Hello!
Spring is in the air! Soon it will be March 14, which can be written a 3.14, which is as close as the calendar gets to pi! Pi, which is also symbolized by the 16th letter of the Greek alphabet—∏—is mathematical constant for the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. Pi is approximately 3.14159.
To celebrate Pi Day, we have a special downloadable PDF activities booklet!
This week’s featured I See I Learn story is Great Choice, Camille, a story about making decisions, an important emotional skill. Camille is so excited to start a special project at school, but has a hard time deciding which group she should join. Making a kite sounds like fun, but so does planting vegetables. There are so many choices to make at Ready Set Pre-K!
Managing anxiety about decision-making, understanding one’s choices, and being able to make decisions are all part of interacting successfully with others. It is also important for children to make changes if their first choices aren’t available. *Scroll down for a free pdf poster.
This week’s Level 1 MathStart book is A House for Birdie (understanding capacity). It is a perfect story for springtime!
Our Level 2 MathStart book is Super Sand Castle Saturday / Sábado de Súper Castillo, another story set at the beach, this one about measuring / medir. Do you like to go to the beach? Me, too! Be sure to scroll down for videos in English and en español.
Our Level 3 MathStart story is Room for Ripley (capacity). Like Birdie, Ripley needs to find the right size home, only this time it’s a fish bowl!
yours, who plans to eat pie for Pi Day (Mama Bear’s pie is the best choice!), loves to watch birdies in the spring, can’t wait to build sand castles at the beach, and thinks fish are very cool,
Stuart
Mathstart is a series of 63 storybooks organized into three levels for Pre-K through Grade 4. Each story teaches a different mathematical skill.
You can buy individual books, sets by level, or a complete library. Here is list of where to find MathStart books!
• Level 1, Pre-K/ Kindergarten:
A House for Birdie (understanding capacity)
Poor little Birdie! He doesn’t have a house to protect him from the wind and rain. So his buddies — Spike, Queenie, Goldie, and Fidget, who range in shape from tall, thin, and narrow to short, fat and wide—decide to help him find one.They fly all over the neighborhood, but each house they come to is either too tall, too wide, too fat or too short for Birdie, but perfect for one of them. Just when the skies begin to cloud over and things look their bleakest, Birdie’s friends pitch in to build a house that’s just right for Birdie.
Capacity is an important concept in geometry.
• Level 2, Kindergarten / Grade 1:
Super Sand Castle Saturday (measuring)
Juan, Sarah and Laura are building sand castles. But which one’s tallest? Juan’s is only two shovels high, while Sarah’s is three. Laura’s moat is one big spoon deep, while Juan’s is two little spoons deep. Too bad their shovels and spoons aren’t the same size. But “an inch is always an inch,” says Larry the Lifeguard, using a tape measure to determine the winners.
Children learn that it is helpful to use standard units of measure to make accurate comparisons.
en español
Sábado de Súper Castillo (medir)
Juan, Sara y Laura están construyendo castillos de arena ¿Pero cuál castillo es más alto? El castillo de Juan mide tan solo dos palas de altura, mientras que el de Sara mide tres palas de altura. El foso de la Laura mide un poco más de una cuchara grande de profundidad, mientras que el foso de Juan mide dos cucharas pequeñas de profundidad. Qué lástima que sus cucharas y palas no sean del mismo tamaño. Pero “una pulgada siempre mide una pulgada”, dice Larry el salvavidas, cuando determino los ganadores usando su cinta métrica. Los niños aprenderán a usar las normas de unidades de medidas para hacer comparaciones precisas.
• Level 3, Grades 2 - 4:
Room for Ripley (capacity)
The guppy in the pet store ripples through the water as he swims, so Carlos names him Ripley. Carlos wants to buy Ripley, though first he needs to set up a fish bowl at home with a little help from big sister Ana. He pours a cup of water into the bowl, but it isn’t nearly enough. Then another cup, which makes a pint. But he needs more. How many pints make a quart? How many quarts in a half-gallon? In a gallon? It sure takes a lot of water to keep a little fish happy!
Children need to understand the relationships between the various units used to measure liquid capacity.
I See I Learn is a series of 16 stories that follow the adventures of the children in Miss Cathy’s class at Ready, Set Pre-K in See-and-Learn City. Each story focuses on a different social, emotional, health & safety and cognitive skill important for success in school and in life. For Pre-K / Kindergarten.
Here is list of where to buy I See I Learn books!
20% Discount for Sets of 16 books at the I See I Learn Store!
Great Choice, Camille! (making decisions)
Camille is excited to start a special project at school. Will she build a kite, or plant a vegetable? See how Camille learns to dig in and make good choices!
Managing anxiety about decision-making, understanding one’s choices, and being able to make decisions are all part of interacting successfully with others. It’s also important for children to be willing to make changes if their first choices aren’t available.
Confident decisions make for good choices!
Do you have a story or a question? Please send me an email!
Subscribe to my FREE newsletter, delivered to your inbox every other Wednesday!
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.