MathArts Volume 7: Exploring Math Through Art for 3 to 6 Year Olds (Bright Ideas for Learning) - Softcover

MaryAnn F Kohl (author) & Cindy Gainer (author)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1641600241 ISBN 13: 9781641600248

Publisher: Chicago Review Press, 2018

Synopsis

Get ready to create and count in this exciting introduction to math! MathArts is an innovative approach that uses creative art projects to introduce preschoolers to early math concepts. Each of the more than 100 hands-on projects is designed to help children discover essential math skills through a creative process unique to every individual. Math concepts include one-to-one correspondence, matching, sorting, grouping, classifying, opposites, number recognition, number values, and counting. This well-organized book provides both teachers and parents with a diverse range of activities for making math both fun and fascinating. The possibilities are endless!

About this title

About the Author

MaryAnn F. Kohl is the award-winning author of more than 20 books, including Discovering Great Artists, Science Arts, Scribble Art, Storybook Art, Mudworks, and Making Make-Believe. Her philosophy, "It's the process, not the product," guides her writing as she provides open-ended art activities for young children. MaryAnn's activities focus on the experience of art, not the final product a child creates.

Cindy Gainer is an award-winning author and illustrator whose books include I'm Like You, You're Like Me and, with Kohl, Good Earth Art.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

MathArts

Exploring Math Through Art for 3 to 6 Year Olds

By MaryAnn F. Kohl, Cindy Gainer

Chicago Review Press Incorporated

Copyright © 2019 MaryAnn F. Kohl and Cindy Gainer
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-64160-024-8

Contents

Dear Reader, 
Using the Icons, 
Acknowledgments, 
Introduction, 
General Art Materials, 
Part 1: I've Just Begun ... Exploring Counting, 
Chapter 1: Almost Counting, One Is One, 
Chapter 2: Many Kinds of Many Kinds, 
Chapter 3: One, Two, Red, Blue, 
Part 2: I'm on My Way ... Exploring Spatial Relationships, 
Chapter 4: Near, Far, Up, Down, 
Chapter 5: Fences, Frames, Boxes, 
Chapter 6: Parts and Pieces, 
Part 3: Look at Me Go ... Exploring Number Value, 
Chapter 7: Really Counting, 
Chapter 8: How Many Is Many?, 

CHAPTER 1

Almost Counting, One Is One

Math concepts explored in this chapter

One-to-one correspondence
Measuring materials
Counting
Shape recognition
Matching

One of the first concepts a child will encounter before progressing to higher levels of mathematical thinking is one-to-one correspondence, or "1-to-1." One-to-one correspondence can easily be explored through art experiences. For example, gluing one cotton ball on one red circle (and not a handful of cotton balls all over a paper with a red circle) shows the child has a concept of the correspondence between one cotton ball and one red circle. Understanding and using the idea that one object goes with another one object is understanding one-to-one correspondence, a predecessor to counting and knowing number value.

Discrete materials are countable objects such as shells, bottle caps, pinecones, blocks, or buttons. Exploration with discrete materials gives the young learner experience handling and manipulating "pieces" and "items" that could be counted or are countable. Before a child can count, experience with countable materials prepares the child's mind for the concept of counting.

Continuous materials are measurable and have mathematical attributes, such as, they can be poured, weighed, or measured. Examples of continuous materials include water, sand, or flour. Exploration with continuous materials gives the young learner experience handling and manipulating items that prepare the child's mind to accept and understand the mathematical concepts of weighing and measuring.

The concept of conservation means that an item remains the same regardless of the shape or the arrangement of that item. For example, with continuous materials, if one cup of water is poured into a large jar, the water may look like less, but it is still one cup. When that one cup of water is poured into a small jar, the water may fill the jar and look like a lot of water, but it is still one cup. Very young children who have not mastered conservation think the little jar overflowing with water has more water than the big jar. An example of conservation of discrete materials is when a handful of shells is grouped close together or far apart. There are still the same number of shells; nothing has really changed except the arrangement of the shells. Young children may think that when the shells are spread out there are more, and when the shells are close together, there are less. Understanding the concept of conservation will occur naturally from exploring and manipulating math and art materials. If children have mathart experiences like the ones in this chapter, they will understand the concept when they are developmentally ready.

