A GOOD READ THEN A SWIM.
LIFE IS A BEACH.
Saturday, April 15, 2017
Monday, July 25, 2016
Watching, Listening, Responding, and Pondering those very First Words
Hello Dear Reader,
I recently met and played with a young friend named Loch, (age 20 months), who made me think hard about the role/importance of those very first utterances. Here is what happened.
Loch and I took to each other immediately. He seemed to know that I understood the power of his pointing finger in conducting deep and meaningful conversations. So when Loch directed me to lift him up and transport him to the screen door so that we could both enjoy looking at the dog sleeping on the front porch, I responded with perfect obedience . With extended pointing finger, Loch announced that the dog was to be called Day-dah, I agreed and repeated Day-dah to see if my effort at identifying the said dog met with his approval.
Indeed it did. After some chat time we returned to the carpet to push some trucks and cars around.
It wasn't very long before I was directed back to the screen porch for another meeting with Day-dah.
Off we go. Loch points emphatically and with enthusiasm clearly articulates " Day-Dah". We chat, We return for some carpet time. After a very short interval, I was once again directed toward the screen door. This time, I opened the screen door and Lock sat a few feet in front of the dog and repeated Day-dah many times. (He wasn't interested in touching the dog. Pointing and repeating "Day-dah" seemed to be the Big Ticket items of this conversation.)
So how many times did Loch direct me to accompany him to see the dog, look at the dog together and repeat Day-Day? Over the next two hours...Forty-four times!
When I was looking after Brody, age 15 months the other day, I had a chance to listen in (via baby-monitor) on some babbling and self-talk that was happening as he was waking up from a nap.
Over and over again, I heard Dog uh. He changed the pitch and volume of the utterance a couple of times. I also heard some laughing. Of course, you are right in your prediction that Brody is into dogs in a big way and he spends a lot of time directing me towards the many dogs in his life (including this pull toy favourite) and extending the pointing finger to identify the dog as DOG UH. We have lots of chats about dogs, but it seems to me that Brody is highly motivated to inform and educate me on how to identify dog. I am now on a mission to watch and listen to the very young's dedication to repetition and practice as they create and modify the dog concept to their world. Laying down the dog schema is no easy task and I want to know if this dedication and persistence to repeating the new word/concept is essential or just fun. I am also curious about the drive to bring me in on the whole labeling event. It is as if Brody is teaching ME the word. He thinks it is important that I learn the word.
My Brody watching will be filled with counting and recording those very beginning words and concepts. I think there is some profound learning that is going on and I can't wait to ponder the how and why the very young figure the mechanics and semantics embedded in communicating. Let me know if you are counting first word attempts and we can chat about what it all means.
As always,
In friendship,
Donna
I recently met and played with a young friend named Loch, (age 20 months), who made me think hard about the role/importance of those very first utterances. Here is what happened.
Loch and I took to each other immediately. He seemed to know that I understood the power of his pointing finger in conducting deep and meaningful conversations. So when Loch directed me to lift him up and transport him to the screen door so that we could both enjoy looking at the dog sleeping on the front porch, I responded with perfect obedience . With extended pointing finger, Loch announced that the dog was to be called Day-dah, I agreed and repeated Day-dah to see if my effort at identifying the said dog met with his approval.
Indeed it did. After some chat time we returned to the carpet to push some trucks and cars around.
It wasn't very long before I was directed back to the screen porch for another meeting with Day-dah.
Off we go. Loch points emphatically and with enthusiasm clearly articulates " Day-Dah". We chat, We return for some carpet time. After a very short interval, I was once again directed toward the screen door. This time, I opened the screen door and Lock sat a few feet in front of the dog and repeated Day-dah many times. (He wasn't interested in touching the dog. Pointing and repeating "Day-dah" seemed to be the Big Ticket items of this conversation.)
So how many times did Loch direct me to accompany him to see the dog, look at the dog together and repeat Day-Day? Over the next two hours...Forty-four times!
When I was looking after Brody, age 15 months the other day, I had a chance to listen in (via baby-monitor) on some babbling and self-talk that was happening as he was waking up from a nap.
