Learning to add 1-10 with Preschoolers

This past year I have been teaching my four-year-old niece the alphabet and numbers. She just turned five and we are learning how to add the numbers 1-10. I found this Math Addition Machine by Learning Resources and it is a hit! My niece thinks of it as a game, which is great because she is learning addition at the same time!

In this blog I'll share nine simple steps for using this math manipulative when helping your young one with adding. I want to help you be a mom (or dad) boss so you can help your child be the smartest kid on the block!

Check out my video explanation of this math tool and see my two nieces use it!

When preschoolers are learning numbers, it is a great idea to show them the numbers. Rather than just having them say numbers out loud or read the numbers on paper,  let them hold objects or point to pictures to count objects. This makes the learning become much more meaningful and concrete. This is especially true if your child is a kinesthetic learner, which means your child learns best by doing hands-on activities. This probably sounds like most preschoolers and it makes sense because they need the concrete objects understand ideas at this point in their development. 

Insert tutorial videos

So, to use this math tool, follow these simple steps.

1. Find an addition sheet or simply write one up. Use combinations of numbers that add up to ten. (Up to ten balls fit in the holder.)  
2. The top number can be represented by the green balls and the bottom number can be presented by blue. If you have 3+5=, first you will model by putting 3 green balls and then 5 blue balls in the funnel. Let the balls roll to line up to the magnetic strip where it says 8. 
3. You can count out loud from 1-3 and say those are three green balls. Then count from 1-5 and say those are five blue balls. Count all of the balls together from 1-8. Finally say, "three plus five equals eight." Have your child repeat the math sentence.  Ask your child to write the number 8 on the paper in the answer spot.
4. Do a few more together and then allow your child to try on on her own.  Saying the math sentence is important for developing math fluency, which is when your child can recall numbers easily.
5. Have your child point to each ball as she counts. This is helping to make counting concrete. If you help make counting concrete now, later on, your child will have more ease with memorizing math facts.
6. Once you can tell your child has mastered adding 1-10, ask her to create some math problems herself. Let her write out the math problem, use the balls to add, then have her write her answer. 
7. You can also ask her to write a few problems for you to solve and make math learning fun together.
8. To take this to the next level, create word problems for your child to solve. For example, you could say, "For lunch we are going to eat 6 grapes and 4 apple slices. If I wanted to know how many pieces of fruit I am eating all together, how could I find out?" This is, of course, 6+4=10. Have your child identify the numbers in the word problem. Ask, how do you know we are adding? (Answer: because we want to know how many fruit pieces all together.) Then have her use the math manipulative to add up the two numbers, use paper to write out the problem with answer, then say the math sentence out loud. One of the toughest skills in math is when it comes to word problems. You'll definitely be giving your child a head start with this step.
9. And bonus step! Ask your child to create a word problem herself! You can solve it to add in some fun together! Ask her to check your work, which is a way of her watching the process, while making sure it is being done correctly. She is becoming the teacher, which helps her master this skill.

And there you have it - making addition a fun game together! If you think of other ideas, let me know in the comments! 

Sorting Toys - Learning Resource's Farmer's Market

 Our family recently visited some U-Pick Farms in Central Florida. Whenever we go somewhere or do something, I like to bring in some type of educational aspect to it.  After our visits, I found this awesome sorting toy by Learning Resources. 

In this blog, I'll share a few ideas on how you can engage with your child during playtime and make learning happen simultaneously. My goal is for you learn an idea or two in order to help your child be the smartest kid on the block! 

📹 Check out this video demonstrating multiple ways to play with the Farmer's Market Sorting Toy by Learning Resources! 📹

Learning Resources' Farmer's Market is a multi-functional toy that can be used with an 18+month old all the way up to a preschooler.  I absolutely love finding toys that will last for a few developmental stages. The company includes a few ideas to try out within the box as well.  Here are a few others:

1. For the 18 month old, allowing her to put the fruit in and out of the basket may seem too simple for learning, but learning actually is going on! She is using her fingers to grab the toy food and coordinating her fingers to release into the buckets. As you play together, you can model and say out loud "inside" and "outside" the bucket.
2. Use one color bucket and say the color of each object. Take out all five objects, and put one back inside at a time and say the same color and food type all five times. For example, using the orange bucket, pick up the pumpkin and say "Orange Pumpkin". Then say, "orange orange" etc with all five. Start with just one color for a little bit until you can get tell your baby is ready for two colors.
3. Using two colors, have all ten objects on the floor and then model how to sort the two color buckets. For example, pick up a purple fruit and put it in the purple bucket and say, "Purple plum." Then using the orange bucket, pick up the pumpkin and say "Orange pumpkin." Give your toddler one of the purple objects and say, "purple" and guide your toddler's hand to drop it in the purple bucket. Repeat this with all ten objects. Don't stress if you're only able to get through a few objects before your toddler loses interest. Try this each day and her focus will increase. Soon you'll be at ten before you know it! 
4. Eventually you'll incorporate all five colors and allow your toddler to sort all five buckets. Try have her saying the colors, the food names and counting. Each time you do this, you need to model it first. "One yellow, two yellow etc".  
5. At some point you can mix some of the objects and ask your toddler to put all the same colors together. 
6. You can teach your preschooler to count from 1-25 and then count by 5s.  
7.  You can teach a single vs multiple. "There is one single banana. Look at the blueberries. There are multiple blueberries, which means more than one."
8. You can create a meal you're going to prepare by allowing your child to pick a couple of options to make the menu. This helps match the object to what the food actually is and what it tastes like.
9. My seven-year-old niece turned these buckets into a tossing game! They earned points for making the fruit/veggie into the correct color bucket.
10. And for my last idea, this would be a great opportunity for sparking their imagination. Make up a story about the food. It can be a fictional one where the fruit/veggie have personalities. Or a factual encounter of finding the food at the farm, store or your own garden. Asking your child to verbalize sentences is a great way for them to process what they are learning. Plus, it allows you to hear what they are thinking too!

