Seven Days in a Week

Adults use time to mark and measure time, but for children the task is not as easy. Little evidence exists indicating that calander activities which mark extended periods of time (a month, a week) are meaningful for children below first grade (Friedman, 2000). Before children can make use of a calendar, they need to be able to understand that time is sequential (first comes Sunday, then Monday, and so on).

There are many relevant resources that exist in your child's world that can help them understand the sequence of a week. You can use picture books, songs, and even photographs to help your child understand how to mark and measure time in their own world.

Some books that discuss the concept of a week include:











The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle: A hungry caterpillar eats various foods on each day of the week before turning into a beautiful butterfly.

Hannah and the Seven Dresses by Marthe Jocelyn: A little girl wears a different dress each day of the week until her birthday comes and she can't decide which of the 7 to choose.




Cookie's Week by Cindy Ward and Tomie de Paola: A mischievious cat gets into trouble each day of the week.






Big Week for Little Mouse by Eugenie and Kim Fernandes: A little mouse spends a week getting ready for a special event.




Today is Monday by Eric Carle: Different animals eat their way through the days of the week.










The song Everybody Happy by Sharon Lois and Bram is another great resource to use when teaching your little one about a week.

Everybody Happy:

Today is Monday, Today is Monday
Monday the washing’
Everybody happy? But I should say:

Today is Tuesday, Today is Tuesday
Tuesday the ironing’
Monday the washing’
Everybody happy? But I should say:

Today is Wednesday, Today is Wednesday
Wednesday the gardening’
Tuesday the ironing’
Monday the washing’
Everybody happy? But I should say:

Today is Thursday, Today is Thursday
Thursday soup
Wednesday the gardening’
Tuesday the ironing’
Monday the washing’
Everybody happy? But I should say:

Today is Friday, Today is Friday
Friday Pay Day!
Thursday soup
Wednesday the gardening’
Tuesday the ironing’
Monday the washing’
Everybody happy? But I should say:

Today is Saturday, Today is Saturday
Saturday is shopping!
Friday Pay Day!
Thursday soup
Wednesday the gardening’
Tuesday the ironing’
Monday the washing’
Everybody happy? But I should say:

Today is Sunday, Today is Sunday
Sunday - Resting!
Saturday is shopping!’
Friday Pay Day!
Thursday soup
Wednesday the gardening’
Tuesday the ironing’
Monday the washing’
Everybody happy? But I should say:
Everybody happy? But I should say!

You can also create a large calander for your child using pictures of them doing activities on each day of the week. For example, on Monday, it could be a rainy day (like lately!), Tuesday is baking cookies, and so on.

Can you think of any books, songs, or activities that help children learn the days of the week?

Math and Children's Literature

Using literature to connect with a math lesson is a wonderful way to involve students in both literacy and mathematical thinking (Whitin & Wilde, 1992, 1995).

When teachers link children’s literature with mathematics, children are better at explaining their reasoning and strategies, enjoy mathematics more, show greater overall persistence on difficult tasks, think more about what they learn, and experience a level of success (Clarke, 2002).

When children’s literature and numeracy are connected in an interactive and meaningful way, students will understand the mathematics concepts readily and will sustain the knowledge (Raymond, 1995).

Many experts have stated that combining mathematics and literacy development will lead to a child's improvement in both.

“How children experience math has a profound effect on what they are able to learn. If we want our children to be successful in math, it is important that we create a learning environment that supports the development of understanding, positive attitudes and habits of mind that cause children to be interested, curious and eager to learn new mathematical ideas” (Kathy Richardson, Math Time).

At first glance, the story Goldilocks and the Three Bears may seem like any other story, but if you look at it using a mathematics lens, something should immediately come to mind - the number 3! Not only is the number 3 part of the title, but the entire story is based around collections of 3 (bears, bowls, chairs, beds). Also, the number is continually reinforced.

Not just numbers...

Also, the story exposes children to ordering (small, medium, large and cold, warm, hot), correspondences between ordered sets (smallest bed for smallest bear, next for the next larger bear), patterning (repeated phrases – too little, too big, just right). WOW! What a great math book!

