Learning Fun With Number Bonds & Decomposing Numbers!

   Ok, so I will admit to not being up-to-date with all of this talk about Common Core. It's the latest and probably most disliked word in the field of education today for many in education. And as assumed, Common Core Standards are slowly trickling down into the preschool level.
    So as much as I want to keep all of the unnecessary and highly inappropriate ways of teaching youdng children at bay, I know that in order to prepare my preschoolers (and my 5 year old munchkin at home)  for what they will be exposed to in their elementary years, I have to learn more and embrace it.
    It doesn't mean I have to like it and agree with it 100%, but with all of the blogs I follow and the awesome work that I see created by teachers these days, I know that teaching with the Common Core is feasible and can be made to be fun for young children.
    Am I up for that challenge? Absolutely. If it means that my students have a better chance of success in school, then I will learn more about Common Core and find ways to make it engaging and fun.
   With that said, my kindergarten munchkin recently came home with some math homework on Number Bonds. It looked easy, I logged onto Pinterest to get some ideas on how I can help her at home and found quite a few ways to make this learning process in math something playful and fun.
Here is a fun little Snowman Mat that I made for her to work on number bonds and decomposing numbers.

She worked with two dice, rolled them and counted the dots to find out what number she would have to decompose. Then proceeded to use different colored snowflakes to create the visual. I then had her explain it to me. (Three blue snowflakes and four red snowflakes make 6 snowflakes.) Then I asked her to find a different way to make six.

Then we did the same activity with number seven,

It was fun and easy, so I made some Penguin mats to use with my preschoolers to simply introduce them to this same concept. We worked on making sets and decomposing the numbers four and five, by using different colors blocks to "feed" the Penguin.

Making sets of four:

Making sets of five:

Isnt't this guy the cutest little penguin? I love the eyes!!

     There are so many fun ways to teach this concept to kids and based on the thinking that was going on with my kids who are working at/above level, it was a bit of a challenge--which is what I feel they need every now and then, to avoid any boredom and repetition!

     So, as I learn more about Common Core and how to implement it, as well as all the good and bad things that come from it, I know that there will always be a fun and easy way to make it somewhat appropriate for the youngest learners.