Seeds – What do we know about seeds? What do we want to find out?
Is that a seed? This week, we’re exploring seeds and talking about what we already know and what we want to find out. Go for a walk with your child to look for seeds. Take photos of the seeds and the plants you find. Later, you can review the photos and talk about what you saw.
After you take photos of the seeds you find, use this video as a prompt to help your child notice more details in pictures. Ask:
What else do you see in this picture? How many different kinds of seeds are in this picture?
Why It’s Important
Math is all around us. Observing nature and then writing stories based on those observations will help your child notice some of the ways in which math exists in our world while encouraging creativity and building critical thinking skills.
Not Ready Yet
Your child may not yet understand that math stories are just stories made up about things around us—stories that can build a math equation. To support your child, make up a few math stories first as a model. Then ask questions as your child begins to build a story independently. “What could you add in this picture? Can you imagine anything happening to the plants or animals in this picture that would require some addition? What might happen to the things in this picture that would look like subtraction, or taking away?”
Need a Challenge
For a challenge, ask your child to write a math story that uses multiplication. You could give an example based on the video: “A different beetle visited the flower next to the okra every day for one whole week. How many beetles visited the garden during the week?”
Journal/Talk
Would you rather take home a rock, a feather, or a flower as a treasure from a nature walk? What makes your choice special to you?
Book Recommendations
“Nature Adventures” by Mick Manning
Extend the Learning
The next time you plan to give a gift to a young child, consider having your child help you. Make a math picture book together. Go on a walk and take pictures of things in the same category (e.g., nature, architecture, people). Make sure you take pictures that represent the numbers 1–10. Print out the pictures on paper and organize them into pictures representing 1–10. Help your child write a short caption for each picture that shows addition or demonstrates counting. Make a cover for the book and bind the pages with a ribbon or a stapler. Voila! You have a beautiful and useful handmade gift! Plus, your child will get some practice using foundational math skills along the way.
Mighty Minutes®: Say It, Show It
- Recite the chant and snap, tap, or clap the beat.Appy, tappy, tappy.
Appy, tappy, too.
Appy, tappy, tappy.
I’ll show my card to you! - Hold up a numeral card from 1–10.
- Ask your child to name the numeral.
- Invite your child to perform a simple motion to demonstrate their knowledge of the quantity that it represents. Ask, “Can you hold up four fingers? Can you jump four times?”
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER
Before taking your child outside on a seed walk, consider what types of seeds and plants he might find. Plan a route around your community that will show the largest variety of plants.