Books provide a great starting point for rich, authentic mathematical thinking and mathematics lessons. Children’s literature also motivates children to explore concepts in greater depth, and encourages them to make connections among and between mathematics topics. Books also help to stimulate interest and provide real-world contexts for problem solving. Children are very quick to relate to fictional characters and situations.

A word of advice...

Before you talk about the math content in a story with children, make sure that they are very familiar with the story. You can't expand on anything without a solid foundation. Once a child has built up a good schema, you can begin drawing attention to the math in the stories you share.

The Role of Early Math

In Canada, more than 49% of people lack basic numeracy skills (Statistics Canada, OECD, 2005). Isn't this astounding?!? Math development starts long before children enter adulthood. A large body of research indicates that the foundation of these skills start even before children enter school - before they reach 4 years of age.

Early arithmetic abilities have been found to be the strongest predictor for later school achievement (Dunan et al., 2007).

Counting ability is the best predictor for the initial level of math performance (from a longitudinal study from preschool to second grade by Aunola, Leskinen, Lerkkanen, and Nurmi, 2004).


The graph above is a visual representation of the Matthew Effect (Source: www.balancedreading.com). Basically, it explains that people who "have" will continue to "have" and even get more, while the "have nots" will always stay at the same level and never catch up to the latter group.

Sounds like a good reason to start building a solid foundation from birth, right?

Holiday Baking!

Looking back to my younger days, I fondly remember the time I spent with my aunt making cookies on Sunday afternoons. Baking is an excellent activity you can do with your child to help them prepare to learn to read, among other things.

For younger children, pouring ingredients into bowls and mixing help them understand the concept of cause and effect. They learn to understand the concept of "hot" when something hot comes out of the oven.

Baking helps children learn new vocabulary. Your child can try new foods to expand their palate. Also, baking serves as a fun way to explore mathematical concepts like quantity through measuring and counting. Your child will learn about the concepts "more" and "less". They can learn to read print by matching words in recipes to words on store containers like "eggs", "baking powder", "suagr", and so on.

Bake something special with your child today. The recipe can be as simple as rice krispy squares. Spending time with your child doing something they will enjoy is something that they will remember for the rest of their lives.


Do you have a simple recipe you can share?

Apples for Circle Time

Props are a fantastic addition to circle time. Stimulating thought and conversation, they can be a very positive and highly anticipated part of the daily routine.

Concrete objects are the gateway to learning and understanding for young children and should be used when presenting new concepts, themes and other information. Props, pictures, toys and sensory materials are essential tools for children's learning. Capture children's interest with these props and objects and encourage them to explore and experiment with many different materials.

With that said, apple picking season is here! Here is a rhyme with an accompanying prop that will help children develop their schema of apples, as well as numbers. The apples are made from red craft foam (cut using a die cutter), large popsicle sticks, and hot glue...that's it!


Here is a copy of the poem:

5 Red Apples

Five red apples sweet to the core;
One fell down and then there were four.

Four red apples sitting in a tree;
One fell down and then there were three.

Three red apples one for you, and you, and you;
One fell down and then there were two.

Two red apples shining in the sun;
One fell down and then there was one.

One red apple left all alone;
It fell down and then there were none.

Here is another version:

Five Little Apples

Five little apples, not any more.(Count on fingers)
I give one to________(Child’s name)
And now there are four.

Four little apples are what I see
I give one to _____________,
And now there are three.

Three little apples for me and you.
I give one to_____________,
And now there are two.

Two little apples: oh, what fun!
I give one to ___________,
And now there is one.

One little apple, only one.
I give one to _________,
Now there are none.

Note: I would post the poem somewhere with the apples for your child to play with once you have said the rhyme with them multiple times. Also, after you have done the rhyme several times together, leave off the end of each line and allow your child to fill in the blank. This will help your child become a confident reader! Lastly, you don't need to make the apples - you can use your fingers on one of your hands if it's easier for you.

Do you have an apple song or poem to share?

