Mathematicians in Motion: Help Us Grow to Be Flexible Thinkers!

In the classroom learning environment I strive to create for and with my students, the words "meaningful," "authentic," and "flexible" are important ones. To make the most of instructional minutes and, more importantly, innate student curiosity and engagement, the activities we do in kindergarten must be ones that make meaningful connections to the lives and interests of each little learner. Part of attaining that goal is creating an environment where skills can be practiced with flexibility in thinking and tools. For this reason, I seek to bring the high-quality math manipulatives that I observed at work during a professional development training to the classroom I share with my bright and curious kindergarteners.

From the beginning of their academic journeys, I want each of my students to have an "I Can" mindset about their learning -- including their abilities to work with math concepts.

The tools I have requested will support my mathematicians in their hands-on learning and demonstration of their thinking. Using a tool like a Rekenrek, for example, can support mathematicians in visualizing numbers as they can be composed and decomposed in different ways. Using the multiple representation dice, mathematicians can see a number in the form of a numeral, dots or tally marks. In order to become flexible thinkers with multiple exposures to important math skills practice, my students need your help in bringing more supportive hands-on tools to our classroom. Thank you, in advance, for helping to grow the next generation of confident and curious mathematicians who feel every bit as capable as they are to make great contributions to the world around them using the math knowledge they began to develop at an early age!