Information in this piece has been taken from Mathematics and Science in Preschool: Policy and Practice by Kimberly Brenneman, Judi Stevenson-Boyd and Ellen C. Frede ; unless otherwise specified,
Through play children begin to learn and explore many things for example when a child is presented with a jack-in-the-box-type toy, and the mechanism that causes the doll to spring from the box is clear, children stop playing with the jack-in-the-box as soon as a new toy is presented. However, when it is unclear exactly how the first toy works, they continue to explore it, even when a new toy is available. This shows that appropriate materials within mathematics and science caneven be in the form of a toy, therefore showing that the two are everywhere.
Curriculum and Classroom Practices:
Mathmatics- a space to provide thikning and reasoning. Thinking about numbers and investagations.A quality curriculum supports skills that relate to later achievement. For mathematics, it provides experiences that not only encourage thinking and reasoning about numbers but support investigations into size, quantity, properties of objects, patterns, space, and measurement. Preschoolers learn mathematics through concrete experiences with materials and through intentional interactions by their teachers to extend their thinking.44 In most high-quality preschool programs, mathematical thinking and reasoning are encouraged as children engage in activities such as counting, measuring, constructing with blocks, playing board and card games, and engaging in dramatic play, music, and art.45 By providing children with an environment that is mathematically rich, teachers lay the foundation for their students’ future success at learning school mathematics
