Nursery Rhyme Mathematics Terrie Schmoldt terrieschmoldt@gmail.com
Nursery Rhyme Journal Journals are a great compilation of student work which is useful for: Portfolios Student led conferences Math Night Helpful for parents when selecting what work to keep and to guide discussion. Asking specific questions like What happened when Humpty Dumpty fell? versus general questions What did you do today? prompts greater discussion.
Little Bo Peep Activity #1 Math Skill: greater than, less than Materials: nursery rhyme journal, pencil and crayons, cane Activity: Show the students the cane. Discuss things in the classroom that are smaller. Discuss things that are larger. Model how to complete the Nursery Rhyme Journal. Explain that greater than means more or in this case larger and less than means less or smaller. Adaptation: When discussing things that are smaller, have each student get something that is smaller and go around the circle to share. Repeat with something that is larger.
Hey Diddle Diddle Activity #2 Math Skill: non-standard measurement Materials: unifix cubes, nursery rhyme journal, spoons (3 sizes such as baby spoon, teaspoon and serving spoon), plastic knife, paper plate and cut out of the moon. Activity 2A: Use the Nursery Rhyme Journal. Record the data after measuring the 3 actual spoons with unifix cubes. Activity 2B: Use the Nursery Rhyme Journal page to measure other items and record the data. Idea: make a transparency of the journal pages, use the journal pages and unifix cubes on the overhead transparency
Hey Diddle Diddle Activity 2C Math Skill: classifying Materials: variety of silverware (plastic, metal, wooden, colored, fork, spoons, knives) Activity: Ask students how these items could be sorted and do it together. Then ask how else they could be sorted and do it. Continue as appropriate. (sort by fork, spoon, knife; color; plastic, metal, wooden Extensions: make patterns Other Extensions: add a variety of bowls and spoons to the sorting and/or the pattern making activities
Old Mother Hubbard Activity 3A Math Skill: greater than, less than or equal to, heavier and lighter, and estimating Materials: pan balance, Scooby Doo Treats (edible graham cookies), items to weigh (crayons, Matchbox cars, marbles, scissors, Unifix cubes, glue sticks and dice). Activity: Begin by showing the students the Scooby treats and the other items to be weighed. Have the students make predictions how many Scooby treats it takes to equal each item. Before weighing anything, explain how the pan balance shows what it greater than, less than or equal to. Then one at a time, after writing the estimate, put each item in the pan balance and see how Scooby treats it takes to equal the item. Record the data in their journal.
Old Mother Hubbard Activity 3B Math Skill: non-standard measurement Materials: Scooby Doo treats, scale and items to measure Activity: Use Scooby Doo treats to measure how long each item is. Record answers in the Nursery Rhyme Journal.
Jack and Jill Activity 4 Math and Science Skill: estimation and sink or float Materials: bucket of water, items to estimate and put in water (crayons, Matchbox cars, marbles, scissors, Unifix cubes, glue sticks and dice). Activity: let the children explore the items to be put in water, in the gray column have them estimate whether or not they think they will sink or float. Then actually put each item in the bucket of water, one at a time and record answers in nursery rhyme journal.
Peas Porridge Hot Activity 5A Math Skill: Estimation, greater than and less than Materials: small bowl, medium bowl and large bowl, pot, serving spoon, dry rice or oats Activity: estimate how many serving spoonfuls it will take to fill each bowl. Then fill each bowl and record the actual number of spoonfuls for each.
Peas Porridge Hot Activity 5B Math Skill: Adding up to 9, writing numbers 0-9 Materials: spinner, Nursery Rhyme Journal Activity: Write a number on each triangle of the circle (1-8). Spin the spinner. Write down the number it lands on and figure out what number needs to be added to it to make 9. Record on Nursery Rhyme Journal.
