Fun With Numbers
Dear Wes,
Today we had the best auntie and Wes date! During our date, you surprised me with a growing skillset that I was lucky to observe! We were packing up to cruise over to the beach and you found my calculator on my desk. You asked to bring it in the car and I told you that was fine. As we walked through the hallway of my apartment building, you stopped at every door (thankfully there was LEARNING FUN WITH NUMBERS S T O R Y only 3!) to read the apartment numbers out loud by saying, "102...101....100", and then you proceeded to input each apartment number into the calculator oneby-one. We entered the parking garage and you asked me where my car was parked. I told you in space 182. You then began reading all the numbers up to 182. You excitedly shared with me, "1-8-6...1-8-5...1-8-4...1-8-3...1-8-2...we're here!!" You stopped and stood above the large number that read "182" and took your time to compute the numbers 1-8-2 into the calculator. After you deemed it was ok to move on and get in the car, we were off! As we drove, you asked me, "TT....what is the speed limit here?" to which I responded "35 miles per hour" when we were driving to the freeway, and then "65 miles per hour" when you asked again on the freeway. You were clicking away on the calculator as we continued to discuss speed limits until we reached the beach. Your last question, before we ran towards the water was, "TT...how much minutes did we take to get here?" "30 minutes" I said. You tapped the 3-0 number on the calculator, and then left it in the car to stay safe while we explored the beach. What an exciting day full of numbers, computing and thinking together!
Love,
TT
August 2022, 5 Years Old
What It Means
Through my observations - it is clear to acknowledge that you are beginning to recognize and identify numbers, Wes. Number recognition in early childhood helps grow math confidence, critical thinking skills and essentially creates a solid foundation for success in math concepts. You displayed clear knowledge of understanding numbers and their sequences and were able to successfully identify differences between small and big numbers. Additionally, you displayed growth in your attention maintenance and cognitive processing skills as I watched you stop at each number to identify and then translate the numbers from your brain, through your fingers and into the calculator before moving on. Your mathematical concepts and awareness are growing!
Opportunities & Possibilities
Wes, the world around you is made of numbers and patterns. You will continue to develop an understanding of math and logic in the world you live in...simply by experiencing and investigating all around you! To continue developing your natural interest in math concepts, I will encourage you to continue counting, finding patterns, making up games with rules, building together, cooking and creating recipes, talking about speed, like how fast you can throw a baseball! The list could go on and on, but know that together, through play and investigation, your math and logic understanding will continue to grow! Keep asking questions.
Response
The story your TT wrote about your aunt-nephew date brought me to absolute tears of joy. Wes, you are transferring and practicing what we are learning in the classroom to real life! We count forwards and backwards. We sing numbers and play number games. We talk about where numbers can be found in real life situations. We look for signs on campus that have numbers. Numbers are everywhere! I remember telling your mom at our parent-teacher conference that you are going to earn and learn to spell SCHOLARSHIP before the end of kindergarten! You are academically sound and your athleticism is solid like no other I have seen in all the years I have been teaching. I am looking forward to hearing your voice continue to contribute to our classroom lessons.
Your Teacher,
Ms. Waltman Kindergarten
Developmental Domains Observed
Attention Maintenance, Imitation, Curiosity & Initiative in Learning, Relationships & Social Interactions w/Familiar Adults, Understanding of Language, Responiveness to Language, Communication & Use of Language, Concepts About Print, Spatial Relationships, Classification, Number Sense of Math Operations, Patterning, Inquiry Through Observation & Investigation, Documentation and Communication of Inquiry, Fine Motor Manipulative Skills.