Children love listening to stories! At Camellia, from the time students are in preschool, they are told rich stories that nourish them and spark curiosity, creativity and imagination. As they grow, the stories evolve and change, meeting them where they are emotionally and developmentally.
In kindergarten, students are introduced to fairy tales during circle time and by the time they reach the1st grade, they are learning to read and write through these timeless tales. And these stories don't stop with circle time and language arts, they even carry on to math!
The four processes of math are introduced in 1st grade - addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. With each process comes fun tales of adventure. Children are introduced to the lovable characters, Numero, Queen Equalis and Prince Plus - who loves to collect and cook. Princess Minus, who gives away the allotted gold to each family in the kingdom, Princess Times, whose antics multiplied our fun and Prince Divide, a noble and valiant fellow who divides with the greatest care. Their stories of adventure continue to show the children how to work with the numbers using all four processes creating flexibility in thinking.
Exploring the world of numbers through stories helps children feel connected to what they are learning. Additionally, hands-on, multi-sensory activities are brought that bring numbers to life. On weekly nature hikes, they count steps. They explore the levee and park to fill their pockets with acorn caps, later to be counted. Velvet pouches of magical gemstones live in each student's desk. Fingers, toes and beads are all helpful in learning to add, subtract, multiply, and divide as well. There are number rich fairy tales, too, for their own sake, and for the enrichment they bring to our day; for instance, "The Twelve Princesses"!
In the child's world, numbers are everywhere! Childhood is the best time to start playing and having fun with numbers. Board games that involve dice or counting are a great option - some good games are: Sorry, Can't Stop, Trouble, etc. Math does not need to be boring or stressful, make it an adventure and set the foundation for a lifelong love of numbers!