June 8 - 12

Hello Kindergarten Families!

I hope you all had a wonderful week in the lovely spring weather!  Aren't the blossoms on the trees beautiful?

Last week we made some patterns...

And we solved some pattern problems....

Can you find the patterns in these great photos that you took this week?

 

This next one is tricky...at first I couldn't spot the pattern, but then I did!  
Can you spot it?

Patterns really are EVERYWHERE!

This week we are going to work on some number problems.  Our goal is to help children pick out the important details in the problems.  It can be tricky for kindergarten children to figure out what the problem tells them and what the problem is asking.  

1. Before talking about the math involved make sure you spend time talking about the details in the problem.
2. Allow your child to use objects to 'act out' the problems.  It is important for Kindergarten children to understand what is happening in a problem and model it with pictures and objects.  Remember, we haven't done a lot of work with addition and subtraction (this is yet to come in Grade 1) but our kindergarteners are used to using and playing with manipulatives and numbers and they can solve all these problems by doing just that.
3. Let your child do his/her own thinking.  Try not to tell your child how to solve the problems but rather guide them through questioning.  Let your child choose a strategy that works best for him or her.  Your child might choose a strategy that you wouldn't have thought of (for example, you may use subtraction, but they may count up), but if it works for them, they understand what they are doing and can explain their work then it's all good.
4. Encourage your child to record their answers in a neat and organized way that shows their thinking.  Their work doesn't have to be 'pretty' but it does need to show their thought process.  They don't have to write an equation for every problem, but they can of course if they want to.

Most importantly...

Make sure your child is having fun!  Math should be enjoyable!

This week we will also be practicing counting by 10's! 

Please click HERE for the weekly schedule!

Day 1

• Here is your first math problem (remember to follow the steps above):

There were 10 cookies.

Bear ate most of them.

Now there are only 3 left.

How many did bear eat?

• Next you are going to make a giant number line!  You will also need the number line cards found HERE.  You will also need some masking tape and a space to make a large number line.  If it is a nice day and not windy you could even do this with sidewalk chalk instead of tape.   You will need to cut the cards out before doing the activity.

1. Make a long line of tape on the floor and at even intervals put a cross piece of tape and write numbers 1 - 10 on each of the cross pieces.
2. Shuffle the number cards and have your child turn one over at a time.
3. Your child will place the number cards in the correct spot on the number line until all the cards are placed.
4. Next clean up the cards.  Now you flash the cards for your child to see quickly, your child looks at it and runs to that spot on the number line.

Here is the completed number line that my boys made:

• Let's learn to count by 10's by watching this video

Day 2

• Here is today's math problem:

Mrs. Seddon went on a bug hunt.  

She caught 3 ladybugs, 4 caterpillars and 2 butterflies.

How many bugs did she catch?

• Practice counting by 10's and get moving by watching this video

Day 3

• Here is today's math problem:

You need 10 apples to make a pie.

You have 3 red apples and 6 green apples.

How many more apples do you need?

• HERE is another video to practice counting by 10's

Day 4

• Here is today's math problem:

There are 4 tables in the classroom.

We need 2 glue sticks for each table.

How many glue sticks do we need?

• Get some exercise with this video counting by 10's!

Bonus Question:

• Go HERE to try sorting some houses as many ways as you can think of!  You can even sort them right on the screen!  Just scroll down the page and you will find the interactive tool...you can just drag them to sort them.  I wonder how many ways you can sort them!  Hint: there are 7 ways...can you find them all?  Let your child come up with as many ways as he/she can think of first and then provide prompts if needed...when I did this with my son he came up with 3 ways that I hadn't even thought of.  It is amazing what kids see that we don't!  

I hope you had fun solving these math problems!  

Next week we will solve some more number problems!

It's hard to believe we are almost Kindergarten graduates!  Only 2 more weeks to go!  It's very bittersweet but I feel so proud of everyone for making the most of this very crazy school year!

Have a wonderful weekend!

💖  Mrs. Seddon 💖