Description:
Make a woodland abacus using discs cut from wood sourced from around the site.
Links to EYFS:
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Communication and Language
Physical Development
Mathematics
Understanding of the World
Expressive Arts and Design
Activity:
For this weeks activity we started by asking the children to help find a suitable thick, straight stick that we could cut into discs for our counting frame or abacus. The children found several long sticks, secured them in our workhorse and used a bow saw to cut approximately 1 inch thick discs to use as our counting beads. The children used the hand drill to drill through the centre of their discs to make a hole to thread the string through. They then used sandpaper to smooth down the rough edges of their discs. The children painted the discs in a variety of bright colours and once the paint was dry, threaded them onto a long piece of string.
We talked about using different natural items to count things including: leaves, stones, sticks, feathers, slate, grass, twigs and berries.
Home Activity:
Try some basic arithmetic using everyday items found from around the home or in your garden with your child. For example, you could use saucepans, cutlery, toys or even shoes to make it into a fun activity that will engage their enthusiasm and fuel imagination.