Activity 2.2

Doghouse Game

Materials

The following materials are needed for this game:

• Game board for each player, made from poster or tag board (8 x 8 inches)
• Sixteen doghouse pictures for each board, attached to the board in 4 rows, with 4 doghouses per row
• Sixteen small toy dogs for each player
• Deck of cards, made from 3 x 5 inch file cards, with one to four 1-inch circle stickers per card

Description

This game appeals to many children because they are interested in dogs or other pets. It accommodates children from a wide range of developmental levels. Young preschool children who are not yet ready to draw cards and create matching sets may be interested in just placing a dog on each doghouse picture. This reinforces the important concept of one-to-one correspondence. If children place the dogs randomly on the board, the teacher can direct their attention to a one-to-one relationship by asking whether the children can find one dog for each house. Many children will take turns drawing the cards to determine how many dogs to place on their boards. Children at the one-to-one correspondence level of quantification may actually set the dogs on the dots on the cards before moving them to the doghouses. Children who can count will use that strategy to determine how many dogs to take.

Grid games can be played by an individual child, and they make excellent small-group games as well. In preschool classrooms, a grid game can be used as a special activity or placed on a math game table. Kindergarten teachers might decide to divide the class into small groups to play the game. As with other grid games, the doghouse game questions can be integrated smoothly into the flow of play, making mathematics creative and exciting. Math-related supplies can be purchased in large quantities for relatively little expense. Doghouse pictures can be downloaded from free clip-art sites.

Math Discussions

Questions similar to those used for math manipulative games are also appropriate for grid games. Teachers can draw attention to the number of spaces covered, the number of empty spaces, or the relationship between the two.

Activity 5.1

The Magnificent Shape Quilt

Materials

The following materials are needed for this activity:

• Felt squares, 6 x 6 inches, cut from felt in bright colors
• Small geometric shapes, in standard and nonstandard configurations, cut from bright colors of felt with a self-adhering backing
• Puffy paint, to use to write each child’s name on the finished quilt squares

Description

Each child can experiment with positioning shapes to create an individual collage. Older preschool and kindergarten children should be encouraged to arrange and rearrange their shapes until they are satisfied with the result. The backing can then be removed and the shapes mounted to the felt squares. This activity also provides opportunities for conversation about the ways shapes fit together to create larger shapes, symmetrical or linear patterns, or random shape collages. Mathematical problems may arise from teacher comments or questions as children navigate their creation process.

Math Discussions

Many excellent topics of conversation should emerge during this project, including the names of shapes and how shapes look when combined. Teachers should foster discussions about combinations that lead to the creation of representational images.

Activity 5.2

Quilt Bingo

Materials

The following materials are needed for this activity:

• Quilt-square game board for each child, created by tracing quilt designs that feature geometric shapes onto paper and mounting them to poster or tag board
• Shapes that match those used on the game boards, cut from heavy-weight, colored paper and laminated
• Grab bag, to hold the shapes

Description

In this activity, children take turns passing the grab bag and drawing shapes to match those on their game boards. The matching process encourages children to focus on the attributes of shapes, particularly how shapes combine to create patterns.

Math Discussions

The discussions that accompany this activity are critical for learning. Teachers should engage children in conversations about the attributes of various shapes while children match shapes from the grab bag to their boards. This can help them visualize and understand transformations as they fit shapes into their proper spaces.

Activity 6.5

Container "Brainer"

Materials

The following materials are needed for this activity:

• Sensory table, or several plastic dishpans
• Assorted clear containers, in various sizes and shapes
• Several small scoops and funnels
• Recording chart (optional)

Description

This activity is designed to help children visualize the various parameters that affect volume. It challenges children's preconceptions that taller containers always hold more than shorter, wider containers. The activity encourages exploration and experimentation with different containers and measurement tools.

Math Discussions

Children should be encouraged to make observations and predictions about the measurements they gather during this activity. They can speculate whether the same pattern will emerge when using different materials, promoting critical thinking about volume and measurement concepts.