Working with and recognizing shapes is another basic math area that lends itself beautifully to creative art experiences. Shapes can be used in matching, pairs, patterns, sequences, order, and nearly all areas of math for young children.

Matching designs, shapes, objects, and colors is a beginning skill that precedes sorting and classifying. Hands-on math experiences with matching prepares the child to learn higher level math skills. Part of the matching experience is finding pairs. Some of the words young learners commonly use in matching are same, match, alike, look the same, matches, matching.

Bottle Cap Treasures

As the child explores placing one item in one container, he is learning the skill of one-to-one correspondence, which means that the child will understand the concept of one.

Materials

[check] save caps and lids from any of the following containers plastic milk jugs, mayonnaise jars, juice bottles, pill bottles, peanut butter jars, soda bottles, spice jars

[check] white glue

[check] cardboard, any size, for base of collage (big cardboard for a really big collage, small piece for small collage)

[check] a special treasure to place inside each lid or cap, such as stickers, small drawings, small magazine pictures, marbles, paint chips, flowers (pressed in wax paper), beads, photos, collections of things

Note: Use caution with young children who still put small objects in their mouths.

Process

1. Glue the caps or lids to the cardboard with the inside of the cap or lid facing up like a small cup or bowl. Completely cover the cardboard with bottle caps or jar lids touching.

2. Choose treasures to glue inside the caps or lids. Glue one treasure inside each one.

3. Dry the Bottle Cap Treasure collage overnight.

Variations

* Cover the cardboard with wrapping paper before adding the lids and treasures.

* Paint the cardboard, dry completely, and then glue lids and treasures to the dry, painted cardboard.

Button Sew Collage

One button on one square is a creative exploration for learning one-to-one correspondence, a prerequisite to counting.

Materials

[check] burlap cut in 20 squares, one for each button

[check] buttons with large holes, one for each square (If large-holed buttons are not available, make colorful, heavy paper circles or shapes that resemble twoholed buttons.)

[check] yarn cut in 1 foot lengths, one for each button

[check] plastic darning needle

[check] matte board or cardboard

[check] white glue or masking tape

[check] framing matte (optional)

Process

1. Thread the plastic darning needle with a piece of yarn. (For very young artists, double the yarn and knot both loose ends together.)

2. Push the needle and yarn up through a square of burlap.

3. Then push the needle through one hole in the button. Pull through.

4. Now take the needle and yarn back through the second button hole and back through the burlap. Tie or sew the yarn to the back of the burlap.

5. Continue making as many burlap squares with one button each as desired.

6. After sewing buttons on squares, glue a button square in the corner of the matte board. Masking tape works too.

7. Next glue another button square right next to the first button square, another next to that one, and so on. Fill the matte board with squares and buttons.

8. Dry completely.

9. Frame with a framing matte, if desired, using glue or tape.

Variations

* Sew other items with holes to the burlap squares, such as pipe cleaner loops, washers and nuts, beads, small cardboard squares, telephone wire loops, homemade clay buttons.

* Find a fabric with definite squares or circles. Sew buttons, one each to the fabric pattern square or circle.

One-to-One Nail Board

Nails are hammered into a board in any design. Then, one decorative material or item is placed on each nail. The Nail Board can be used over and over again if decorations are removed.

Materials

[check] plywood scrap or square

[check] nails

[check] hammer

[check] decorative materials or objects, such as nuts, washers or items with holes, ribbons, yarn, colored rubber bands, styrofoam packing pieces, corks, playdough balls, Plasticine modeling clay, plastic or silk flowers, leaves, sewing trims

[check] work surface suitable for carpentry such as a work bench

Process

1. With help from an adult, hammer nails into a scrap of wood in any fashion. Be careful that nails do not go through the wood into a table top or floor.

2. When nails are securely in place, begin to decorate each nail with one object or material. These items may be glued, tied, pressed on, or attached in any way.

3. Save the decorated sculpture, or when the artist is ready, remove the decorations and use the board again for a new sculpture.

