Sopapillas, Feel and Find, Counting

Highlights of our Day

Culinary
We made Sopapillas!





Just add some honey, and they're ready to eat.



Visual Discrimination
Played with the Feel & Find bag. Oh, what fun! The objective is to deal out the tiles and have children reach into the bag to Feel & Find the corresponding wooden shapes. Since it was their first time using this, I placed all the wooden objects on the floor and the children took turns matching them to the tiles. Soon, we'll work on placing a few objects in the bag to add the sensory and tactile exercise.





For a few of the tiles, the kids had to really pay attention.




I also pulled out the Montessori math counters to see if there would be any interest since they know their numbers from 1-10. Well, the results were interesting.



I began by talking about the numbers--I pointed to each one as we went through several times counting. Easy. (Although now looking back, they weren't looking at the actual number and recognizing it, they were recalling the numbers from memory). I am aware the child's experience of numbers begins in his/her first years (they soon learn they have 2 eyes, 1 nose, 2 hands, 2 shoes, etc). They begin to hear the sequence of numbers. Each number has to wait until a certain other one has been said before it makes way for the next one. However, when I tried to show them that two sticks go in the box with the number 2, three sticks go in the box with the number 3, it was WAY over their heads. So, I scrapped that idea and what we did instead was, I counted as they placed sticks in the corresponding boxes and then I stopped when we reached the number, and we moved on to the next. And then I put it away!

Often as parents and teachers, we get eager to teach our children the abstract concepts of academia too soon. But if you think about it, the preschool child already has rich contact with numbers without any formal teaching and this sets up his/her basis for later learning. So for now, we'll stick to the concept of learning numbers and counting by continuing to engage them in play (dropping rocks into a tub, counting the petals on a rose, how many steps does it take to walk upstairs, etc.) and let them spend as much time as they need in this stage before they start thinking about numbers in an abstract way. It's said that at the beginning of the symbolic stage (around age 3), children can think of numbers pictorially (e.g. three spoons, forks and knives to lay on the table).

I have a fun idea for next week! Stay tuned.

And, we finished up our day with body art.
All self applied. =)