In this blog post, Millie Anderson, our Kindergarten teacher walks us through interactive and engaging part of the daily routine for Kindergarten students called the Math Meeting Board. 

In the world of early childhood education, every moment in the classroom is an opportunity for young learners to absorb knowledge and develop essential skills. One such daily routine in our Faith Christian School kindergarten classroom that aligns perfectly with classical pedagogy is the Math Meeting Board. This interactive and engaging practice offers a structured way to introduce mathematical concepts and lays the foundation for a lifelong love of learning. 

Classical pedagogy places a strong emphasis on building a solid foundation of knowledge and skills that will serve as a springboard for future learning. The Math Meeting Board accomplishes precisely that goal by addressing a range of fundamental mathematical concepts in a consistent and structured manner.

One of the primary elements covered by the Math Meeting Board is the concept of time. By discussing the month, year, and days of the week, students gain an early understanding of the calendar system. Patterns are a crucial aspect of mathematics, and the calendar provides an excellent opportunity for students to identify and predict patterns in the days of the week and the months. They learn what day comes after and before a certain day of the week. When adding a new date to the calendar, students are reviewing the order of numbers. The calendar numbers also have a different picture pattern for each month, so students are reviewing AB patterns, ABBA patterns, and so forth. These skills lay the groundwork for understanding more complex mathematical concepts later on. 

In the early days of the school year, the Math Meeting Board includes counting to 100 by ones. This repetitive practice helps young learners master the basic counting skills they'll need for more advanced mathematical operations later in their education. As the year progresses, kindergarteners will learn to count by fives and tens, giving them an understanding of skip counting. 

Later in the school year, other elements are added to the Math Meeting Board. Kindergarteners learn to recognize and count coins, from pennies to quarters. This not only equips them with practical life skills but also serves as a starting point for more advanced lessons in addition and subtraction. Kindergarteners are also introduced to telling time. Young children start with the basics, learning to read both analog and digital clocks by the hour and half-hour. This early exposure to time-telling helps them understand the importance of times of the day, schedules, and punctuality while laying the foundation for more advanced time-related concepts in later grades. 

Classical education emphasizes the importance of regular and systematic learning. The Math Meeting Board embodies this principle by providing a daily opportunity for students to engage with mathematical concepts in a consistent and structured way. Repetition and routine are powerful tools for young minds, allowing them to gradually internalize and master new information. 

In conclusion, the Math Meeting Board in a kindergarten classroom serves as a prime example of classical education in action. Providing daily exposure to foundational mathematical concepts creates a strong base upon which students can build their mathematical understanding in the years to come. This daily routine not only imparts mathematical knowledge but also instills discipline and a sense of curiosity that will serve these young learners throughout their educational journey. It is, indeed, a small but significant step towards a lifetime of learning and intellectual growth.

- Millie Anderson, Kindergarten Teacher