Five Fat Peas

What can you make with a green gardening glove, 5 green pom poms, some green felt, hot glue and scissors? An adorable circle time/storytime/playtime prop! If you would like more information on how I made my prop, please contact me.

Here is the rhyme:

Five fat peas in a pea pod pressed.



One grew.



Two grew.



And so did all the rest.
They grew and they grew and the would not stop,
Until one day the pod went POP! (clap your hands together as you say pop)

Math E-Bulletin

Math skills emerge during infancy and, like reading, develop through opportunities children have to explore and understand math in concrete, relevant ways well before school entry. In Foundations for Numeracy: An Evidence-based Toolkit for Early Learning Professionals it states “Children’s mathematics ability at the beginning of Kindergarten is a strong predictor of later academic success, even stronger than their early reading ability. (Duncan et al, 2007)” (Canadian Child Care Federation and Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network, 2010, p 13)

In this e-bulletin you will find research articles to inform and support your work with young children and their families. You will also find math skill development guides, book lists, activities and programming ideas.

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** June 2010 Early Literacy E-Bulletin **

** Math Literacy in the Early Years**
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** Math Literacy Information and Research**

Fostering Early Numeracy in the Home, Preschool and Kindergarten
http://literacyencyclopedia.ca/index.php?fa=items.show&topicId=287


A Good Start to Numeracy: Effective Numeracy Strategies from Research and Practice in Early Childhood
http://www.dest.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/D2B70D11-FBE8-45CA-8D27-30408C8BF7DF/3986/GoodStart.pdf


Learning Disabilities: Dyscalculia and Dyslexia
http://www.ccl-cca.ca/pdfs/ECLKC/other/LSE_Disabilities_EN.pdf

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** Math Literacy Programming Ideas/Best Practices **

Video demonstration of math in “The Wheels on the Bus”
http://www.edu.uwo.ca/essofamilymath/fmresource/fmvideos.asp


Math Play: How Young Children Approach Math
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3747373


Early Years Math Activities and Games
http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/math/games/index.html


Family Math Fun! (Early numeracy program for family and adult literacy programs, child care programs, preschool and elementary school classrooms; includes Aboriginal content)
http://www.nald.ca/library/learning/familymath/cover.htm


Esso Family Math program for children ages 4-6 years or 7-10 years, and their families
http://www.edu.uwo.ca/essofamilymath/about.asp

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** Math Literacy Resources **

Ages and stages of numeracy development (birth to six years)
http://www.cccf-fcsge.ca/docs/cccf/RS_95-e.pdf


Extended activity for early learning and child care programs and parent handouts linking children’s books with the five math strands
http://www.familyliteracyexpertise.org/Resources/mathliteracy/mathlit.htm


Children’s book lists to explore 20 different math concepts with children
http://childrenspicturebooks.info/articles/picture_books_for_math.htm


Reproducible Number Game
http://www.familyliteracyexpertise.org/Resources/pdf/NumberPuzzle.pdf

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** Parent Information **

“Math with Kids is Fun!” Canadian Child Care Federation handout for parents
http://www.cccf-fcsge.ca/docs/cccf/RS_94-e.pdf


Helping your child learn math: A Parent’s Guide
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/brochure/earlymath/mathguide.pdf


Count Me In: Math Fun for Little Ones (pamphlet)
http://www.familyliteracyexpertise.org/Resources/pdf/CountMeInPamphlet.pdf

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** To make you smile**

Mathematics reaches a new level
http://web-based-video.blogspot.com/2008/01/physically-active-math-game.html

Source: Susan Ramsay, Kingston Literacy & Skills

Math and Children's Literature

In a child's world, mathematics is seen as a set of rules - a collection of procedures, actually - they must first be memorized and then correctly applied to produce the answer. For example, look at this problem:

There are 125 sheep and 5 dogs in a flock. How old is the sheperd?

Children often believe that the must produce an answer from the numbers provided in the question, even though you and I both know that wouldn't make any sense. To help children make better sense of mathematics, relate it to their world, starting early on in their development. One way of doing this is through picture books. As I said in my previous posting, stories can serve as a great jumping off point for activities and can connect children with the world they engage in.



