Engaging our children in the problem-solving process provides an opportunity to explore and work from their own level of understanding. The goal is to offer opportunities for rich, embedded learning, building towards new understandings. ******************************** LADYBUG COUNT Some children were playing a game. They collected cards with ladybugs on them. Here are the cards they had… Read More
Gus Gordon presents the us with a timeless, rather adult dilemma: how to act in the face of irresistible temptation. The choices are provocative: impulsivity versus reflection, indulgence versus sacrifice, hoarding versus sharing…hmmm. This book is definitely an opportunity for an interesting family discussion. *********************************** THE LAST PEACH Gus Gordon – Author Two little flying insects… Read More
In a world where perfection is emphasized, this is an important topic. Beautiful Oops! teaches children there’s no such thing as perfect. Imperfection is okay, no, no… it’s beautiful. And seeing the beauty and extraordinary possibility in the things that go wrong…perfectly wonderful! **************************************** BEAUTIFUL OOPS! Barney Saltzberg – Author A celebration of creative thinking, this… Read More
Reasoning is fundamental to knowing and doing mathematics. Some would call it systematic thinking. Reasoning enables children to make use of all their other mathematical skills. Reasoning could be thought of as the “glue” which helps mathematics makes sense. ******************************************** This might be an opportunity for teamwork. Partner with your children as they attempt this first… Read More
Working systematically, is a key problem solving skill that will support children to become competent as problem solvers. This is important when a task involves finding all possibilities, or when it is helpful to structure a method for solving a problem. ************************************************ A CITY OF TOWERS Age 5 to 7 In a certain city houses had… Read More
What makes an individual that person? Are we the sum of our parts? If you lose a piece of yourself, are you still you? What is the relationship between our bodies and who we are? This book is about community, tolerance and ingenuity. It is as timeless, as are the problems it addresses. ******************************************************** Leo Lionni’s … Read More
“My advice to the person suffering from lack of time and from apathy is this: Seek out each day as many as possible of the small joys.” Hermann Hesse The little joys … they are so inconspicuous and scattered so liberally throughout our daily lives that many times, we hardly notice… Read More
What is the opposite of a friend? Is it a stranger, is it an enemy, or is it something else? Enemy Pie is a touching story with the message that bullying is not okay, and that it is possible to become friends with anyone if you are willing to try. It is a priceless lesson about… Read More
Frogs have appeared in myths, folklore, proverbs and fairytales across cultures for centuries. This nonfiction book allows us to take a peek at real frogs, and it is a reminder that we share the earth with other creatures. As our human population growth destroys more and more of frogs’ habitats, their numbers continue to diminish. What… Read More
Part of becoming a resilient mathematician is learning to recognize what it feels like to be stuck, and what strategies can be useful in getting yourself unstuck. I encourage strategy games that are low threshold high ceiling tasks where all children can easily access the game at its basic level and play ‘randomly’. The high ceiling… Read More