Variations

* Glue beads or sequins on each nail or to the wooden base for a sparkly sculpture.

* Stick toothpicks or bamboo skewers into a styrofoam block and add decorative materials, one to each stick.

* Place one bite of food on one toothpick and make a food sculpture. Yummy examples are cube of cheese, strawberry, pineapple chunk, grape, cube of turkey, banana slice.

Colored Sand Drawings

Children learn how to pour the sand and about measuring and estimating with sand.

Materials

[check] clean, white sand

[check] measuring containers and cups in many sizes

[check] large tub or sand table

[check] newspaper

[check] powdered tempera paints in several colors or crushed chalk

[check] plastic spoons, stirring sticks

[check] plastic picnic condiment squeeze containers

[check] base for sand drawing, such as smooth playground or dirt area out of doors, white sheet, double or queen size

[check] big piece of butcher paper

Process

1. Fill a tub or sand table with clean, white sand. With a variety of measuring cups and other containers, explore pouring and measuring the sand.

2. After exploring for some time, fill several containers half full with white sand. Leave some room to mix in powdered tempera paint.

3. Scoop about one teaspoon of powdered tempera paint or crushed colored chalk per cup of sand. Use a different color of paint for each cup of sand.

4. Stir the sand and powdered paint together until the sand is thoroughly colored. Fill plastic picnic condiment squeeze containers with the colored sand, one color in each container.

5. Choose a base for the sand drawing depending on the weather, the number of children involved, and the amount of sand that is colored.

6. Squeeze colored sand in designs on the white paper. Feel free to mix sand colors into each other and cross over colors in designs on the paper.

7. When the design is complete, leave it on the paper for a time. Then, with a person holding each corner of the paper, fold the paper in half and pour all the sand into one bucket or container to use for a colored sand project.

Salty Painting

Salt is sifted through fingers and poured by fistfuls over a glue design or drawing. This math activity enables children to explore quantity and measuring.

Materials

[check] 5 pounds of table salt emptied in a plastic tub

[check] white glue

[check] strong, bright food coloring mixed with water in cups or liquid watercolor paints

[check] paintbrushes for each cup

[check] eyedroppers for each cup (optional)

[check] matte board

[check] newspaper to cover work space

Process

1. Pour the bag of table salt into the plastic tub. (Rock salt can also be used. Sugar works too, but might be a little too sweet and tempting for young children.)

2. Put both hands into the tub, pouring and feeling the salt. After exploring the salt, brush hands off and begin the Salty Painting.

3. First, draw a glue design with a squeeze bottle of white glue on a hard painting surface, such as reused matte board from a framing shop. Create swirls, lines, shapes, or other designs.

4. Before the glue dries, place the entire design in the tub of salt, design side up. Try not to tip it too much or the glue will run off.

5. With hands, pour handfuls of salt over the glue design until covered. Then lift the design from the tub and let the salt that did not stick fall back into the tub.

6. With a paintbrush filled with lots of water and food coloring or paint, gently touch the tip of the brush to the salt-and-glue design. Observe how the color absorbs and travels through the salt. (An eyedropper filled with color may also be used. Drop little drops on the salt-and-glue design and observe.)

7. When the design is complete, dry for several hours. When dry, the salty design may crack and fall off the matte board, but should hold well if the board stays flat and is handled gently.

Variation

* After coloring the salt and glue design, add more glue and more salt to the design for a very thick and puffy design.

Fancy Water Jars

Children love to pour water and explore the qualities of water. After they have explored on their own, add measuring containers, small jars, and eventually food coloring to color the jars of water.

Materials

[check] pouring area, such as a sink, water table, or plastic tub on a covered table or floor

[check] large transparent containers, such as liter bottles or gallon jugs

[check] water

[check] food coloring

[check] measuring cups

[check] small jars of various sizes with lids

[check] glitter, metallic confetti, or similar items, such as sequins

[check] duct tape

Process

1. Fill large containers with water.

2. Add food coloring to change the water in each container to a different color.

3. Explore pouring colored water into measuring cups and into small jars of various sizes.

4. When satisfied with exploring the pouring process, fill several small jars with a desired color of water.

5. Add bits of glitter, metallic confetti, or similar items, such as sequins, to the colored water.

6. Replace lid and tighten. Seal the edge of the lid to the jar with duct tape as an extra precaution.

Variations

* Shake the jar, roll it, or turn it upside down to increase the movement of the jar's contents.

