Math, baby!

During the last couple of weeks we've been working on math: number sequence, the four processes (+,_, *, /), patterns, quality of numbers. Nightowl is really liking this subject. She asks for math every day. We are having a lot of fun with it. I'm trying to organize some dramatic math play with friends - hopefully this will evolve.

I have Nightowl here with me and I've asked her to share some of her thoughts about what we're doing these days.

Ok. I'll type whatever you want to say about what we've been doing lately.
We do Gnomes. Math Gnomes. How about you type their names?

You tell me their names and I'll type them.
Divide. Minus. Plus. Times.

What do they do?
They collect jewels.

Really? Where?
In the cave.

Why do they do that?
For the kind, kind, kind king who gives them nice homes.

So what do you do with these Gnomes?
They go on different math adventures. Like they help the squirrels find out how many nuts they have. Plus gives the squirrels more nuts if they need more. Minus takes away the nuts. And Times tells them how many times times makes...I guess. That one is tricky.

Hmm...what about Divide?
Divide divides nuts for the squirrels to share.

How do you have these adventures?
Sometimes we pretend to be the Gnomes. Sometimes you use a number grid. And you put down the numbers of all the steps they had to take. Like when they visited the Elf Queen. The squirrels in her kingdom needed help with their nuts. She asked the King if any of his gnomes knew how to count. He said yes. He said to his four Gnomes, when I saw this letter I thought of you, my funny little gnomes. So the Gnomes went to the Queen of the Elves. She said that the squirrles needed help because they have a lot of nuts and don't know how many they need.

What do you mean about the hundred steps?
The Gnomes asked the king how to get the Elf Queen. The King said that they needed to go 100 steps in any direction and once they went 100 steps the directions to the Elf Queen would magically appear in their hands. So the Gnomes went 100 steps.

Did you help?
Yes. I put down the numbers so that they would know how many steps they had gone.

Was it hard?
A little bit hard. It took me at least two days to get all 100 numbers.

So what do you do once the Gnomes are with the squirrels?
We pretend to be the Gnomes and the Squirrels. We help them figure out their nuts - they have a lot of nuts.

Which one are you?
I was all the Gnomes. Mommy was the Squirrles. Now I'm getting tired of talking.

Ok. Do you want to say anything else?
We made clay gnomes. That was fun. I made Divide and Plus. Mommy made Times and Minus.

Awesome. Anything else?
That's all I can think of. That's all for now.