Fun and informative activities encourage kids to get outside, play with objects found in nature and learn about math along the way. By measuring worms, building snowmen and splashing in puddles, for example, kids ages 5 to 8 will learn about basic mathematic operations, shapes, time and more. All activities promote active living and an understanding of the natural world, while developing important character skills, such as teamwork and cooperation. Cross-curricular applications make Outdoor Math a strong institutional choice. Fun, quirky illustrations demonstrate each activity and show kids that learning about math can be all fun and games!
Fun and informative activities encourage kids to get outside, play with objects found in nature and learn about math along the way. By measuring worms, building snowmen and splashing in puddles, for example, kids ages 5 to 8 will learn about basic mathematic operations, shapes, time and more. All activities promote active living and an understanding of the natural world, while developing important character skills, such as teamwork and cooperation. Cross-curricular applications make Outdoor Math a strong institutional choice. Fun, quirky illustrations demonstrate each activity and show kids that learning about math can be all fun and games!
One of the keys to a happy and creative classroom is getting out of it and this book will give you the confidence to do just that. Drawing on academic research, Juliet explains why learning outdoors is so beneficial and provides plenty of tips and activities to help you to integrate outdoor learning into your teaching practice, providing a broad range of engaging outdoor experiences for your students. There is no need for expensive tools or complicated technologies: all you need is your coat and a passion for learning - oh, and you'd better bring the kids too! Topics covered include: forest schools, learning outside the classroom, outdoor education, nature activities, caring for the environment, play in schools, investigative play, urban outdoor activities, problem solving, creative thinking and strategies for supporting curriculum objectives. For all primary practitioners who want to shake up their usual classroom routine and discover the benefits of teaching outdoors. Dirty Teaching was a finalist in the Non-Fiction People's Book Prize Winter 2014 collection.
In Messy Maths: A Playful, Outdoor Approach for Early Years, Juliet Robertson offers a rich resource of ideas that will inspire you to tap into the endless supply of patterns, textures, colours and quantities of the outdoors and deepen children's understanding of maths through hands-on experience. Juliet believes being outside makes maths real. In the classroom environment, maths can seem disconnected from everyday reality but real maths is really messy. Lots of outdoor play and engaging activity along the way is a must, as being outside enables connections to be made between the hands, heart and head, and lays the foundations for more complex work as children grow, develop and learn. Following on from the success of Dirty Teaching (ISBN 978-178135107-9), Messy Maths reimagines the outdoor space through a mathematical lens providing a treasure trove of suggestions that will empower you to blend outdoor learning into your teaching practice. It is not a 'how to' guide, but rather an easy-to-use reference book replete with ready-to-use games and open-ended ideas designed to help children become confident and skilled in thinking about, using and exploring abstract mathematical concepts as they play outside. Many of these ideas and activities are also beautifully displayed in full-colour photographs throughout the book, making it even easier to jump straight into outstanding outdoor learning opportunities. Topics covered include: general advice; exploring numbers; number functions and fractions; money; measurement; time; pattern; shape and symmetry; position, direction and movement; data handling; routines; and the mathematical garden. Each chapter features a section on topic-specific vocabulary and expressions to help you integrate terminology into each area of study, while suggestions for embedding maths into routines are also provided to assist in the development of creative, progressive and flexible approaches to everyday situations. Messy Maths is suitable for early years educators (of ages 3 to 6) who want to shake up their usual classroom practice and make the most of any outdoor space - whether this be a nursery, playgroup, child-minder's back garden or a nature kindergarten as a context for maths. Messy Maths has been named the Gold Winner in the Mathematics category of the Nursery World Equipment & Resources Awards 2019. Messy Maths has been named the Silver Winner in the Outdoor Play category and Professional Books (and authors) category of the Nursery World Equipment & Resources Awards 2019. Messy Maths was a 2017 Foreword INDIES Finalist in the Education category. Messy Maths has been named a 'Gold Winner' in the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards 2018 in the Education category. Messy Maths is a finalist in the 2018 Education Resources Awards in the Educational Book Award category.
"Best-selling author and worst-drawing artist Ben Orlin expands his oeuvre with this interactive collection of mathematical games. Each taking a minute to learn and a lifetime to master, this treasure chest of 70-plus games will delight, educate, and entertain"--
Tasks in Primary Mathematics Teacher Education is intended to advance relevant research and innovative international practices in the preparation and professional development of mathematics teachers. Emerging from discussion at the ICMI study on teacher professional development, this volume, focused on primary and elementary teachers, culls a richness that can only be found by gathering wisdom from varied experiences around the world. The choice of tasks, and the associated pedagogies, is a key aspect of teaching and learning mathematics. Arguing that what students learn is largely defined by the tasks they are given, several major themes are presented. One such major strand, the form, function and focus of tasks, is discussed throughout several chapters, offering analysis, discussion of implementation, and exemplars of a broader category of illustrative techniques for developing critical understanding.
If you've ever wished that learning math could be more joyful and playful for young learners, you're not alone. In Joyful Math: Invitations to Play and Explore in the Early Childhood Classroom, kindergarten teacher Deanna Pecaski McLennan opens her classroom doors to share the practical, yet innovative ways she integrates mathematical play throughout the school day. Each chapter of this easy-to-navigate, photo-filled book focuses on specific strategies, activities and examples of mathematical play within literacy, art, and outdoor explorations. Inside Joyful Mathyou'll find: A photo guide, including suggested tools and materials, to setting up a classroom environment and space that fosters mathematical curiosity and joy Dozens of open-ended and teacher-guided mathematical activities that are simple to set up and full of mathematical possibility Practical tips for including mathematical play across the day Suggestions and examples of ways to document and share children's learning experiences with families and communities Joyful Math will inspire educators to make space for joy and play in early childhood mathematics and give them the tools to make this vision a reality.
"This book is about how to create invitations for young children to play with math ideas through art, literacy, and outdoor play. The focus of her book is really on math that occurs OUTSIDE of math time. How can we create space for children to play in our classrooms that builds on their own questions as well as the math they are studying in the curriculum? How can we create a joyful and playful space for math so that children feel like mathematical thinkers with valuable ideas from the very start? How can we create connections between math and children's lives so that they see math as creative and purposeful instead of just learning "school math"?"--
Developing Early Maths Skills Outdoors provides practitioners with practical planning for how to develop and enhance the outdoor area to facilitate mathematical learning. It includes up to 80 activities to embed each learning experience into daily provision, with dedicated plans to develop specific skills and aspects of mathematics. The activities throughout the book are low cost and easy to set up, aiming to reassure practitioners and give them the confidence to plan more mathematical learning experiences outdoors. This is further supported with planning guidance and resource ideas, as well as advice on observation and assessment, including suggestions for how to reduce the paperwork burden and a useful observation template. The book is divided into sections that represent the different aspects of mathematics and includes: An introduction to each aspect, explaining why it is important, and outlining the fundamental skills and concepts that underpin it; ideas for adult-led and adult-initiated activities that aim to develop children's early mathematical knowledge, skills and understanding; suggestions for how to enhance continuous outdoor provision so that it promotes independent investigation, fostering creative and critical thinking; pointers and tips about teaching mathematics in the early years; ideas for how to involve parents and carers and links to all four British early years curriculum frameworks.