Over and over again, I heard Dog uh. He changed the pitch and volume of the utterance a couple of times. I also heard some laughing. Of course, you are right in your prediction that Brody is into dogs in a big way and he spends a lot of time directing me towards the many dogs in his life (including this pull toy favourite) and extending the pointing finger to identify the dog as DOG UH. We have lots of chats about dogs, but it seems to me that Brody is highly motivated to inform and educate me on how to identify dog. I am now on a mission to watch and listen to the very young's dedication to repetition and practice as they create and modify the dog concept to their world. Laying down the dog schema is no easy task and I want to know if this dedication and persistence to repeating the new word/concept is essential or just fun. I am also curious about the drive to bring me in on the whole labeling event. It is as if Brody is teaching ME the word. He thinks it is important that I learn the word.
My Brody watching will be filled with counting and recording those very beginning words and concepts. I think there is some profound learning that is going on and I can't wait to ponder the how and why the very young figure the mechanics and semantics embedded in communicating. Let me know if you are counting first word attempts and we can chat about what it all means.
As always,
In friendship,
Donna
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Thinking and Learning is all about Connections, Connections, Connections!
Hello Friends,
The word connections seems to work its way into every single kid watching moment.
Baby Brody, seems driven to connect with caring adults. What and why is this so pervasive, so important, with the very young and how does it fit in with thinking and learning?
I am in awe of the strategies Baby Brody comes up with to ensure that we (big people) stay connected with his everyday experiences. He is a master at getting adult's attention while in a social context. He seems to know all sorts of tricks to keep us focused and talking together for every increasing spans of time.
Let me give you a few of the things he does.
When he passes me things like his soggy bread for me to taste, he has my undivided attention. I inspect the gooey mess, return it to him and he generously provides me with more tasty samples to try. We have a grand conversation about the details.
When Baby Brody hides behind a wall and then quickly pokes his head out into view...he has made a connection! Of course, I think it is hilarious and so we have a good laugh and repeat the routine a jillion times. Then we have a grand conversation about how fun this is.
When Baby Brody sees me, he gets a favourite book and gives it to me... He knows this will keep me focused and connected. We snuggle together and we talk about tractors and the wheels. As a result of our snuggle time...we have a grand conversation.
When Baby Brody holds up his short arms and uses his pointing finger to direct my attention to what he has deemed important...DOG... he has once again successfully managed a Grandma and Brody connection...we are now both "all about the dog" and of course we have lots of things to say about our dogs...This leads to a grand dog conversation.
When Baby Brody tries Grandpa's mashed potatoes for the first time, he throws back his head and opens his mouth as wide as he can and laughs. We all agree that this clear statement of approval is connected to the sheer joy of mashed potatoes. Everyone gets a chance to give him a spoonful of the buttery, squishy glob, Each time he responds with "the head back, mouth open wide and great big laugh" routine. The whole family has a grand conversation with Brody about mashed potatoes.
When Baby Brody finds the ball even though it rolled under the big ottoman and it is completely out of sight, he throws it at me with a great big grin, we have our connection. We have a lot to talk about now that the red ball is back in his hands and the throw the ball game can begin again and again and again.
Connections, Relationships and Learning
The very young thrive when caring adults focus on following baby's lead. Baby Brody does not learn about the world by himself. Parents and caring adults do many things to intentionally promote learning and thinking and language growth.
The most important catalysts that adults provide are the spontaneous, uncoached, unhurried, untroubled, sensitive interactions with the children they love.
Baby Brody works very hard to make sure we pay attention to him. He has his ways. All the big people have to do is notice.
And when we pay attention, Baby Brody is able to keep us connected for longer periods of time.
When we make connections , we have a lot to talk about.
And that is what and how all learning happens.
I have pontificated on only a tiny portion of what is embodied in this concept of "making connections". I believe that Baby Brody is banking all these connections and he now thoughtfully uses them to scaffold deep concept development. But that is for a later discussion. Brody is pointing to his Dad's Blue Jay baseball cap. He wants to put it on me and this of course is hilarious. We are going to have a wonderful conversation about hats.
In friendship,
I am the Grandma
Donna
The word connections seems to work its way into every single kid watching moment.
