Math Their Way--with Rhymes, Songs & Lively Play

by Diane Baker, Greenville School

Number Sense

1. Jump Rope and draw numbers on the ground. Write the number that comes before and after. Write the number that is 2 more, etc. With a partner write the number that is the sum of combined ages.

2. Play Mousetrap variations. Count how many mice caught, how many safe. Which is more? How many all together? Mousetrap Students form a large circle holding hands. Three to ten students are designated as mice and move around the outside of the trap. On signal, "trap open," students raise their arms and the mice run in and out of the trap. On signal "trap close" all hands are lowered. Choose new mice, play again.

3. Explore body actions of stretch, bend & twist. Identify joints and muscles then draw numbers with body. ("Count Bounce" by Greg & Steve) Use 3 hoops to show place value. Write 1, 2 or 3 digit number on lap chalkboard. Choose players to get in hoops and form written number with their bodies.

4. Roll number cubes, or use pairs of numbers. Jump or bounce ball that many times high/low, in place/moving, fast/ slow. Read "My Little Sister Ate One Hare" or other counting book.

5. All practice animal imitation walks. Place cones with animal pictures around perimeter of open space. Assign 3-5 students to each cone. Make up animal stories for children to act out. Example: 5 fish were swimming in the pond. 3 frogs jumped in too. (How many animals all together?) Each frog ate a fish and hopped out to a log in the sun. How many fish are left in the pond?)

6. Explore locomotor movements (walk, run, leap, jump, hop, gallop/slide, skip) and non locomotor movements (twist, bend, stretch, wiggle, shake, etc.) Corner line up on volleyball court. Do actions, count players, solve problems. Roll cube, spin spinner or draw card. For example: 2 players jogging + 3 players jumping = 5 kids moving. For addition with "9" use 10 hoops. Fill 9 of the hoops with children doing a non locomotor movement (e.g.. shoulder circles.) Roll number cube for 2nd number. That number of players will do a different nonlocomotor movement (e.g.. elbow bends.) One of the 2nd group will stand in the remaining hoop. Write the resulting number sentence. 9 players circling + 5 players bending = 14 children moving.

7. Math Munchers improves aerobic fitness through locomotor movements. Before playing students write one number between one and 100 on each side of tag board squares. Players each hold one card and line up on both sides of basketball court. Teacher designates locomotor skill (may draw card) and attribute of number. Example: skip across if your number is greater than 17. Caution students to look where they're going and avoid collisions. When a player returns to starting side s/he exchanges card for a new one.

8. "In the park" tag games. Listen to "Five Frogs" or read story before playing. 3 Taggers (alligators) line up on one side of playing area. 5-10 Fleers (frogs) move around within space. Remaining players are scattered & stationary like trees or rocks. Taggers chase fleers for 30 secs. If caught, player goes to holding area. How many safe? How many caught? Which is more?

9. Third Bird Tag In large oval playing area scatter poly spots for trees. Identify "trees" with pinnies. Trees stand on spots and hold arms outstretched to sides. 2 players wearing different color of pinnies are "hawks." Hawks stand on perimeter until signaled. Remaining players are birds who fly around and rest in trees (squat down under outstretched arms) when tired. Each tree may only hold 2 birds. When the 3rd bird arrives, the first two must fly away. When teacher calls out, "Watch out for the Hawks!" the hawks attempt to catch any bird that is not safe under a tree. When caught birds stand at perimeter until game begins again with new trees, hawks & birds. (You do not get to be a hawk if you're caught.)

10. Play "Dominoes." Pass out dominoes. Players count spots on each side and sit around circle. One player tosses & catches tennis ball up/down while counting to show amount on each side. Players who can match either amount raise hands. Selected player performs actions. Players who can match new amount raise hands, etc. Continue until all have played.

11. Sets in hoops with groups. After all players explore manipulating hoops, place hoops on ground and travel around until stop signal. Listen to number of players that must get in each hoop. Teacher specifies how many players will get out & stand next to hoop. How many in? How many out? (also body parts) Example: 4 players in each hoop. Put 3 feet outside. How many feet in, out, all together?

12. Play "Martian" Tag and compare how many players made it to the stars and how many players are still on earth. Players stand on one side of playing area & chant: "Martian, Martian take us to the stars!" Martian (teacher for kinder kids) calls, "come to Mars if you have buttons, black shoes, etc. but watch out for the man in the moon." Players run to other side if they are wearing called attribute. 2 players are the moon people who try to tag them. If tagged, player returns to earth and attempts to cross when another of attribute that s/he has is called. After 3Xs switch Martian, moon people and start over.

13. Arrange 10 numbers on cones around perimeter. Do locomotor movements or kick paperballs to the numbers. Using 10 number cards, a student draws a card, then teacher adds, "go to the number that is 3 more than___, etc.

