Showing posts with label counting. math. Show all posts
Showing posts with label counting. math. Show all posts

Monday, February 15, 2010

Watercolor Number Chart - Math & Foreign Language

Watercolor Number Chart












To make a number chart:


1.  Obtain a piece of watercolor paper, a ruler and a white crayon.


2.  Decide how many numbers you want on your chart.  The chart shown here features "12".

3.  Draw lines with the white crayon and ruler.  Draw the numbers in the spaces.


4.  Prepare a space for your child with watercolors, brushes, rags, and a jar of water. 


5.  Allow the child to select colors and paint all over the paper.  When the number appear, watch the delight in your child's eyes!


6.  Allow to dry and put between heavy books, if needed.  The chart should be ready to use the following day.













Ideas for using the chart:
1.  Learning the names of numbers.  Use shells, gems, stones, pearls or bean bags (depending on how large the numbers are!) to play games.


2.  Learning the names of numbers in foreign languages.  Put a stone on a number and ask the child to tell it to you in the foreign language.  Or, say it in the foreign language and the child will place the stone on the correct number. 


3.  Use pieces of paper to cover up numbers to show divisible groups, or pieces of yarn to put in-between groups of numbers.  In this example, you could divide the paper into 3's, 4's, 6's.

Other ideas?  Feel free to leave a comment! Thank you to Suzanne from the amazing blog, down in the meadow for the inspiration (she also has a lovely Etsy shop)!

Watercolor Paints (Set of 6)
Stockmar Beeswax Block Crayons - Set of 16

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Count on Nature




At Syrendell, we are surrounded by the artistry of nature. The bounty of the garden vegetables glisten in the sun like jewels, the beauty of flowers smile like ballerinas on a stage, and even the humble ivy twist about like Celtic knots in the shade of trees. With the branches of felled trees, among abandoned heaps of clippings, in a quiet corner of the yard, one may think the artistry of nature had run its course. But no!

Revived by Syrendell, the tree branch is awakened and revitalized as homelearning counting and imagination blocks!



Daddy cut the branches, sanded their edges and rough parts of the bark, and some sets he finished with beeswax, others without (he seems to prefer to leave them unfinished to see the natural patina of the wood). In sets of twelve, with diameters averaging one and a half inches, with lengths between one inch to about three inches, they make excellent counting blocks, just the perfect number to learn basic operations. Mommy dyed a circle-shaped muslin fabric with onion skins, Joey sewed the edges, and Ricky and Wilson did a simple single crochet as a tie, and voila! A handy pouch to carry the wood blocks in. And with some imagination, both the fabric and the tie can serve so many other uses.






Nature continues to inspire us, feed us, protect us. We honor it by sustaining its vital force through the appreciation of all it can offer us and teach us.