Baby Brody, seems driven to connect with caring adults. What and why is this so pervasive, so important, with the very young and how does it fit in with thinking and learning?
I am in awe of the strategies Baby Brody comes up with to ensure that we (big people) stay connected with his everyday experiences. He is a master at getting adult's attention while in a social context. He seems to know all sorts of tricks to keep us focused and talking together for every increasing spans of time.
Let me give you a few of the things he does.
When he passes me things like his soggy bread for me to taste, he has my undivided attention. I inspect the gooey mess, return it to him and he generously provides me with more tasty samples to try. We have a grand conversation about the details.
When Baby Brody hides behind a wall and then quickly pokes his head out into view...he has made a connection! Of course, I think it is hilarious and so we have a good laugh and repeat the routine a jillion times. Then we have a grand conversation about how fun this is.
When Baby Brody sees me, he gets a favourite book and gives it to me... He knows this will keep me focused and connected. We snuggle together and we talk about tractors and the wheels. As a result of our snuggle time...we have a grand conversation.
When Baby Brody holds up his short arms and uses his pointing finger to direct my attention to what he has deemed important...DOG... he has once again successfully managed a Grandma and Brody connection...we are now both "all about the dog" and of course we have lots of things to say about our dogs...This leads to a grand dog conversation.
When Baby Brody tries Grandpa's mashed potatoes for the first time, he throws back his head and opens his mouth as wide as he can and laughs. We all agree that this clear statement of approval is connected to the sheer joy of mashed potatoes. Everyone gets a chance to give him a spoonful of the buttery, squishy glob, Each time he responds with "the head back, mouth open wide and great big laugh" routine. The whole family has a grand conversation with Brody about mashed potatoes.
When Baby Brody finds the ball even though it rolled under the big ottoman and it is completely out of sight, he throws it at me with a great big grin, we have our connection. We have a lot to talk about now that the red ball is back in his hands and the throw the ball game can begin again and again and again.
Connections, Relationships and Learning
The very young thrive when caring adults focus on following baby's lead. Baby Brody does not learn about the world by himself. Parents and caring adults do many things to intentionally promote learning and thinking and language growth.
The most important catalysts that adults provide are the spontaneous, uncoached, unhurried, untroubled, sensitive interactions with the children they love.
Baby Brody works very hard to make sure we pay attention to him. He has his ways. All the big people have to do is notice.
And when we pay attention, Baby Brody is able to keep us connected for longer periods of time.
When we make connections , we have a lot to talk about.
And that is what and how all learning happens.
I have pontificated on only a tiny portion of what is embodied in this concept of "making connections". I believe that Baby Brody is banking all these connections and he now thoughtfully uses them to scaffold deep concept development. But that is for a later discussion. Brody is pointing to his Dad's Blue Jay baseball cap. He wants to put it on me and this of course is hilarious. We are going to have a wonderful conversation about hats.
In friendship,
I am the Grandma
Donna
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
World Champion Stevie Smith Motivates and Inspires our Youth. He will be missed!
Dear Readers,
Such tragic news! World Cup winner and local hero from my community of Nanaimo, B.C. died from a motorcycle accident. My deepest sympathy goes out to his mother, Tiann. I taught with Tiann for several years and was witness to her devotion and enormous sense of pride and love she has for her son. Stevie was a sensation and his death at age 26 is on all the news channels.
What I would like to respectfully share today, is my short article that I wrote about Stevie Smith a few years ago. I wrote about Stevie because I knew that Nanaimo kids would connect with his life and his achievements. My own grandchildren are crazy about BMX racing and mountain biking. I wanted to promote the idea that when kids are highly motivated to read about something or someone they are interested in; comprehension, critical thinking and conversations deepen. I plan to dust off my hard copy to share with my grandchildren today and I offer the article to you, in case you would like to share with your students.
Such tragic news! World Cup winner and local hero from my community of Nanaimo, B.C. died from a motorcycle accident. My deepest sympathy goes out to his mother, Tiann. I taught with Tiann for several years and was witness to her devotion and enormous sense of pride and love she has for her son. Stevie was a sensation and his death at age 26 is on all the news channels.
