9 replies to this topic

[simcity]

Hi
Our topic is growing in 2 weeks time and i need some ideas for mathematical development. i have sorting seeds etc and putting clothes in size order but need some other ideas i could do with a group of four children at a time. My brain just seems to have gone blank!!!!!

[Linda McDowell]

You could grow cress and measure it.
Linda

[glmaidment]

We have, in the past, asked parents to tell us the length of children at birth. Then we have cut pieces of string and compared lengths.

[NannyB]

We have also used the string to represent birth length and then done the same with their present height. You can then compare the two and also compare - are you taller, smaller or the same height as a metre stick?

[rapunzel]

height chart?

[rapunzel]

ooooo, not sure if its relevant but what about shoe sizes, sorting and matching etc....

[Marion]

rapunzel, on Apr 18 2006, 22:31, said:

ooooo,  not sure if its relevant but what about shoe sizes, sorting and matching etc....

we made shoe prints which we cut out and wrote the shoe size on then hung on a branch from a tree set in a 'welly pot'.

[Marion]

We grew beans and took digital photos each week then these could be used to sequence.

We also cut lengths of paper to match each child's height(easiest if the child lies on the paper on the floor and mark off bottom of the feet and top of the head) The children then painted a flower to fit the paper. These could then be displayed in order of height around the walls to make a garden.

[JacquieL]

What about growing caterpillars and recording development. Make caterpillars out of joined circles with groups of children, with one circle for each letter of their name. They can count the segments, see whose is the longest, shortest, who has more than another, how many more segments etc. When I did this we put a letter from each child's name in the segments, and they drew a picture of a food beginning with thier letters and if they could wrote the whole fruit name. If it is nursery you might number the circles instead to keep it a maths only activity. Cross curicula learning eh?

[ASPK]

You could look at popcorn before and after cooking. How much does the corn "grow"? (Compare by placing on a 2cm grid) How many popped corn kernels will fit in an egg cup? Guess and count.

Someone on the TES forum had a lovely idea a while back - make number daisies, laminate, cut out and punch holes in them so the children can make daisy chain number lines. (Good for fine motor skills too :D )