September and October Math Activities, Experiences, and Learning

The grade one/twos are ending the week building with LEGO and shape blocks to increase their spatial sense, further develop their fine motor skills, and just having some fun!

"Look, it moves!" exclaims A after building a small vehicle with LEGO. The excitement of seeing something you build take form is magical. It provides confidence and forms efficacy in young students that can only come from within.

One of the favourite math games is Blokus. The aim is to have players fill up as much of the board with their shapes and be left with the least amount of blocks. The skills of problem solving are dramatically displayed between the grade one/two opponents.

Here Ap and S are proudly showing the start of their figures as they build with shape blocks. The patterns and shapes are a result of forming spatial relationships as the students plan and problem solve to achieve their desired creations.

Z, M, and C are working on a math problem: how old is Rover the dog in human years? Together, they are using cube blocks to show the multiplication pattern of the seven times table and then they will record the information in a T chart. Here Z is double checking her addition of the cube blocks. In the end, their hard work showed that Rover's seven dog years of life equalled to being 49 in human years. Z, M, and C were all excited to share this new knowledge with willing listeners and also share with them how old they are in dogs years using their T charts. 

K is also trying to discover if she can show the seven times tables in a pattern using the cube blocks. She works hard to keep count and show the pattern in an organized way. Pretty soon, due to the diligent students of the grade one/two class and their problem solving skills, they will run out of cube blocks.