What I would like to respectfully share today, is my short article that I wrote about Stevie Smith a few years ago. I wrote about Stevie because I knew that Nanaimo kids would connect with his life and his achievements. My own grandchildren are crazy about BMX racing and mountain biking. I wanted to promote the idea that when kids are highly motivated to read about something or someone they are interested in; comprehension, critical thinking and conversations deepen. I plan to dust off my hard copy to share with my grandchildren today and I offer the article to you, in case you would like to share with your students.
Steve Smith Passionate to Pedal
Elite downhill mountain biker and Nanaimo native,
Steve Smith at the 2013 International World Cup.
Draft Written by Donna Klockars
When Stevie
Smith was five years old, he got a bike. The bike was not shiny or new. It didn’t cost a lot of money. In fact, Stevie’s first bike was thanks to
his grandmother’s idea: to trade twelve delicious apple pies for a used BMX
bike.
Stevie loved to go fast on that
bike, and it wasn’t long before he discovered BMX racing. His devoted mom took him to every BMX race up
and down Vancouver Island. It was clear
to Stevie’s mom that he was passionate about his sport, and though she was
studying for her teaching degree, she made sure her son was at every important
race. By the age of ten he was ranked a
top junior and soon was the Canadian BMX Champion.
By twelve
years of age, Stevie thought the predictable tracks used for BMX racing were a
bit boring. BMX racing lost out when
Stevie discovered the thrill of competitive mountain biking.
“ I love anything that is full of rocks and
roots...the gnarlier the better. “
Steve made the
switch to downhill mountain bike racing and started his journey to becoming
Nanaimo’s downhill mountain biking world-class superstar!
Steve Smith is
passionate about competitive mountain bike racing and considers it to be unique
sport. Each race is a tight battle.
Victory or defeat is determined by small tweeks and split-second decisions.
Despite the competitive nature of the sport, Steve describes it as a friendly
event.
“You rarely
get the sense that someone is trying to mess with your game. The downhill battle is really against the
“fiercest of opponents...yourself.”
Smith has
travelled around the world and become friends with many of the top ranked
riders. A You-tube clip follows Stevie and his arch rival, Atherton, planning their
route together at the World Cup course in Norway.
The "Course Walk" is the time when athletes make mental notes about the track and decide
on strategies they will use during the lightning fast three minute flight down
the mountain.
The mental preparations really
paid off. Smith won the race by 1.311 seconds for his third win of the season
and the overall World Cup title!
“This is an
indescribable dream come true” stated Smith.
“It has been the most pressure I have ever had in my entire life. I knew I was in contention for the World Cup.
I am just so pumped to come away with the win”
Each event
is unique. Even though Smith jets around
the world, his favourite race is the “Crankworx” held in Whistler, B.C.
“I love that
race because it feels like home turf to me, and it is a pretty amazing massive
event. The series opens with a 15 minute
marathon, before it shifts to an A-line jumping course, and then finishes with
an open downhill event.”
Steve not
only loves to compete at the Whistler venue; he is the one to beat. He has won this Canadian Championship
event three years in a row.
Steve is
proud to represent his home town, Nanaimo.
After travelling all over the world there is still no other place he
likes more than Nanaimo.
“I wouldn’t
live anywhere else.”
No one could
have predicted that twelve apple pies, traded for a used BMX bike, would lay
the foundation for Steve to become one of the top competitive downhill mountain
bike riders in the world. But that is how it all started for Steve Smith from
Nanaimo, British Columbia.
Monday, May 2, 2016
What Aristotle taught me about Kid Watching-or- How Aristotle and I are similar
Dear Reader,
If you happened to have been one of the few who willingly toe-dip into my blog, it might not surprise you that Aristotle has worked his way into the conversation. I like to kid-watch...and I mean really WATCH the kids. And as a result of this REALLY, REALLY, INTENSE, kid watching, I have noticed certain things about the very nature and structure of human thought.
But first,allow me to provide some background.
