For a recent preschool STEAM program we focused on the “M”- math. In preschool, “math” really means number awareness, counting, and patterning skills. We aren’t quite ready for functions. Each of the following stations was designed to encourage children to develop these simple math skills through play
Station #1: Ball Sorting
Supplies
- Plastic ball pit balls
- Cardboard boxes
- Paint, tempura sticks, or colored paper
Prep Work
The only prep work for this activity was making the color sorting boxes. I made ones for orange, blue, green, yellow, and red. I used tempura sticks to color cardboard boxes and printed out the colors’ names for labels.
During the Program
Set it up and let them go!
Station #2: Counting Collages
Supplies
- Large paper (legal or bigger)
- A place with a variety of plants and natural objects
- a variety of adhesives
Prep Work
I used very large paper for this- paper that wouldn’t fit through the printer- so I sectioned it off into 5s by hand. If you’re using legal paper or have a fancy printer, you could easily make a template for printing.
During the Program
Assist kids in finding objects for their collage and gluing or taping them down.
Station #3: Hexbug Mazes
Supplies
- Hexbug Nanos
- Bins with random objects and supplies
During the Program
Children will build mazes for thier hexbugs using the supplies provided. Program leader will assist and encourage them!
Station #4: Geoboards
Supplies
- Large piece of cardboard
- Ruler
- Thumb tacks
- Rubberbands
- Hot glue gun and sticks
Prep Work
For this activity, I made a large geoboard out of two household items: cardboard and tacks.
- Use a ruler to mark dots 2 inches apart in rows across the entire board.
- To put in the tacks, put a drop of hot glue on the penciled dot, and stick in the tack. This will ensure no children will be able to pull sharp tacks out of the board.
- Check the back of the board to make sure no points are sticking through. use additional cardboard and/or hot glue to seal up any pointy ends.
During the Program
Encourage the children to make shapes on the geoboard. A lot of kids also discovered that the geoboard was great for making hexbug mazes!