U-Pick Farms in Central Florida

 Are you looking for a fun outdoor activity that you get to walk away with fresh food to take home? U-Pick Farms is the answer for you! There are many to choose from in Central Florida and in this blog I write about the four we have visited. I'll share ideas on how to incorporate learning together before, during and after your visit with educational insights that are quick and to the point so multitasking moms like me can be a mom-boss (or dad-boss) while making sure your kid is the most well-rounded and smartest on the block! 

The four farms we have visited so far are:

• Bekemeyer Family Farm in Winter Garden, FL.  Click to watch the video of our visit there!
• Pappy's Patch in Oviedo, FL. Click to watch the video of our visit there!
• Southern Hill Farms in Clermont, FL Click to watch the video of our visit there!
• Beck Brothers blueberries in Windermere, FL Click to watch the video of our visit there!

Before

• Each has their own social media outlets where they post the most up-to-date information for daily picking options. (Most have Facebook and Instagram). Be sure to check these often so that you know the operating hours on the day you plan to go, as well as what is being offered.
• Depending on your familiarity with farming, you may have lots of knowledge to share with your child! I am no green thumb by any means, so books and videos help my family. You can prepare the day by learning anything from planting and growing plants, fruits, and trees to farm life to taking care of the land. Bekemeyer Family Farm uses hydroponics so that could be fun research.
• We didn't see too many farm animals on our visits, but this could be another fun way to introduce farm animals to your child through items you might already have: puzzles, toys, books, stuffed animals and videos.
• While in school, your child starts learning some concepts of photosynthesis early on, so reading a book about it together can connect the learning from school to home. As a teacher, I loved the Magic School Bus offerings of various subjects, so you might be able to find the book or video for photosynthesis.

During

• Some places charge by quantity, some charge by pound. This is a great way to learn and reinforce counting and weighing skills. Have your child estimate how much/how many before paying for the exact amount. Watch this video to see how we counted our blueberries when we got home!
• Connect what you may have talked about and learned before your visit by asking questions at the farm. What do you notice about the strawberries that are red and the ones that are green? Why do you think some blueberries are not blue yet? Why do the orange trees have hoses/plastic pipes through the rows? What do you think the tractors are for? Why is farming so important? How did this family figure out how to grow plants one above the other? -This last question is specifically for the Bekemeyer Family Farm. These types of questions would take some thinking for your child to answer, the kind that teachers aim to ask students to develop critical thinking skills. If you have a toddler, you might ask, "What color are the strawberries?" This is an identifying type of question because toddler is identifying colors and there is a usually a one word answer. See how complex you can make your own questions!
• Talk with the farm owners or available personnel about when fruit or vegetables are ripe for picking, how to know when they are okay for picking and how to pick. Not only are you finding out information that your child is listening to, but you are modeling how to ask questions and listen to another person's expertise. Your child is always watching and learning from you!

After

• Going home with all of goodies is the best part! There are so many possibilities that await!
• While at the farm, you may have guessed how many/how much you picked. When you get home, have your children predict, estimate and count a container full. Watch this video to see how we did it!
• Look up a recipe and try cooking something new together.
• Show your child how to wash and prep the food, when age appropriate.
• Try planting a fruit or vegetable in your garden/home/etc.
• My one year old just got this Learning Resources' Farmer's Market Sorting Set and I am so excited to start working on colors soon! For now, she is enjoying the textures and putting the items in the baskets. My four-year-old-niece definitely had fun sorting by colors. My seven-year-old niece enjoyed making up a story to go with the toy. I love toys that can reach multiple ages! Check out this video to see us using the toy in action!
• If you were able to read a book or watch a video before your visit, now would be a good time to revisit the same book/video to reinforce the learning. Before the visit you were helping build background knowledge for your child, and watching it again after the visit allows your child to make connections from the real world to what she learned in the book/video. It helps make the learning stick around longer too!

I hope one of these suggestions is good for your family to try out for your next trip to a U-Pick Farm! Learning is everywhere!!