Learning at Home

Learning happens on a daily basis in the home: Children learn as they cook; set the table; sort laundry; observe ants; watch birds; or take a walk in the backyard, neighborhood, or the park (Lind).  This does not mean that you actually have to sit down and create a lesson plan for the home environment.  Learning in the home environment can occur naturally if you know where to spot opportunities for learning.  Today, I will center on the concept of one-to-one correspondence, also known as bijection.  One-to-one correspondence is the ability to match numbers to objects or object to object (Rae). 

               One-to-one correspondence can be done through a variety of ways in the home environment.  One-to-one correspondence could be setting the dinner table for each family member.  Another activity is to placing one cupcake liner into each slot on the cupcake tray for baking.  Even counting each step as you walk from the kitchen to the living room is one-to-one correspondence.  There are games that enhance one-to-one correspondence such as HiHo Cherry-O, Cootie, and many others.  One-to-one correspondence can be taught through games and activities or through daily actions.   

               If you've got the time and supplies to create home lessons, go for it.  My friends and I prefer to have growing critters happen on the regular in our houses.  We get pretty into our growing critters, making contests out of who can grow a larger one and such.  Our contest started with one particular growing critter, Giant Crab.  Giant Crab first began his life in an empty cheese puff jar and met his end when we moved him into the bathtub for world domination.  My daughter took off one of his claws but it's all good!  The battle of Steve the Duck and Euclid the Turtle was born from the crab experience.  Who do you think won that one?

Bibliography

Lind, K. K. (2005). Exploring science in early childhood education: A developmental approach (4th ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning.