How can children's natural perceptuo-motor skills be harnessed for teaching and learning mathematical structure? We address this question in the case of the integers. Existing research suggests that adult mental representations of integers recruit perceptuo-motor functionalities involving symmetry. Building on these findings, we designed a…

The development of number concepts from conservation through order and place value notation is discussed in the context of applications to classroom instruction. Activities designed to motivate, build, and reinforce these concepts are described, and a list of objectives is presented in the form of a suggested progress record. (SD)

A whimsical mathematics event for children and adults, derived from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, was held at the Providence Children's Museum in Rhode Island. NCTM's Standards were the basis of all the activities. (Contains 10 figures and 1 table.)

Children at many levels enjoy using spinners to explore probabilities and practice predicting, tabulating and graphing outcomes, and observing results. Directions for making spinners, descriptions of several activities, and sample worksheets are provided. (SD)

Rule learning in mathematics among elementary school children is described. Samples of dialogue between experimenters and children are presented, and the concept of rule learning is described in relation to two subgroups, gifted children and "regular" ones. (MP)

Presents an investigation, applicable for grades 3-6, that focuses on the concept of randomness and encourages children to conjecture and to conduct experiments which verify or contradict their intuitions. Involves using hands-on explorations, collecting data, and drawing conclusions on the basis of the information. (JRH)

After a discussion on planning instruction, a series of activities designed to develop pre-number and number concepts are presented. Activities are arranged by difficulty within sections devoted to classifying, comparing, ordering, measuring, organizing data, distinguishing shape and size, recognizing patterns, number awareness, and counting. (SD)

A game involving operations on whole numbers, observing patterns in the relationships between operands and results, and seeking problems yielding various numerical solutions is described. (SD)

Teacher-developed materials are described, with six activity cards and a discussion of the objectives of the full set of materials. (MP)

The number concepts of greatest common divisor and least common multiple are related to star patterns created through line designs. (JT)

Some activities involving distances and diameters in the solar system are discussed. (MP)

Pumpkin seeds are counted after students convert pumpkins to jack-o-lanterns. Among the activities involved, pupils learn to count by 10s, make estimates, and to construct a visual representation of 1,000. (MP)

The author describes the areas in the kindergarten classroom--blocks, toys, cooking, games, job charts--which can be used in furthering a child's developing mathematical skills. (KC)

Four activities and four manipulative materials for teaching place value are discussed. (MP)

Specific examples of activities that have been effective in classrooms are described. (LS)