Bedtime Math and 500 schools and libraries across the US held it’s annual March of the Stuffed Animals. Many kids and their stuffed animals took part.
More than 30 000 children participated and they all took stuffed animals with them, too. There was a special Stuffed Animal Parade. Kids also conducted a Crazy Creature Census.
The Census helped kids learn to count, compare sizes and learn how to group things with the help of their stuffed animals. “Kids build their math ability at a surprisingly young age – that’s their big opportunity. The MRI brain scans of 8-year-old children predict future math ability better than any standardized math skills or memory tests,” said Laura Overdeck, founder of Bedtime Math, citing a recent Stanford study to myCentralJersey.com.
“And yet only 14 percent of parents with preschool children do math at home. It’s urgent that we expose the next generation to playful, approachable math early in life, so they can build the brain structure to succeed in school”, she adds.
Bedtime Math was at the center of the event. It helped with instructions on how to run and get the most out of the math exercises. It also provided books to help out. The Bedtime Math’s mobile app also was promoted.
“The Preschool Place and Kindergarten was excited to host this program because it is consistent with our philosophy of teaching early math skills through activities and games that naturally interest preschool children. It was fun for the children to use their stuffed animals for counting, sorting, and measurement activities. There are so many ways math skills can be incorporated into everyday activities, and Bedtime Math offers some great tools for parents to get their children excited about math,” Director Carol Rubnitz said.
Missed the March of the Stuffed Animals? Don’t worry. Bedtime Math is planning to hold another one this fall. There will be more information soon, so stay tuned!
