Today the preps ventured out of the neighbourhood with the purpose of finding natural objects from the school yard to create their own patterns. We discovered that our school has a bountiful collection of sticks, stones, leaves and gumnuts perfect for pattern making! We had conversations about the difference between creating a picture and a repetitive pattern and children were encouraged to explain their patterns. Maths really is all around us and it was wonderful to give children the opportunity to spend time in nature while engaging with mathematical concepts. It was great to observe their excitement when explaining their creations and eagerness to see what others had done.
This experience enabled us to gain insight into children’s understanding of pattern and their ability to explain and provide justification for their thinking. Noticing, understanding and creating patterns are important skills that lay the foundation for future learning of complex number concepts and mathematical operations.
