and its beautiful illustrations. I wonder how many of my students recognized Peter as Black, and made personal connections with him through the beauty of the text. This time I aimed to accomplish more. Before reading the story I introduced Peter to the children as one of the first Black characters in a book. We talked about representation and how before The Snowy Day Black characters were not prominent in books. We discussed how unfair that was and how important Keat's work would have been at that time. This was perfect timing because the children had just learned about the work of Alma Thomas in a previous exploration of concentric art work. During our research we learned Thomas could not attend school because she was Black, and was one of the first Black female artists to have her art displayed in a gallery. Exploring Peter consecutively with Alma Thomas helped give children context when thinking about social issues and racial discrimination. This made our 'text to self' connections to Keat's books richer and more attainable for children.
I also intended to help children feel more connected to Peter. We used class discussions to think about him. How old did we think Peter might be? How were we alike? What might we say and do if Peter were a member of our class?
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My teaching partner and I offered children STEM challenges to help design a new chair for Peter...
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Amazon. Check it out! Reviews much appreciated!
Sorting numbers that are presented using different fonts is an effective way to help children understand that numbers can look many different ways. This activity requires children to sort and glue numbers onto a chart. A basket of cut numbers was offered to children along with a template/chart and glue sticks. Children were challenged to find as many of each different number as they could.
Want to try the activity with your students? Click here to get free printable font pages and the template. Happy sorting!
"I can help the goats escape that silly, old troll. All I need to do is just make a bridge that is so low to the water there is no room for the troll to hide below. That's the problem with the one in the story. There was enough room for the troll to hide. My bridge won't do that."
Young children are naturally curious about the world around them as they marvel and wonder about what they experience in their daily lives. According to Let's Talk Science this means that every moment has the potential for learning because children desire a deeper understanding of the world around them. STEAM learning in the early years is especially important because it helps prepare children with skills and knowledge for an unknown future. Let's Talk Science explains that STEAM activities can:
In our classroom I have found that children are usually very motivated to help solve problems that appear in books we have read aloud and explored together as a class. In particular fairy tales that have likeable characters that need help evading a villain seem to elicit the most excitement and enthusiasm from kids. Sometimes STEAM invitations that are inspired by fairy tales naturally occur as a result of the children reading and discussing the text together in large or small groups. Other times I will invite children to engage in helping solve a problem by asking a question in our whole group meetings and inviting their ideas, or setting up an invitation for learning based upon the text.
One of the most popular invitations was based on the story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. After reading the book I asked children to think about whether they could help the goats by building them a new bridge. On a table I created a quick playscape replicating the river by using green place mats for grass and blue paper for water. I offered baskets of different wooden loose parts for them to explore. I also added three toy goats and a troll that could be used as character props to help inspire children to retell the story after building the bridge.
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During play time children worked collaboratively to build a number of interesting bridges. It was fascinating to discuss the attributes of each, and listen to the children's rationale for how the goats could evade the troll by using the bridge's features (e.g., close to the water, troll traps, fencing).
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Looking for some STEAM inspired invitations for other fairy tales? Here are some easy ideas to get you started:
The Gingerbread Man:
Goldilocks and the Three Bears:
The Three Little Pigs:
Little Red Riding Hood:
Jack and the Beanstalk:
Like many educators I am a avid reader who devours historical fiction. This is nothing like a good book that pulls you in and helps you forget the cold, snowy January weather of Ontario. While researching my next read I stumbled upon the Goodreads website. Where has this been my whole life? I was fascinated to quickly and easily find many titles to add to my reading list. I was also deeply surprised to find many of the books I have authored on the site - not just their titles but ratings too! This inspired me to create an author page in order to help me connect with readers in a new and fresh way. If you are on Goodreads come find me! Even better I would love a review of my books if you have read or purchased them. Come ask me a question or suggest your favourite book to read! I'm excited to connect with you in a new way!
We use these subitizing cards for many games in our classroom. This past week we invited children to play a 'roll and record' game. Using one die or two dice, children would roll, subitize or add, and cover that number on their card using a holiday trinket. Click on the image of the card to download your own copy of the four subitizing cards!
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Math talks are a great way to engage children in open-ended explorations that invite them to think critically and creatively about a concept. Math talks are like number talks, yet include any area of math that an educator would like children to explore. An effective math prompt to facilitate a rich math discussion will be layered; it should be open-ended with multiple entry points for engagement. Even children as young as kindergarten are capable of participating in complex math conversations. In our classroom I aim to invite children into a math talk at least once a day; I sometimes use the numerical date on our morning message as the spark for exploration. Other times an interesting photo or collection of loose parts will be engaging and incite children into further exploration. I try to vary the invitations I provide in order to diversify the math we discuss and to reach as many learning interests as possible.
In our program we have a morning circle time. This circle is our first whole group gathering time for the day and helps set a positive atmosphere in our classroom. It is also a time to celebrate being together, and share news from our homes. We often use it as an opportunity to read a story and discuss any new and exciting activities or additions to our classroom space about which the children should know in order to be successful for the day.
Over the years I have shared my math talks on social media and have been asked repeatedly to create a guide to support educators who wish to engage their students in math talks. This inspired my collection of monthly math talk books. Each book contain 25 prompts to engage children in regular conversations in the classroom. The prompts do not need to be followed in order. In order to help educators I have also created free downloadable PDFs that can be printed and used with students.
Click on the book's image to be linked to where it can be purchased.
Click on the printable to be linked to where it can be printed.
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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 environment exists as the 'third teacher'
inspiring, supporting, and extending children's learning in rich and
complex ways. I have been contacted by many educators asking for advice
on how to best set up their classroom and routines in order to create as
many opportunities for authentic math as possible. This has inspired
today's blog post - how to cultivate a math rich learning space for
children at the beginning of another school year.
I thought it would be easiest to create this as a 'math check list' with
points to read and consider. When I reflect upon my own math pedagogy
and practice, these are what I think stand out as mathematically
meaningful for the educators, children and families that share our
space. Although this check list isn't all inclusive, I thought it might
spark some ideas to support and inspire as we enjoy the final weeks of
summer and return soon to our classrooms with open eyes, minds and hearts.
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5. Find the math in everything. Many educators plan forward by
choosing curriculum and programming expectations and then building
activities to fulfill these. Try back-mapping activities from time to
time; embrace child-centered, organic experiences and then deconstruct
them in order to identify the rich math concepts and curriculum
expectations that they utilize. You'll be surprised to find that math
happens in almost every experience children have in the classroom.
6. Try looking at life through a mathematical lens. When planning
invitations for learning in your classroom see what math you can sneak
in as well. Changing one or two elements of the experience might be
enough to engage children in rich math. It reminds me of how I used to
sneak veggies into my children's meals - a little can go a long way!
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