Kindergarten, Math, Week 20

Monday we worked with Estimating a Number of Objects.

• We sat on the floor in K.'s room and while she wasn't looking I took out some blocks.
• Then I had her turn around and quickly guess how many blocks there were.
• After guessing we would count the blocks to see how close her guess was.
• Here is a link to an estimating game. Count Your Chickens

Tuesday we worked on Place Value

• Game: Fifty Wins from Games for Math -- another game to help your child appreciate the importance of ten in our number system.
• You'll Need: 1 playing mat for each person, a spinner, at least 50 beans per person playing
• Make the playing mat of card stock or an old manila folder. Draw 10 small squares down the right side of the mat and 5 large squares on the rest of the mat. (see photo below)
• Make the spinner by dividing a circle into 12 segments. In the segments write: Win 1, Win 10, Win 1, Win 1, Win 10, Win 1, Lose 10, Win 1, Win 10, Win 1, Win 1, Win 10
• Rules: Each small square can hold 1 bean, each large square will hold 10 beans. Player #1 flicks the spinner and takes or removes the number of beans indicated. Put the beans in the small squares. When you get 10 single beans, you group them together and place them in one of the large squares. The first person to fill all 5 large squares wins.
• If you land on Lose 10, but do not have beans in a large box, you have nothing to return.
• Count out the ten beans before putting them on the playing mat.

Wednesday we practiced Counting On.

• Game: Bunch of Beans -- see Math, Week 19, Monday

Thursday we made a Bar Graph.

• I gathered K.'s colored blocks (there are blue, green, yellow, purple, and red).
• K. wrote the colors on the left of the chart.
• As she picked up each block she marked an 'X' in a box in that color row.
• After we finished that she colored the rows

• I asked her which color she had the most, least, etc.
• Then I showed her that if we wrote numbers at the top of the chart, she could easily tell how many there were of each color.

Friday we Reviewed Ordinals.

• Game: Find a Penny from Games for Math
• You'll Need: 10 cups and 5 pennies. (I used small yogurt containers.)
• Write the numbers 1 through 10 on the bottom of the containers.
• Rules: Place the containers upside down in a column with number 1 closest to you. With your child not looking, place 1 penny under a container. Say to your child, "A penny is hiding under one of the containers. Can you guess which one? If your guess is wrong, I'll give you a hint. If you can find the penny in four guesses, you win the penny."
• Let's say the penny is under container 4. If your child guesses eighth, you would tell them it is closer than the eighth cup. If they guess second, you would tell them it is farther than the second cup, etc. They get 4 guesses. If they find the penny, they get to keep it. If they don't find the penny, you get it. Do this with all 5 pennies.