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now. Have your child say
the numbers to you and practice counting. Collect only
numbers within a certain range, like the numbers between
20 and 30. Arrange the numbers on a chart, grouping all
the numbers with 2s in them, all the numbers with 5s, and
so on.
2. Counting book. Cut out pictures from the newspaper and use
them to make a counting book. Page one will have one thing
on it, page 2 will have 2 things that are alike, page 3
will have 3 things that are alike, and so on. All the
things on the pages have to be the same. At the bottom of
each page, write the number of items on the page and the
word for the item. Have your child dictate a story to you
about what is on the page.
Being able to read and understand the newspaper involves
more than just the ability to read the words and understand
what they say. It also involves the ability to read and
understand numbers.
Look It Up
These activities help children understand how items can be
organized and grouped in logical ways.
What you'll need
Newspaper
Paper
Scissors
Glue
What to do
1. Section selection. Show your child that the paper is
divided into different sections and explain that each
section serves a purpose. Show him that each section is
lettered and how the pages are numbered.
2. Ad adventure. Provide your child with grocery store ads
from the newspaper. Help him see how many items are listed
and the prices. Compare the prices at different stores.
Ask which store has the best bargain and why. Talk about
the difference in prices between items bought at regular
price, items on sale, and items bought with coupons. What
happens when an item is bought on sale and bought with a
coupon?
3. Solid search. Look at the store ads or coupons for
pictures of all the cylinders, boxes, or cubes you can
find. What are their different uses? Paste the pictures on
paper and make a "book of geometric solids." Have one page
for each solid.
Understanding that there is a logical order to the way
things are arranged in the newspaper, and in the book of
solids, helps show that math skills can be used in organizing
written material. Comparing information, such as the sale
prices at stores, also helps children see logical relationships
that can be applied to writing.
Newspaper Search
Search through the newspaper for mathematical data.
What you'll need
Newspaper
What to do
1. Numbers in the news. Find the following things in the
paper:
a graph
a number less than 10
something that comes in 2s, 3s, 4s
a number more than 50 the days of the week
a number more than 100
a number that is more than 100 but less than 999
a symbol or word for inches, feet, or yards
a schedule of some kind
a triangle
a weather symbol
a percent sign
sports statistics
2. List it. Provide your child with the grocery section of
the newspaper in order to make up a list of food that will
feed the family for a week and meet a budget of a certain
amount of money. Have your child make a chart and use a
calculator to figure the cost of more than one item. If
the total for the groceries is too great, talk about which
items can be eliminated. Could the list be cut down by a
few items or by buying less of another item? What will
best serve the needs of the family?.
3. For a fraction of the cost. Give your child a few coupons
and grocery ads from the paper. Help your child match the
coupons to some of the grocery items in the ad. What
fraction of the cost is the coupon? For example, if an
item costs 79 cents and the coupon is for 10 cents off,
what fraction of the cost can be saved? (About 1/8.) What
percent are you saving on the item? (About 12 1/2
percent.)
One of the main ways people use numbers is for planning.
Knowing how to plan how much things will cost before going to
the store and how to read schedules and weather information
from the paper will help your child understand the world.
Treasure Hunt
Everyone's house has hidden treasures. There is a lot of
math you and your child can do with them.
What you'll need
Buttons
Screws
Washers
Bottle caps
Old keys
Sea shells
Rocks
or anything else you can count
What to do
1. Find a container to hold the treasures.
2. Sort and classify the treasures. For example, do you have
all the same sized screws or keys? How are they alike? How
are they different?
3. Use these treasures to tell addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division stories. For example, if we
share 17 buttons among three friends, how many will we
each get? Will there be some left over? Or, if we have 3
shirts that need 6 buttons each, do we have enough
buttons?
4. Organize the treasures by one characteristic and lay them
end-to-end. Compare and contrast the different amounts of
that type of treasure. For example, there are 3 short
screws, 7 long screws, and 11 medium screws. There are 4
more medium screws than long ones. This may also provide
an opportunity to talk about fractions: 7/21 or 1/3 of the
screws are long.
Finding a container to hold the treasures gives your child
practice in spatial problem solving. The treasures may help you
to explain the concepts of addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division because they can be moved around
and grouped together so your child can count the items.
Family Portrait
Have your child get to know members of your family by
collecting information and picturing it o
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