14. Play Cookie Monster Tag One player is the cookie monster and standsbehind class. Several more players, cookie monster's buddies, also standbehind and tag. Children ask "Are you hungry cookie monster?" If answer is "No," they ask again. If "Yes," they turn and run across field to safe line. Cookie monster & friends attempt to tag as many as possible. Teacher chooses a new cookie monster each time. Before playing cut pictures of cookies from magazines or have students each draw a plate of cookies and write a number on the back. Using numbers on back add up how many cookies the monsters will get to eat. How many will each get? Will they all get a cookie?

15. Roll or throw balls at targets. 6-7 stacked juice cans/group allow for creative targets. How many standing? How many knocked down? How many all together? Draw the results, write the number sentence or tally results after taking a turn.

16. Play piggy bank tag. The children broke the bank and took all the money out. The pigs want to get it back. Children each have a "coin" and stand on one side of playing area. When attribute is called they attempt to run to the "store" on other side. If tagged they give up their coin, return to starting line and get a new coin. After playing several times. Pigs put money together and sort by coins. All the players with one attribute (e.g. long sleeves/ short sleeves) also sort their coins.

17. Seated in circle chant "You name a number, we'll add on with the one that comes before and the one that goes beyond. Pat legs, clap, shake hands. Teacher calls out a number, e.g. "6." Students respond "4 5 6."

18. Form 2 circles on black top. Each group has a 4 square ball and bounce passes within circle while chanting. Whoever has ball at end of chant in each group says a number. Teacher states a calculation. Students answer then play again. Example: Chant, "Have a little lunch, have a little lunch, have a little nibble and a slurp and a crunch. Come for breakfast, stay for lunch. Gobble gobble glup glup munch munch munch." Players with balls respond, "6 apples," "12 cookies." Teacher asks, "How many more cookies than apples?" or "How many more apples are needed to be the same amount as cookies?" or "How many things to eat all together?"

19. Easy integration: count by 2's, 3's, etc. while clapping, jumping, bouncing balls. Songs for counting: "This Ol' Man," "Can a Cockatoo Count by Two's," "My Mama's Callin' Me," "Count Bounce Countdown." Use ordinal numbers and attribute groups to get equipment. Which group is first today, second, third?

Algebra

1. Play Alike & Different. One player does a non locomotor action. Remaining players do the same action with different body part, or, use the same body part as leader and do a different action.

2. Children do locomotor movement specified by teacher in random pathways until music stops. Line up by attributes at a corner. (e.g. students wearing belts, not wearing belts) Estimate which group has more, less. How many more to be the same? Repeat with different locomotor movement and different pairs of attributes.

3. Make up movement codes with levels, sounds or colors. e.g. high = jump, medium = shake hips side to side, low = circle one arm. One student holds a bandana at level of choice and others respond with appropriate movement. Switch leaders. After 2-3 repetitions create new movements. Make up a code with other visual or auditory signals. For example: Leader holds arms overhead = stretch & bend, leader touches waist = twist & turn, leader touches shoulders = swing & sway. Use the recording, "Teacher Who Couldn't Talk."

4. Play 30 Second Challenge by Hap Palmer. Match cards exactly, or by selected "rules."

Measurement and Geometry

1. Use toe heel walking to measure how many personal feet is the perimeter of four square court, tetherball court, dodge ball circles, basketball key, etc. Record and compare which is bigger, etc. Before measuring students can estimate and/or order courts from smallest to largest. After measuring they compare with their guess and may need to reorder. Use 2 ropes to measure partner who is lying on ground. How many heel toe steps is each partner? Can you long jump that far? Count steps while moving a fixed distance (e.g. width of basketball court) with long steps and baby steps. Compare number of steps.

2. Use paces to measure how far you can throw a ball or bean bag. Mark restraining line with rope and throwing distance with more ropes or cones. Does distance increase with practice? (skill improving) or not? (arm getting tired)

3. Make geometric shapes with ropes. Make pictures with ropes that include a geometric shape. (e.g. kite, house) Move to shape songs: "How Many Ways Can You Make a Square," "Shapes Game," "Quadrilaterals," "Geometric Shapes."

4. Create targets or obstacles with word sentences: The bottle is in the hoop. The cone is on the box. The can is under the tube. The tube is between the bottles.

5. Create games with relationship words: near, far, below, above, behind, in front of, next to, etc.

6. Make various lines with ropes for pathways then travel: thick, thin, long short, curving, straight, zig zag, open and closed.

