It has been a bit of a crazy week. My family was struck by the stomach bug- may you be spared. Pajama and popcorn day was today. And everyone is counting down the days until vacation! Amidst the craziness we are trying to proceed with some of our usual routines. We have started unit 4 in math, Measuring and Counting. This unit develops ideas about counting and quantity, comparison, linear measurement, the composition of numbers, and addition and subtraction. Counting correctly and telling how many is just the first step toward understanding of numbers. Children also need to develop a sense of different quantities and the relationship between them. Children need many varied experiences with numbers in order to see the relationships between them, visualize their quantities, and understand the concepts of more and less. There is a lot going on in this unit as we work on creating a strong foundation for future work with numbers.