* Fill jars with other measurable materials such as goldfish bowl gravel, coins, or paper clips.

measuring materials construction

Button Box

The children decorate and design boxes for storage of buttons, which are countable and pourable, creating permanent storage containers for sorting, grouping, and counting materials.

Materials

[check] colored paper

[check] tape or white glue

[check] empty cardboard boxes, such as

shoe box cereal box cornmeal container oatmeal container

[check] crayons, markers, paints, pencils, and other drawing tools

[check] buttons

Note: Use caution with young children who still put small object in their mouths.

Process

1. Draw on colored paper with the drawing tools.

2. Cover the cardboard container with decorated colored paper, and tape or glue the seam to hold.

3. Fill the boxes with buttons of all kinds.

4. Explore counting, sorting, and grouping buttons.

5. Choose a selection of buttons to glue on the outside of the container in any design.

Variations

* String buttons on yarn for a necklace or garland.

* Decorate boxes with scraps of fabric or paper.

Treasure Box

Part of learning to count is exploring the process of sorting and manipulating little items into different containers.

Materials

[check] assorted boxes with lids, such as lightweight gift boxes and jewelry boxes

[check] drawing and painting materials to decorate boxes

[check] countable treasures to place in boxes, such as

small cars, acorns, pinecones, washers, bolts and nuts, spools, beads, shells, toy parts, pebbles, seed pods

[check] white glue

[check] colored markers

Note: Use caution with young children who still put small objects in their mouths.

Process

1. Decorate assorted boxes with drawing and painting materials.

2. Fill the boxes with countable items such as pinecones, beads, or toy cars.

3. Explore the items through counting and grouping.

4. When satisfied with the counting and grouping experience, further decorate the boxes by gluing some of the smaller, flatter countable items to the box. Or, draw on the box with markers.

5. Keep special counting treasures in the Treasure Boxes.

Variations

* Use glitter and fabric to cover and decorate Treasure Boxes.

* Decorate boxes according to what is inside them, for example, by drawing pictures of bolts and nuts on the Treasure Box filled with bolts and nuts, or glue bolts and nuts on the treasure box filled with bolts and nuts.

* Hide Treasure Boxes for a Treasure Box Hunt.

Little Twig Bundles

Bunching little dry twigs into bundles gives the young learner hands-on experience with grouping countable materials.

Materials

[check] string, twine, ribbon, strips of fabric, twist ties, rubber bands, pipe cleaners

[check] little twigs gathered from outdoors

[check] sticks

[check] fabric square, about 12" x 12", or a cotton bandanna paints and brushes (optional)

Process

1. First be sure twigs are clean and dry.

2. Group the twigs into little bundles and secure with ribbon, string, twine, or rubber bands. (Young children may need help with the tying.)

3. Explore twig bundles by untying and counting, arranging, grouping, and stacking.

4. Open the fabric square and spread it out on the table.

5. Place bundles of little twigs inside the fabric square.

6. Fold the fabric around the bundles in any fashion, and tie with another ribbon or strip of fabric to form a decorative bundle.

7. Use this larger bundle of twigs as a decoration, a gift, or to save and explore later for other counting activities.

Variations

* Make popsicle stick bundles or pipe cleaner bundles.

* Dip the end of a twig in paint. Draw with the paint dipped twig, or let the paint dry and then draw on wet paper.

* Little Twig Bundles make a nice gift to use as a "fire-starter" for people who love camping or for the household fireplace (with supervision of course).

(Continues...)

Excerpted from MathArts by MaryAnn F. Kohl, Cindy Gainer. Copyright © 2019 MaryAnn F. Kohl and Cindy Gainer. Excerpted by permission of Chicago Review Press Incorporated.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Edition details

• Publisher: Chicago Review Press
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1641600241
• ISBN 13: 9781641600248
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 192