Jelly Bean Graphing

Not only is graphing with jellybeans a yummy way to spend some time, it’s also educational; there are so many learning concepts packed into this small activity. Obviously, the main is graphing. But graphing is just the umbrella that covers several mighty and oh-so important math principles. In this particular instance, the children must rely on their color knowledge to sort and classify the jelly beans. After placing the candy on their graphs, they will use their counting skills (one-to-one correspondence) to count and match the number of beans, in a row, to its corresponding number below. Graphing also incorporates the concept of more/less/same.

Estimation Easter Basket

After each child looked at the basket full of bunnies, I asked them to give me an estimate of how many. We then counted the bunnies and discussed what was the same/difference.

Our Little Chicks

We've painted with balls and the kids thought it was funny. This week I asked them to paint a baby chicken with a fork. Their faces were priceless. Fork painting is such a fun and clever painting technique. It allows for different textures and lines and creates something far different than a paintbrush. Definitely worth giving it a try!

Children play with balls in many different ways. They throw them, catch them, kick them, and roll them with seemingly endless delight. We are learning how natural forces, such as gravity and friction, affect the movement of balls. We discussed the meaning of force and how we can use it to move a ball. Using forced air from a blow dryer, we discovered how the air can affect a balls movement. Then, I gave each student a straw and pom pom balls to move with our breath. We discussed how the ball's weight or how hard air blew made a difference in the distance traveled.

Number Wall Ball

This is a fun way to identify numbers. The children were given a number to point at and then hit it with the ball.

Making a Rainbow

This week, we started our new study, “Balls.” To introduce our new study, I asked the students a question, “What’s inside the box?” I had placed a ball into a box and had the boys and girls try and guess what was inside. While they took turns shaking the box, I gave them some clues. What rhymes with fall? What can you bounce? What can you throw? The children guessed a ball.

In order for children to develop the knowledge needed for later formal learning, they need frequent practice with materials in play settings. One of our favorite activities is our estimation jar. The students had to estimate how many balls were in the jar. We recorded our answers and counted to see how many balls we had. Afterwards, we classified them by color and made an A/B pattern too. Everyone had fun, but little did they know we were also learning.

Painting with balls is a fun way to combine process art and science with our kids. There is no set way to make a ball painting. We used two different types of balls for our project. I ask each student to predict what type of pattern each ball would create. Why does this ball make a different design?

This was the last week for our building study and we turned our classroom into a veterinarian’s office, hair salon, mechanic shop, and cafe. Our focus question this week was, “What happens in buildings?” Our students through dramatic play had a chance to play in each building as a customer or employee. They had a blast!