Activities! Leaping Lizards! Tallying! Frogs! & Good Job, Ajay!

How do you learn something new? It takes confidence, an emotional skill, to try new things, face new challenges and attempt to reach higher goals. This week’s featured I See I Learn book, Good Job, Ajay! / ¡Bien hecho, Ajay! is all about building confidence.

Ajay wants to throw a ball straight and far, just like his big sister, Meera. It doesn’t go well at first and Ajay is pretty upset about it. His friends from Ready, Set Pre-K encourage him to practice and keep trying. They remind him of how he learned to swim (practice!) and to overcome his shyness talking their teacher, Miss Cathy (now he talks all the time). Do you think Ajay will learn how to throw a ball straight and far?

To put on “The Fifty Leaping Lizards Show!,” you need fifty star-struck leaping lizards. Where will they all come from? The first five are found lounging in bunk beds, but the next five arrive in theatrical style, riding unicycles and juggling. The next five are speed-demons in race-cars, followed by five more in a hot-air balloon. Colorful graphics keeps track of the count, first by showing how counting by 5s works, and then showing how counting by 10s is related: Kids can easily see how each group of 10 lizards divides into two groups of 5. Will there be enough lizards by show time?

Counting by 5s and 10s is an important skill that helps children master multiplication facts, tell time, and count money.

The O’Malleys are driving to the beach for vacation. Eric, Bridget, and little Nell are getting bored in the back seat, so Mom suggests a Tally game. They decide to count cars on the highway. Each of the kids picks a color—silver for Eric, blue for Bridget, and red, as always, for Nell—while Mom sets the timer. Eric trounces the competition and gets to wear the Shamrock medal. And his sister dubs him “Tally O’Malley!” But will he be able to hang on to the title when they tally t-shirt colors while waiting in line for ice cream, or tally train cars? Tally marks are a useful tool for children to keep track as they count, and for data collection.

Grouping tally marks also reinforces counting by fives.

Who’s the better hopper? Matty, the tall frog? Or Moe, who’s just plain big? Only a hopping contest can settle the matter. It takes Moe only five hops to make it to the big rock. Matty needs two more hops. So how many hops did Matty take? (5 hops + 2 hops = ?). The happy hoppers keep going until—splash!—they’re in the pond.

Knowing how equations are built is central to children’s learning how to interpret and write number sentences.

Ajay wants to throw a ball straight and far. He tries, but he just can't do it. Then his friends remind Ajay how he learned to do other things. See what happens when they cheer him on.

Having confidence is critical as young children try new things, face new challenges, and attempt to reach higher goals.

Help your child take on something new!

Ajay quiere lanzar la pelota en línea recta y lejos. Él trata, pero no lo logra. Entonces sus amigos le recuerdan cómo aprendió a hacer otras cosas. Ve lo que pasa cuando sus amigos lo apoyan.

Tener confianza es importante para los niños mientras tratan de hacer cosas nuevas, encuentran desafíos nuevos, y tratan de lograr metas difíciles.

¡Ayude a su hijo/a a tratar de hacer algo nuevo!