7. Make shapes with bodies:

Roll balls & blocks, compare results. Form body into round shapes & roll across mat. Form shapes with elastic or stretch ropes. Count sides & vertices. Form symmetrical & asymmetrical shapes with bodies Make body shape, then its opposite. Short/tall, wide/narrow, round/square, bent/straight, horizontal/vertical, diagonal one way/diagonal other way. Play copycat to make congruent shapes. One player makes a statue. Analyze where are lines curving, where are right angles, is the base wide or narrow, etc. Then all copy.

8. March a study in directions to the music "When Johnny Comes Marching Home." forward 8 counts backward 8 counts right 8 counts left 8 counts diagonal right forward 4 counts diagonal left forward 4 counts backward 4 counts in place 4 counts

9. Move at different speeds to music and drumbeats. "Fast & Slow March" and "Song About Slow/Fast." Do a routine or pass beanbags slowly and get faster. Do pattern slow slow quick quick quick quick quick pause clapping and stepping.

10. Say the days, months as you march to "The Calendar March" and "Seven Days of the Week."

11. Seated in circle, chant and clap to Peas Porridge Hot. Each player in turn substitutes different time period for last phrase. Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, Peas porridge in the pot 9 days old! (3 months, 2 hours, 5 weeks, etc.) Clap & chant to Wee Willie Winkie. Each player in turn substitutes different time and moves hands on clock to corresponding time. Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town Upstairs, downstairs in his night gown Rapping at the Windows, Crying at the lock, Are the children all in bed for now it's 8:00. (3:05, 4:30, etc.)

12. Measure duration of group tasks with pendulum. Clip tether ball to horizontal bar. On start signal one student gives it a push and counts number of swings. Remaining students line up side by side on line and run across field to finish line. Repeat walking backwards, crawling. Which way of moving takes more time?

13. Reinforce minutes on clock by performing jumps to "Tick Tock, 60 Minutes Around the Clock." Chant and move to Hickory Dickory Dock. On the phrase, "The clock struck one" substitute different numbers up to 12 and jump the number. Move hands on clock to number each time.  

Statistics, Data Analysis & Probability

1. Create routines with patterns of locomotor, non locomotor, manipulative movements. Create, write and perform walk/jump patterns. (Read related book, "Hop Jump.") Create body part action routines in place to "Five Beats to a Measure." Do a hand action routine to the song, "Patterns."

2. Write formula: <move around move body part in place move part of face> Students suggest a movement for each. Do sequence 3X through then compose new routine.

3. Spin a Shape to Get in Shape. Make a shape spinner. Do Locomotor movements or exercises according to where the spinner stops. After 6 spins have you done all the shapes? How is moving according the spinner different from moving according to a pattern?

4. Sort children into groups according to attributes. Children with long sleeves make a circle, children with short sleeves. Which circle is bigger? White socks, colored socks.

Mathematical Reasoning

1. Predict effect of increasing number of taggers or distance of playing field in tag games.

Resources

Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools, 1999. Anytime Math On My Own, Harcourt Brace & Co.
Family Math for Young Children by Grace Davila Coates & Jean Kerr Stenmark.UC Berkeley, 1997
Hop Jump by Ellen Stoll Walsh New York: Harcourt Brace 1993.Mathematics by Charles Hohmann. High/Scope Press, Ypsilanti, Michigan, 1991.The Moving Box by Rebecca Fuller & Nancy Lyons. Footprint Press, Santa Rosa, 1977.My Little Sister Ate One Hare by Bill Grossman New York: Crown Publishers, 1996."Hoop fractions" was presented by Jody Gray at the CAHPERD Conference 3/88.
"Math Munchers" was created by Joe Gallo and published by PE Central. (http://pe.central.vt.edu/mathmunchers.html)
"Name a Number" and "Have a little lunch" were created by Kay Lahto and presented at the Orange County Orff Workshop on October 10, 1998.
"How Many Ways Can You Make a Square?" & "Fast & Slow March" are by Hap Palmer in Creative Movement & Rhythmic Exploration.
"Five Beats to a Measure" and "Slow & Fast" are by Hap Palmer in The Feel of Music.
"Count Bounce" is by Greg & Steve in Kids in Motion.
"Shapes Game" is by Parachute Express in Sunnyside.
"Thirty Second Challenge" and "Can Cockatoos Count by Twos?" are by Hap Palmer in Can Cockatoos Count by Twos?
"Five Frogs" is by Anna Moo in Anna Moo Crackers.
"Tick Tock Around the Clock," Geometric Shapes," "Patterns" and
"Quadrilaterals" are by Ron Brown in Math Concepts 1 & 2 Teaching Tunes .
"Calendar March" is by Jim Rule in Too Much Fun #1.
"Days of the Week" is by Greg & Steve in We All Live Together vol. 4.
"When Johnny Comes Marching Home" is by Delta Music in American Songs of Revolutionary & Civil War Era.

For questions or comments about this article, contact Diane Baker

(Information provided courtesy of www.pelinks4u.org)

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