Little Edie has in the last few weeks completed all her EYFS maths work
And we have started working through the Year 1 objectives

We use a mix of resources
Websites, text books, activity books, stories, non fiction, board games
And LOTS of playful sensory hands on learning

We try to do lots of maths outside using natural materials

Home educating means we can work as fast or slow as Edie needs
We can stretch topics as wide as we like before moving forwards
And we can go back if she needs extra revision and support

As a teacher I loved starting my maths lessons
With a song or a story, a poem or a picture book
And I try to do the same with Edie

Perhaps more so with Edie
As though she loves books and stories
She has no interest in learning to read
And I am happy with that at the moment
She has only just turned 5
And two of my bigger bookworms
Were late independent readers
I think Edie will be the same

So until she is ready we will all read to her
And immerse her in stories, books, bookish learning and play

Today’s bookish maths
Was focused on sorting, ordering, grouping and counting
With the dawn of summer
We chose a seaside theme

Edie had to sort and count items to pack into a suitcase
She had to sort and count sea creatures
And we read the octopus page in one of our favourite counting books
Search And Find A Number Of Numbers

This is a brilliant and beautiful counting book
Filled with gorgeous illustrations
A variety of scenes
Encourage children to search and find
Different numbers of different things
They need to use their observation skills
Their number recognition and counting
This book will extend children’s vocabulary
And can also encourage storytelling
As children describe what they see in each spread

This book is described as a “numbers game
With things to count and things to name”
As well as spotting and counting
There are pairs to match
Positional language to use
Seasons to see and discuss
Mysteries to solve

This is a book that keeps on giving
And can grow with your child
As they become more confident with numbers
And with describing what they see on the page
My 12 year olds love naming and counting
All the instruments in the orchestra
Sometimes I hide the words that label parts of a castle
And the children have to tell which words I have hidden

This book will keep little ones and their grown ups busy
For hours and hours
Over and over again

It would make a gorgeous gift
For new school starters
And a great gift for early years and KS1 teachers
One book with hundreds of things to find
Brilliant and beautiful and delightfully bonkers

We give it a ‘hundredteen’ thumbs up

We still have some counting work to do!