A very long time ago, Aristotle enjoyed his evening chill time by watching ships disappear into the distance as they left port. He was a man of routine and so one might speculate that he watched a lot of ships disappear as they made their way to new destinations. He routinely noticed that the first thing to disappear from his sight was the hull. No exceptions...every time he watched, the hull vanished before the mast and sail. But one day, this sequence of events struck him as rather odd. On a flat surface, shouldn't the dwindling of ships occur equally as they eventually disappear. Shouldn't the ship just fade into a smaller and smaller dot?
I am suggesting that just as Aristotle discerned all sorts of profound things about the nature and structure of the universe from the simple act of spending countless hours observing what many might consider a rather ordinary event. I am also suggesting that through careful observation and logic every one of us can see the evolution of thinking, cognition and creativity unfold simply by watching how the very young (aka my grandkids) early language manifests.
I have already pontificated about the Brody's uncanny ability as a newborn to lock on the human face and engage in conversation. But what has me tossing and turning at night are the hidden messages in Brody's recent burst of gesturing and vocalizing. Dear Reader, I am going to be bold. I am going to be brave. My next entries will chronicle my daily observations... and you guessed it: my pontifications about what it all means. I believe that brody's unfolding/blossoming early early language events hold the essence of the structure and nature of thinking.
Oh my, I am full of myself tonight!
Till later,
Donna says bonsoir for now.
If you happened to have been one of the few who willingly toe-dip into my blog, it might not surprise you that Aristotle has worked his way into the conversation. I like to kid-watch...and I mean really WATCH the kids. And as a result of this REALLY, REALLY, INTENSE, kid watching, I have noticed certain things about the very nature and structure of human thought.
But first,allow me to provide some background.
A very long time ago, Aristotle enjoyed his evening chill time by watching ships disappear into the distance as they left port. He was a man of routine and so one might speculate that he watched a lot of ships disappear as they made their way to new destinations. He routinely noticed that the first thing to disappear from his sight was the hull. No exceptions...every time he watched, the hull vanished before the mast and sail. But one day, this sequence of events struck him as rather odd. On a flat surface, shouldn't the dwindling of ships occur equally as they eventually disappear. Shouldn't the ship just fade into a smaller and smaller dot?
I am suggesting that just as Aristotle discerned all sorts of profound things about the nature and structure of the universe from the simple act of spending countless hours observing what many might consider a rather ordinary event. I am also suggesting that through careful observation and logic every one of us can see the evolution of thinking, cognition and creativity unfold simply by watching how the very young (aka my grandkids) early language manifests.
I have already pontificated about the Brody's uncanny ability as a newborn to lock on the human face and engage in conversation. But what has me tossing and turning at night are the hidden messages in Brody's recent burst of gesturing and vocalizing. Dear Reader, I am going to be bold. I am going to be brave. My next entries will chronicle my daily observations... and you guessed it: my pontifications about what it all means. I believe that brody's unfolding/blossoming early early language events hold the essence of the structure and nature of thinking.
Oh my, I am full of myself tonight!
Till later,
Donna says bonsoir for now.
Monday, April 18, 2016
I am Curious about my Curiosity
Why am I so Curious about early language and early literacy learning?
Why do I wonder about Baby Brody's recent finger pointing ability? Why and what does that hint about his thinking? What about his head pointing...("Where's the dog?" Whips his head and pointing finger to the dog. And how about the putting the hat on the head while making a whooshing sound?
And what do I make of the fact that Brody sat on my lap while we read this book over twenty times? He is twelve months old...how many times can the book, grandma and Brody interact? Why does he pat the book to signal "Again". And yes I know that all the textbooks state that babies babble, but what motivates Brody to produce a symphony of the most beautiful sounds early in the morning when only the song birds are up and listening.
And what do I make of the fact that Ethan has created his own Cozy Reading Corner in his bedroom? Or how do I make sense of the his comment that he learned to read three weeks ago when he was reading Amulet in the car and they stopped at Buckley Bay for gas on the way home from skiing.
How do we celebrate Ethan's dedication to rehearing every night for a week, Grandma's recent story "Shh I'm Deciding" so that he is ready to perform the story for his entire class. Should we have an After the Show Pizza Party?
