Practical Tips
An optimal organization of a learning environment requires a balanced relationship between variety and stability. The project „Discovery in Numberland“ offers children a great variety of things to experience through the senses, physical activities, and intellectual activities. At the same time, the project has a recognizable structure and repeated elements which are quickly familiar to the children. The main stable elements are the Number House, the Number Street, and the Numberlands.
Structure in teaching units
„Discovery in Numberland“ for preschool children consists of 22 teaching units in total, and is structured in the following way: „Numberland 1“ includes 10 units, and „Numberland 2“ includes 12 units. A pause of several (or more) weeks may take place between „Numberland 1“ and „Numberland 2“.
Number and duration of the teaching units
Each unit can be structured according to situation (age of the children, size of the group, time available, etc.). The material in each unit may be presented in one session, or may be split into several sessions. Experience has shown that the best structure is to have one session (about an hour in length) each week.
The amount of time needed for each session should be flexible. The sessions should neither be boring nor rushed. In our trial run, sessions often ran up to one and a half hours. The children remained active and concentrated during this time.
Group size and age of the children
We have had good experiences with groups of 12 to 15 children of mixed ages, and in groups of approximately half girls and half boys. We recommend groups of 12 to 15 children of mixed ages, starting at 4 years of age. The project can also be carried out with children who are 3 years old, depending on the individual level of development of each child.
Documentation
Exact directions for the learning sequences for „Numberland 1“ and „Numberland 2“, as well as games, exercises, stories, songs, rhymes, etc. are available in separate brochures.
Visit our presentations and workshops at GESS Dubi 22 - 24 January 2008
