Early morning math {Mathematical Reasoning Beginning 2}

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We are living math people. In the early years, when numeracy and concepts are forming, we choose not to choose from the many wonderful math curricula on the market, instead focusing on a less formal, more experience-based progression of mathematical skills. Mathematical thinking starts far earlier than you might expect; at almost 4, Simon may not know what to do when confronted with the written problem “6 divided by 2,” but you can bet that if I have six grapes and he’s sharing with his little brother, he sure as shooting is going to let me know that they can each have three.

So… living math? Does that mean we never have a child peek at a math book? Nope. As it turns out, some living math is fun and easily addressed via “sneaky learning.” You know… connect-the-dots, graphing ice cream preferences, that sort of thing. And in our house, for some reason or another, kids gravitate towards that kind of project frightfully early. We’re talking pjs on, hair a mess, a morning snack of kefir just being served. Why? Why decide to do math of all things, at 6:30 in the morning?

Easy. Because it’s fun.

Early Morning Math {Mathematical Reasoning Beginning 2}

 

Simon’s current favorite early morning math fix is Mathematical Reasoning Beginning 2, by The Critical Thinking Co. It’s a hefty, colorful workbook that’s exactly what you’d expect from this publisher: fun, creative, engaging, and multi-pronged in its approach. A part of Timberdoodle’s PreK Curriculum Package, it’s perfectly suited for full-on instruction, if that’s your bent, or a more casual, “let’s pull this out and noodle with numbers a bit” approach if that’s where you land.

 

Early Morning Math {Mathematical Reasoning Beginning 2}

 

This isn’t hardcore number crunching or repetitive tracing. It’s the kind of formative thinking that prepares children to have ah-ha math moments down the road. (“What? There’s a way to write two and two makes four? Awesome!”) This is brain training that translates into a better grasp of what it all means as the road to higher math gets steeper in the years to come.

 

Early Morning Math {Mathematical Reasoning Beginning 2}

 

In our house, this book dovetails perfectly with the casual introduction of important skills and the friendly practice of already-mastered milestones. It’s approachable enough that the older kids are drawn to its jaunty pages, yet not so cerebral as to overwhelm the not-quite 4 year-old. It’s a great concurrent supplement to other early math programs (Life of Fred and Math-U-See come to mind), or can stand alone as well. At $34.99, it feels like an heavy investment, but many of the pages are reusable; Simon in particular likes to rotate through the “point and say” pages that ask you to decide whose feet made these prints, or which child is second in line, or to solve a riddle. I have friends who have taken the book apart and created a separate binder of just those pages, inserting them into page protectors for steady reuse.

Whatever your style, whatever time of day you choose to do it, whatever your uniform of choice (Simon is especially fond of the Star Wars Christmas jammies Miss Adele sent him), Mathematical Reasoning Beginning 2 is a solid addition to time spent thinking math.

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