Why do I wonder about Baby Brody's recent finger pointing ability? Why and what does that hint about his thinking? What about his head pointing...("Where's the dog?" Whips his head and pointing finger to the dog. And how about the putting the hat on the head while making a whooshing sound?
And what do I make of the fact that Brody sat on my lap while we read this book over twenty times? He is twelve months old...how many times can the book, grandma and Brody interact? Why does he pat the book to signal "Again". And yes I know that all the textbooks state that babies babble, but what motivates Brody to produce a symphony of the most beautiful sounds early in the morning when only the song birds are up and listening.
And what do I make of the fact that Ethan has created his own Cozy Reading Corner in his bedroom? Or how do I make sense of the his comment that he learned to read three weeks ago when he was reading Amulet in the car and they stopped at Buckley Bay for gas on the way home from skiing.
How do we celebrate Ethan's dedication to rehearing every night for a week, Grandma's recent story "Shh I'm Deciding" so that he is ready to perform the story for his entire class. Should we have an After the Show Pizza Party?
And just how cool is this picture and can it be used as the Canadian Early Literacy poster for the year?
Title: No screen time , just reading time.
And how about in my own personal life, My new friend, Lara, from Toronto was going to be in Vancouver for a very short time. She also likes to talk about early learning, children's books and how kids learn to make sense of black squiggly lines.
I immediately booked a flight to Vancouver just so we could have a chance to chat. We talked non-stop for two hours, almost always coming up with more questions. Why is the conversation so rich despite the fact that we can't come up with any answers to our burning questions? Even more curious: why was it so enjoyable to talk to her about this topic?
And then I started reading Alberto Manguel's newest book about Curiosity. I had to send Lara the quote because I knew she would love it. (And she did)
"I am curious about curiosity...
very soon we find out that curiosity is seldom rewarded with meaningful and satisfying answers, but rather with an increased desire to ask more questions and the pleasure of conversing with others.
As any inquisitor knows, affirmations tend to isolate; questions bind.
Curiosity is a means of declaring our allegiance to the human fold"
Today, I am heading to my computer to write more stories about the Animals of Pine Forest. I do not have any worries or even care that the stories will be published or even read. The whole reason and the point of my creative instinct is simply to get it done... and once done, there just might be a chance for a great conversation.
Because those precious conversations provide the glue that binds me to humanity. I just ask questions because I wonder about everything. Life is a wondering. What about you, What do you wonder about? What are you curious about?
Happy wondering,
Donna, aka the Book Lady
,
Friday, March 18, 2016
How Pete the Cat got me thinking about Zero
Hello Friends,
I have been thinking about Ari telling me that learning to read is kind of like counting. I pontificated at length on a blog or two about how amazing she was to construct the idea that a written word must match a just right spoken word, I think the idea of conservation of numbers and the matching of one word to one spoken word came up.
But that whole idea resulted in me tossing and turning all night long over a bigger harder question....Just how do the very young learn to count?
Hmm... You gather some buttons and place in front of your short friend. Then you select a button and encourage her to say one...Then add another one and hope that she will utter the word two, then add another button and try for the word "three". This goes on until the child gets the idea that every time you add a button a new number name is expected.
Ten apples on Top by Dr Seuss has a dog, a tiger, and a lion, compete to see how many apples they can balance on their head and Frogs,Frogs, Frogs, by Brenda Boreham matches counting with increasing numbers of frogs shown on each page.
A Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle features counting to five and days of the week. In Went Mouse by moi, simply has fun with the idea of one more animal choosing to use the maple tree as its home results in a very full house.
Counting books are everywhere and they are very engaging. I wonder why?
I think the child gets the basic counting concept by induction, but I wonder what is the concept they are getting?
It seems to me you have to figure out that you only need to memorize twelve names...(one, two...eleven twelve) after which you can work out, construct or predict how this list of names thing works.
Is the aha moment when the pattern is understood that a new name is required when we add one to the existing number? Is all of mathematics founded on this foundation of finding a predictable pattern?
But the names of numbers are words that are part of our language, however, they are not quite like our language. There is no dictionary entry for the word forty-five that is consistent with how a dictionary talks about the definition of "apple".
