Developing numeracy is just as important as developing literacy in these early years. But what is it? And how do you begin to foster it in your 2, 3, 4, or 5 year old?
For a starting point of understanding numeracy, see below from Wikipedia:
“Numeracy is defined as the ability to reason and to apply simple numerical concepts.[1] Basic numeracy skills consist of comprehending fundamental mathematics like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. For example, if one can understand simple mathematical equations such as, 2 + 2 = 4, then one would be considered possessing at least basic numeric knowledge. Substantial aspects of numeracy also include number sense, operation sense, computation, measurement, geometry, probability and statistics. A numerically literate person can manage and respond to the mathematical demands of life.[2] By contrast, the lack of numeracy or innumeracy can have a negative impact if the skills are absent. Numeracy has an influence on career professions, literacy, and risk perception towards health decisions.”
My expectation for myself in using a pre-k program, embark or anything else, is that it’s only part of the bigger picture. I’m not concerned about preparing my kids for kindergarten per se; I am concerned about preparing them for everything. And anything. I want them to be able to access life from every angle. So my job is to look at ways to build in skills to access life through everything we do.
I take developing numeracy very seriously. And I feel confident that it is addressed at the pre-school my kids attend 2 mornings a week. And I can see clearly that with the “123” content choice embedded in every unit, embark is addressing it.
But what am I doing to address it? What are you doing with your kids to address it? (Please post ideas in the comments section of this post so we can share ideas!!)
Enter Cheese Math. And a whole host of other activities. For the 2-4 year old range, cheese math is easy and fun and we do it several times a week.
Mini-cookie cutters (see resources below), are a great way to make anything fun. We actually do Cheese Words and Cheese Shapes, too! And we don’t stop at cheese, a thinly sliced apple is a workable texture and obviously cookie dough would be, too! But what I love about cheese (or soy cheese, etc…) is that it’s easy! When you are talking about fostering skills every day, in everything you do, easy is crucial. Remember, I’m not actually running a pre-k here, people! (Although, I guess I am running a pre-k)… But I work, and I have things…. other things!
A big block of Tillamook cheddar from Costco is about $6 and lasts more than a week- even with 3 kids. All I have to do at this point is slice off perfectly thin-but-not-too-thin sections of cheddar. The kids can get out the mini-cutting boards, get out the mini-cookie cutters and press the cheese shapes with their hands. After that, if I’m free, I can spend 15 minutes facilitating adding cheese bits. If I’m not free, they’ve made their own snack and had simple exposure to numbers and math.
When we first started this about 3 years ago, they only wanted to eat the shapes. So I would eat the extra edges and pieces. But sometimes there are a lot of those and I don’t always want cheese! Like anyone on a budget, I hate to see wasted food. So I worked hard at making the “left over” sections into appealing bits. Sometimes I encourage them to make them into puzzles- before they eat the shapes they’ve cut, they see if they can fit them properly back into the empty spot. Then I say, “Now eat the outside of the puzzle!”
Other times we talk about the art and design concepts of positive space (the shape or number they made) and negative space (the left-over square with the missing chunks where shapes where taken out). So I say, “No more new slices for positive space shapes until all of these negative space puzzles get eaten!”
I love to use the shapes for math rather than just the numbers. Numbers are a bit abstract. So while exposure to the look and feel of numbers is important, the concept of adding and taking things away is more important. So 1 heart plus 1 heart equals 2 hearts actually makes more sense to a 3 year old than seeing the semiotic signifier of the number “1” and adding it to another “1” to get the new image of the number “2”.
While every public library in the nation probably has handouts with tips for encouraging emerging readers, not much is readily available for simple things we can all do to increase numeracy. But the techniques around early literacy are easily transferable. Have you noticed encouragement to let infants just chew on board books? Or show a 3 year old how to run a finger under the sentences of book as you read aloud to them? These kinds of tips work because it’s all part of scaffolding for later learning. Chewing on a book means one simple thing: there are books in your house! Once you stop putting things in your mouth, it will still be there. And eventually you’ll notice the picture, then the words, and so on. Just having the stuff around is where it starts. So, we need ways to “just have numbers around.” This is actually really easy but can seem hard.
Do you have a white board where your kids draw? Do you ever just write simple math equations on it for the kids to look at? You don’t have to explain it or teach it or say a thing. Just expose them to things like equations.
I was thrilled and surprised to see that the embark upgrade kit #2 came with magnetic equation symbols (+, x, – , , ) as well as Unifix Cubes (from didax.com: “Unifix cubes are colorful, interlocking cubes that help children ages four and up learn early math and reading concepts. The smooth feel and great fit gives students hands-on experiences to develop these critical skills. Unifix Math Cubes teach a variety of math concepts including: Patterning, Counting, Addition/Subtraction, Multiplication/Division, Measurement and more! There’s also Unifix Letter Cubes: Available for CVC, Blends, Onsets, Rimes, and more! They teach concepts including Phonemic Awareness, Word Building, High-Frequency Words, Sentence-Building and Spelling.”)
These kinds of specific numeracy tools are not so easy to find for the average Joe. I hunted long and hard for mini cookie cutters with math symbols. Numbers are easy to find, but I never found symbols. Anyone looking for a cottage industry product should make these!! Or if you know of a brand that makes these, please comment on this post and tell me!
After using the embark magnetic numbers I’ve noticed that we need more “1s” in order to make a lot of numbers in a row. So I’ve ordered a kit (and a few other items) from the same vendor K12 buys their numbers from- Lakeshore Learning. It’s $30 bucks, and I added 3 lap-size magnetic/dry erase white boards for another $7, but I’m okay with that.
While the saying, “math is everywhere” might be cheesy, I know it’s true. Now I just need to show my kids it’s true.
Happy Learning!
My Sources | Additional Resources and Links
NUMERACY:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numeracy
http://www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk/home/index.html
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/moreinfo.html
http://www.teachpreschool.org/2012/02/everyday-math-in-preschool/
SEMIOTIC SIGNIFIERS:
http://users.aber.ac.uk/dgc/Documents/S4B/sem02.html
http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/product/productDet.jsp
POSITIVE | NEGATIVE SPACE | DESIGN
http://www.teachkidsart.net/tag/positivenegative-space/
EMBARK UPGRADE KITS:
http://www.k12.com/embark/faqs#.Uiy6QnfLKSo
Cookie cutters like the ones pictureD and discussed in my cheese math posts are available in sets at Amazon for about $7 a set. See below.
Our Pre-K Journey 