April 6-10

Hello Kindergarten Families!

I hope you are happy and healthy and I hope you had fun playing Lucky Number last week!

Miss Roberts and I have created a google file for you to access to keep all our Kindergarten activities together.  Within this file you will find sub folders of literacy and math.  There are is also a folder from Ms. Lecoq with music activities that you can do with your child as well as a folder with self regulation activities for you to try.  

It is very important that you continue to read the blogs before accessing the google folder.  The blogs will contain important information and photos to help you to use the activities that are in the google file.

This week we are going to finish up our measurement unit by exploring the concepts of volume and capacity!  There is no requirement that you complete all the activities, rather they are suggestions of things you can do.  These activities can be done in your own time, but below is a suggestion of how to spread them out through the week.  

Day 1:

• Click here to access the google folder.  Once in the folder, open the Math folder and then the week April 6-10.

• Open Will an Elephant Fit in a Bathtub.  This is a powerpoint file so it may not open on your phone. Discuss each slide with your child and be sure to ask them 'why?'.  (The afternoon class has seen this before but will benefit from looking at them again with you).

• Open Capacity Book 1.  Read through the book and discuss each page with your child.

• Explore the concepts of volume and capacity:

1. Find a variety of containers in your house.  Look for wide ones, skinny ones, tall ones, short ones, narrow ones etc.  Encourage your child to use these words to describe each container.
2. Fill up a tub full of water (a clear rubbermaid works great, or a sink full of water or a bathtub).  If you have some food colouring you can put a couple of drops in to make the water more visible.
3. Make predictions about which container would hold the most amount of water and which one would hold the least amount of water.
4. Next let your child decide how they can find out which container actually holds the most and which actually holds the least.  They might take a small cup and try counting how many times they must fill it to fill the larger container.  Or they might try filling one and pouring it into another.  Ask your child...

• what you are doing?  Why did you decide to do it that way?
• which container holds the most?  How do you know?
• how can we make sure we are right?
• will the water in the wide container fit in the narrow container?
• Use words such as more, less and equal.  You can introduce the words capacity and volume but there is no expectation for kindergarten children to use or understand these words.

         

Day 2:  

Discuss this photo:

     

                         

                                                          

Get a basket or container and some sort of solid objects (blocks, cubes etc.). Have your child estimate how many will fit in the basket.  This is a chance for your child to learn about capactiy and practice their estimating and counting skills at the same time.

Day 3:

Gather a whole bunch of different sized containers again.  Make sure some are tall and some are wide (not stackable containers because the answer will be too obvious).  Have children predict which will hold the least and which will hold the most.  Next have them fill the containers with beans, sand (maybe you have some in an outdoor sandbox?), rice, beads or some other material and order them from least to most.   Give them a small cup for scooping the beans and filling the other containers.  Make sure the containers aren't TOO big to avoid frustration!  

                                          

Day 4:  

Open Capacity Book 2.  Read and discuss.

Lastly, you can TRY to solve this problem together:

              

This is a CHALLENGING problem and very abstract for kindergarten kids.  Try to see if they can begin to solve the problem on their own using the cups and beans/rice/sand/beads.  You may need to step in to offer guidance but try to step back as much as you can and listen to your child's ideas.  If they need this to be modeled you can do that and then give them a similar problem but with different numbers.

Next, have them draw what they did to solve this problem.  They can add words and numbers to their drawing as well.

Let them play and explore while encouraging them to explain their thinking, their predictions and their discoveries.  Have fun!

Remember to send photos when you can and email me with any questions.  I am available all day Monday for emails.  Through the rest of the week I will be checking my email but I may need a little more time to respond.