And back to those button we placed in front of our short friends. The one to the right might get the name two, but not the one to the left. (and besides, it has a name called "button").
The counting rule is what is the big deal when looking at the buttons, not the series of phonemes represented by b u t t o n . Are these two systems aliens?
And Oh my, how do the very young handle the concept of ZERO? And is NONE really a number?
Oliver Jeffers has Huey asking
"How many lumps of chhse do see just there?"
"Um...I don't see any."
"That's because there are none!"
"Is none a number?"
"Of course. It's one less than one."
"I see. So one more than none is one?
"That's right...
And then there is the whole concept of subtraction.
And that is where Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons comes into this discussion.
When all Pete's buttons popped off he wasn't sad...Oh goodness no!...He still had his belly button.
And that is a funny ending and thinking about zero has really not been all that funny.
So I am not going to try and figure out:
"Before the arrow can reach its target, it must get half-way there; before it can get half way it must get a quarter of the way; and so forth: 1/2, 1/4,...1/2N, 1/2(N+1),...If we grant that the series of markers it needs to pass on its waay to the target in infinitely long, then how can the arrow ever get there?" (dark possibilities at the heart of the paradoxes of Zeno)
But I am going to continue to celebrate and share the brilliant picture books with number content as a play-based, fun-filled approach to supporting our shorter friends efforts to construct number theory.
As always, In friendship,
Donna
aka The Book Lady
I have been thinking about Ari telling me that learning to read is kind of like counting. I pontificated at length on a blog or two about how amazing she was to construct the idea that a written word must match a just right spoken word, I think the idea of conservation of numbers and the matching of one word to one spoken word came up.
But that whole idea resulted in me tossing and turning all night long over a bigger harder question....Just how do the very young learn to count?
Hmm... You gather some buttons and place in front of your short friend. Then you select a button and encourage her to say one...Then add another one and hope that she will utter the word two, then add another button and try for the word "three". This goes on until the child gets the idea that every time you add a button a new number name is expected.
A Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle features counting to five and days of the week. In Went Mouse by moi, simply has fun with the idea of one more animal choosing to use the maple tree as its home results in a very full house.
Counting books are everywhere and they are very engaging. I wonder why?
I think the child gets the basic counting concept by induction, but I wonder what is the concept they are getting?
It seems to me you have to figure out that you only need to memorize twelve names...(one, two...eleven twelve) after which you can work out, construct or predict how this list of names thing works.
Is the aha moment when the pattern is understood that a new name is required when we add one to the existing number? Is all of mathematics founded on this foundation of finding a predictable pattern?
But the names of numbers are words that are part of our language, however, they are not quite like our language. There is no dictionary entry for the word forty-five that is consistent with how a dictionary talks about the definition of "apple".
And back to those button we placed in front of our short friends. The one to the right might get the name two, but not the one to the left. (and besides, it has a name called "button").
The counting rule is what is the big deal when looking at the buttons, not the series of phonemes represented by b u t t o n . Are these two systems aliens?
And Oh my, how do the very young handle the concept of ZERO? And is NONE really a number?
Oliver Jeffers has Huey asking
"How many lumps of chhse do see just there?"
"Um...I don't see any."
"That's because there are none!"
"Is none a number?"
"Of course. It's one less than one."
"I see. So one more than none is one?
"That's right...
And then there is the whole concept of subtraction.
And that is where Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons comes into this discussion.
When all Pete's buttons popped off he wasn't sad...Oh goodness no!...He still had his belly button.
And that is a funny ending and thinking about zero has really not been all that funny.
So I am not going to try and figure out:
"Before the arrow can reach its target, it must get half-way there; before it can get half way it must get a quarter of the way; and so forth: 1/2, 1/4,...1/2N, 1/2(N+1),...If we grant that the series of markers it needs to pass on its waay to the target in infinitely long, then how can the arrow ever get there?" (dark possibilities at the heart of the paradoxes of Zeno)
But I am going to continue to celebrate and share the brilliant picture books with number content as a play-based, fun-filled approach to supporting our shorter friends efforts to construct number theory.
As always, In friendship,
Donna
aka The Book Lady
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