Out We Go! (3-5)

It may be odd to use the outdoors to help our children develop their math skills, but it is a great place for children to be.

When children are taken outside they can observe their world and experience new things. Talk with them about colors, shapes, and name and count objects. Talk about the sequence of seasons, the temperature, the difference between hot and cold, and the appropriate clothes for that weather. This will expand their mind in beneficial ways and give them a chance to explore and be active.

If you want to make an outside experience more involved, point things out, there are different things each season.

• Fall - point out the symmetry between the sides of a leaf, and the different sizes of apples or pumpkins.

• Winter - talk about the shape of snowflakes, predict the amount of snow that will accumulate, and measure it.

• Spring - predict how big the young plants seen will grow to be, talk about the different colors and the patterns that they may have, and discuss which are similar and which are different.

• Summer - talk about the temperature, the probability of rain or sun throughout the day, and different sizes of seashells.