Use Your Backyard as a Math and Science Lab! (continued)
Topics: Preschool, Science, Outdoor
Preschoolers don’t spend a lot of time working on what we’d consider complex math, but they do work quite a bit with math “manipulatives”—objects they can touch, sort, and compare. As your troll the garden, ask your child questions like:
- How many leaves are on this plant?
- Which flower has the most petals? Let’s find out by counting!
- Which plant is the tallest? Which plant is the shortest? How can you tell?
- Which plant has the most tomatoes? Which plant has the fewest number of tomatoes?
- How many tomatoes can you count altogether?
- How many rows of flowers do we have planted?
- How many plants are in this row?
This is an easy way to introduce real-life math concepts. And if you’re lucky, when your new plants grow, you can talk not just about the life cycle, and what living things need to grow, but about the yumminess of the peas on your son’s plate, or the sunflower seeds at snack time. So get growing!
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Samantha Harpring was a classroom teacher for 16 years and has spent the last several years writing curriculum. She is the mother of two energetic boys, ages 7 and 10.
Comments from readers
I like the idea though I learned about this long time ago. But, you reminded me to apply it this school year. Thank you.