Here are some great books that explore mathematical concepts:

One Gray Mouse by Katherine Burton
The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
Jim and the Beanstock by Raymond Briggs
How Many Mice? By Michael Garland
Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker
Chicka Chicka 123 by Bill Martin Jr.
Poor Puppy by Nick Bruel
Ten Little Ladybugs by Melanie Gerth
Ten Little Fish by Audrey Wood
Quack and Count by Keith Baker
What Comes in 2s, 3s, and 4s? by Suzanne Aker
One Duck Stuck by Phyllis Root
Blue Sea by Robert Kalan
A Second is a Hiccup: A Child’s Book of Time by Hazel Hutchins
Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree by Eileen Christelow
The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins
Big Week for Little Mouse by Eugenie Fernandes
Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar? by Christine Schneider
The Cheerios Counting Book by Barbara Barbieri McGrath
Cookie’s Week by Cindy Ward
The Crayola Counting Book by Rozanne Lanczak Williams
There Were 10 in the Bed by Karen Young
The Butterfly Counting Book by Jerry Pallotta
The Oreo Cookie Counting Book
Tall by Jez Allborough
Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni
Over in the Meadow by Jane Cabrera
Hannah’s Collections by Marthe Jocelyn
Anno’s Counting Book by Anno
Building Shapes by Susan Canizares
12 Ways to Get to 11 by Eve Merriam
Give Me Half! By Stuart J. Murphey
The Button Box by Margarette S. Reid
Benny’s Pennies by Pat Brisson
Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle



Are there any suggestions for books or websites with booklists that can be used to promote a better understanding of mathematics?

Mathematical Literacy

Yesterday I attended a full day of Family Math training. Myself and teachers learned how to go about hosting a family math evening. Topics covered included 'Math is Everywhere' (and it really is!), multicultural math (chisenbop, the soroban, how to measure the height of a tree with just your thumb), historical math (ancient egyptian maulitplication, Napier's bones), children's literature, as well as quilts and the underground railroad. I left feeling so inspired!

What is Mathematical Literacy?
When people think of mathematical literacy, a narrow definition tends to come to mind that solely focuses on quantity. Mathematical literacy needs to be considered more braodly in terms on an individual’s capacity to identify and understand the role that mathematics plays in the world, to make well-founded judgments, and to engage in mathematics in ways that meet the needs of that individual’s current and future life as a constructive, concerned and reflective citizen (OECD 1999).

Think of the people you see in bulk barn that have X dollars and the candy they want is X price. Many people struggle to figure out how much they can buy.



The Early Math Strategy (2003) discusses teaching and learning mathematics in Ontario. Here are some of the key points it makes:

Success in mathematics in the early grades is critical. Early mathematics understanding has a profound effect on mathematical proficiency in the later years.

Children learn mathematical understanding primarily through, "...doing, talking, reflecting, discussing, observing, investigating, listening, and reasoning" (Copley, 2000, p.29).

Young children have a natural inquisitiveness about mathematics, and teacher can build on this inquisitiveness to help students develop the positive attitidues that often occur when one understands and makes sense of a topic.

Children's prior mathematical understanding needs to be recognized, to be developped, and to be connected with school mathematics.

Numerous studies provide data to indicate that there is a positive correlation between attitude and achievement in mathematics (Dossey, Mullis, Lindquist, & Chambers, 1998).

Using chilren's literature as a starting point for a mathematics activity gives students a sense of how mathematics is connected with the world that they engage in when they read stories.

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Here is a great website on early math (starting right from infants!) by PBS:
http://www.pbs.org/parents/earlymath/

To see how children are achieving in your area on EQAO tests, please visit http://www.eqao.com/

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Here is a riddle for you. Can you solve it?

A man buys a horse for 50 dollars. Decides he wants to sell his horse later and gets 60 dollars. He then decides to buy it back again and paid 70 dollars. However, he could no longer keep it and he sold it for 80 dollars.

Did he make money? lose money? or break even? Why?