Description:
Make a tree trunk clock and play some mathematics games.
Links to EYFS:
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Communication and Language
Physical Development
Mathematics
Understanding of the World
Expressive Arts and Design
Activity:
We did multiple activities this week, all centred around improving our number work. We played several different maths games including:-
Tubular Sticks.
We asked the children to try to figure out how many sticks to slide down semi-circular tubes which had different numbers written on them. We also used this game for subtraction by asking what number would be left if we took the number written on a tube away from the number written on a different tube.
Watering Can Balls.
We wrote some numbers on the side of colourful watering cans in chalk, hung them from different height branches and asked the children to try and throw the correct number of tennis balls into the correspondingly numbered watering can. This game was not only great for improving the children's mathematics but also for hand to eye coordination, gross motor skills, communication/language and self-esteem.
Sticky Domino Dots.
We drew some circles with different amounts of dots in each circle. We also wrote different numbers on small cards and attached a piece of masking tape to each card. We then asked the children to match the number on the card with the same number of dots per circle. We also used this game for subtraction and simple multiplication.
We also made a tree trunk clock to help the children learn to tell the time:
Tree Trunk Clock.
The second activity this week involved making a clock face from natural materials found from around the site to teach the children how to tell the time. We started by asking the children to find some wood that was suitable to make our circular numerals from. Then they used a bow saw to cut twelve discs from the branch. They sanded each disc to make it smooth using sandpaper and then used a hammer to nail it to a large section of tree trunk which would be our large clock face. We still have to make and attach the clock hands but we will save that activity for another day.
Home Activity:
Ask your child to try and find as many clocks or items that display the time from around your home as possible. This may not seem as obvious as it sounds as the time could be displayed on many different items such as:- an oven; a microwave oven; a fridge; an alarm clock; a watch; a clock; a computer or tablet; a set top box, a television or a games console etc. Take a photo of each item as your child finds it and then go through them one by one and try to work out what time is displayed between you.