Calendar Time - coins and more!

So, it's been months since I first posted about using "calendar time" in your home with your toddler or preschoolers.  Our calendar has changed a lot over that time, so I thought I would share what we've added to calendar time over the last few months.

First, I started printing (on card stock) pictures for repetitive events in our life (ballet, gymnastics, bible study, "daddy-nights" (i.e.: when Mommy goes to work), etc.  This really helps my kiddos know when their favorite activity is coming and how many days until it will be here!

Also, in addition to just counting "things" for each day of the month, we've started counting coins. So, today is the 21st so we counted out 21 pennies (more to be explained below).

Lastly, this month, we started patterning.  I bought some heart stickers at the Dollar Tree and the first couple of days this month I started putting in colored hearts in a pattern.  Each day, we figure out which color of heart should come next and add it into the little window for that day.

 We've been working on the coins and counting thing during calendar time for about 4 months now.  Each day of the month (when Mommy remembers) we count the number of coins for that day.

Today was the 21st so Charlotte found 21 pennies

After we count out 21 pennies, we see if we can "trade" any coins.  

From a little instruction about coins 4 months ago, we know the values of each coins.

We keep a "cheat sheet" set of window clings on our sliding glass door.

They were used heavily the first month, but almost never at this point

First, I always ask if we can "trade" for a quarter since it's the largest.  Pretty quickly, Charlotte knows if we have more than 25 pennies.  If we don't, she says no.  Then, I usually ask about dimes.  However, you could go in any order.  Today we traded 10 pennies for a dime (twice).

I traded her a dime and I got her 10 pennies 

Although I taught Charlotte the values of coins, the physical act of "trading" is a huge piece of math learning for kids.  Kids must go through many phases of understanding, but they always start learning math in a concrete way.  The physical habit of us trading coins reinforces that although a penny and a dime look similar (in fact a dime is smaller) its worth is greater.  This is a really abstract idea!

Especially when we first started this concept, we would try to trade as many different ways as we could.  If we were doing that, today we would have found all of these combinations:

21 cents =

21 pennies

2 dimes and 1 penny

1 dime, 2 nickels and 1 penny

4 nickels and 1 penny

Happy Coining!