Humpty Dumpty Activity 6 Math Skill: Adding to 5 Materials: Lots of plastic Easter eggs (write the numbers on them ahead of time) Activity: Have students put eggs together so that the two halves equal five. Other ideas: on the print out of Humpty Dumpty. Draw a line on the space between each word = a brick. Write numbers on each of the bricks (1- ) with a red crayon. Measure the wall Humpty sits on (how wide, how tall) draw a picture of Humpty and measure him.
Little Boy Blue Activity 7 Math Skill: position words Materials: flannel board, position words, picture of Little Boy Blue, photo of each student Activity: Enlarge the copy of the nursery rhyme to 11 x 17 or write it on sentence strips to use on a pocket chart. Cut out the position words to use too. Read the rhyme using the various position words and moving a picture of the boy accordingly. Extension: take a photo of each student sleeping and make a version to take home for each student. Parents LOVE this! Make it more hands-on, use a haystack made of play dough and a Lego boy!
Hickory Dickory Dock Activity 8 Math Skill: Writing numbers 1-12, reading numbers 1-12, counting by ones to 12, counting by 5s to 60, half and quarter Materials: pattern to make a clock for each child on card stock, brass fastener per student, Judy Clock for the teacher to model and lead class discussion Activity: Have each child make their own clock. Model using an analog clock. Guide the class through reading the time on the clock, counting minutes by ones and fives and writing times.
Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe Activity 9A Math Skill: Classifying, Patterning Materials: shoes from each student in the class, Nursery Rhyme Journal Activity: Have everyone take off their shoes and put them in the middle of a school. Then ask students how the shoes could be sorted. (by color, style, size, etc.) Use the shoes to make patterns. What kind of patterns can be made?
Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe Activity 9B Math Skill: adding Materials: two dice, shoe pictures to use as manipulatives and Nursery Rhyme Journal Activity: Roll two dice, use that many shoe manipulatives to add how many shoes it will equal.
Little Miss Muffet Activity 10 Math Skill: adding up to eight Materials: two sets of number cards 0-8, Nursery Rhyme Journal Activity: Lay out number cards upside down. Each student may select two cards, one blue and one green. Add the two cards and fill in the sum on the chart in the Nursery Rhyme Journal. Complete the 8 column and the game is done!
Nursery Rhyme Olympics
Tips and Suggestions Decide how many stations you need. Have a parent volunteer or two to stay at and run each station. Have each teacher rotate through the stations with his/her class. Invite administration, school board and/or local newspaper. Great photo opportunity and good school p.r. Have one designated person to monitor all stations, and blow a whistle to rotate stations every approximate 10 minutes. Have a parent or staff member designated to run kids to the bathroom, have kleenix and first aid. Have the directions for each station printed for the parent volunteers at that station. Print the nursery rhyme for each station on the back of the instruction sheet. Have parents help carry and set up stations.
Dear Families, The kindergarten classes will be having a Nursery Rhyme Olympics on the afternoon of Friday, June 3rd. There will be 7 stations of activities: relays, races and fun. It will take place outside of the field house. We need volunteers to help! If you would be ready, willing and able to help us from 12:45 to 2:15, please let us know. Volunteers can meet Mrs. Schmoldt in the lobby at 12:45. Bring your camera! I would love to come and help! Parent Name: Child s Teacher:
Nursery Rhyme Olympics Baa Baa Black Sheep Sack Race Materials: 2 gunny sacks, 4 hoola hoops Directions: Divide the students into 2 lines, have a hoola hoop for the beginning of each line and a hoola hoop at the end destination for each line. Each student will get in a gunny sack, jump to the other hoola hoop and back.
Baa Baa Black Sheep Baa Baa Black Sheep have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full. One for my master, one for my dame, and one for the little boy who lives down the lane.
Nursery Rhyme Olympics Humpty Dumpty Puzzle Race Materials: color and laminate a humpty dumpty puzzle (cut into 4 pieces), 4 hoola hoops Directions: Divide the students into 2 lines, have a hoola hoop for the beginning of each line and a hoola hoop at the end destination for each line. Have students race to the end hoola hoop, put the Humpty Dumpty puzzle together and race back.
