What Did You Wear Today?

Materials needed

• Set of blocks (all the same size and shape)
• Marker
• 2 sheets of chart paper or tagboard
• Basket or bucket

What to do

1. Ahead of time, gather enough blocks so that each child in the group may have four or five blocks. Place blocks in the basket or bucket. Have chart paper and marker available.
2. Introduce the activity by asking the children to name different kinds of clothing. Record their responses by making a list on the first sheet of paper. Position the paper so that the children canwatch as you write each word. Occasionally reread the list and encourage further responses.
3. Focus the children's attention on the items from the list that they actually wore today. "Did you wear a hat today?" "Who wore a sweatshirt today?"
4. Use the second piece of paper to create a chart: select five or six items from the children's list and write the names of those items as titles across the top of the chart. Put the chart onan easel ledge or against a cupboard so that blocks my be stacked in front of the chart to form columns under the titles.
5. Reading one title (item) at a time, invite the children who are wearing that item to take one block from the basket and place it under the word, forming a stack. Continue until there are stacksof blocks under each of the titles, although the stacks will be of varying heights.
6. Comment on the number of blocks in each stack. Which stack is the highest? What does that mean? Help the children understand that the stacks show which items of clothing are being worn by themost children. Which stack is the shortest? Are any stacks the same?
7. Count the number of blocks in each stack and record that number under the appropriate title.
8. Leave the chart and blocks in an area that is available to the children during play time, so that they can repeat the activity, independently stacking and counting the blocks to match the numberswritten in each category.
9. If desired, repeat this activity daily as a check on which items of clothing are worn by the most people. The charted items may be changed daily, if desired.

More to do

This math activity introduces children to the concept of graphing and reinforces their understanding of one-to-one representation. Many adaptations are possible. This activity may be used at theend of play time to survey the children's choices of activities that day. How many children painted at the easel today? Who worked at the puzzle table this morning? Who used the slide? Enhancenutrition lessons by using this activity to survey children's breakfast menus, favorite snack or meal choices. Favorite colors may be graphed in the same way. Pictures or simple drawings may beused as titles for each category to reinforce the written words.

Related books

Bear Gets Dressed by Harriet Ziefert
Charlie Needs a Cloak by Tomie dePaola
Jesse Bear, What Will Your Wear? by Nancy White Carlstrom
Max's New Suit by Rosemary Wells
You'll Soon Grow Into Them, Titch by Pat Hutchins

Karen Wojahn, Windom, MN