Humpty Dumpty Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king s horses and all the king s men, could put Humpty together again.
Nursery Rhyme Olympics Jack Be Nimble Hurdles Materials: old candles (various sizes will be fine) and 4 hoola hoops Directions: Divide the students into 2 lines, have a hoola hoop for the beginning of each line and a hoola hoop at the end destination for each line. set up the candles as hurdles to jump over as they race to the end hoola hoop and back.
Jack Be Nimble Jack be nimble. Jack be quick. Jack jump over the candlestick.
Nursery Rhyme Olympics Hey Diddle Diddle Jump Materials: 8 playground balls, tag board strips stapled into circles, picture of a cow stapled to a tag board headband (2), 4 hoola hoops Directions: Divide the students into 2 lines, have a hoola hoop for the beginning of each line and a hoola hoop at the end destination for each line. Set each playground ball (a/k/a moon) on a tag board ring. Each row will have four moons to jump over. Have each student wear the cow headband as they jump over the moons to the end hoola hoop and back.
Hey Diddle Diddle Hey Diddle Diddle The Cat and the Fiddle The Cow jumped over the Moon The little dog laughed to see such a sight And the Dish ran away with the Spoon
Nursery Rhyme Olympics Little Miss Muffet s Chase Materials: parachute, pillow, small bowl and spoon, black tag board strip stapled into a circle with 8 black construction strips accordion folded, stapled to it. Directions: Divide the students into 2 lines, have a hoola hoop for the beginning of each line and a hoola hoop at the end destination for each line. Have one person designated as Miss Muffet sit on her tuffet with her curds and whey under the parachute. Have one person designated as the spider wearing the spider head band. The rest of the students will be holding the edge of the parachute. The spider will visit Miss Muffet and she will run away while the others raise and lower the parachute.
Little Miss Muffet Little Miss Muffet Sat on a tuffet Eating her curds and whey. Along came a spider Who sat down beside her, And frightened Miss Muffet away!
Nursery Rhyme Olympics Diddle Diddle Dumpling Sock Race Materials: Several old men s tube socks. (great item for parents to donate), four hoola hoops Directions: Divide the students into 2 lines, have a hoola hoop for the beginning of each line and a hoola hoop at the end destination for each line. Have each child put on one sock before racing to the end hoola hoop and back.
Diddle Diddle Dumpling Diddle Diddle Dumpling, my son John Went to bed with his stockings on, One shoe off and one shoe on, Diddle Diddle Dumpling, my son John
Nursery Rhyme Olympics Rub A Dub Dub Three Men in a Tub Race Materials: four hoola hoops Directions: Divide the students into 2 lines, have a hoola hoop for the beginning of each line and a hoola hoop at the end destination for each line. Have three students at the front of each line. They may hook elbows and race to the end hoola hoop and back. When done, mix up partners and continue.
Rub a Dub Dub Rub a Dub Dub Three men in a tub And who do you think they be? The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, Fools all three!
Nursery Rhyme Olympics Simple Simon Pie Plate Race Materials: 2 aluminum pie pans stapled to 2 tag board strips stapled into a circle and 4 hoola hoops Directions: Divide the students into 2 lines, have a hoola hoop for the beginning of each line and a hoola hoop at the end destination for each line. Have each student wear the pie plate hat while racing to the hoola hoop at the other end and back.
Simple Simon Simple Simon met a pieman going to the fair; Said Simple Simon to the pieman "Let me taste your ware" Said the pieman to Simple Simon "Show me first your penny" Said Simple Simon to the pieman "Sir, I have not any!"
Nursery Rhyme Olympics Nursery Rhyme Detective Materials: Index cards with clues and a nursery rhyme book Directions: have a parent ask the clues and children guess the answers.
Resources: Teaching Math and Science through Nursery Rhymes, Teacher Created Materials Copycat (Teacher Magazine) May/June 1996