“I love the number zero from the tips of my toes to the top of my rosh!”, Zero the Hero exclaimed as he flew into the Gan class this morning. He was met with much excitement and enthusiasm for math. “Promise me that you will always keep counting”, he said, “nobody has ever counted to the highest number, so when you’re older, you might be able to discover what it is.”
The students have been waiting for Zero’s arrival since the first day of school.
Counting the days of school is one way the teachers facilitate the students’ discovery of patterns in math. Hands on activities engage the students in the process. The number graph and the hundred’s chart are visual aids to assist in the development of skills. The number zero is magical (to quote zero) and understanding zero, tens, and hundreds comes in handy in the future.
The students loved showing Zero that they could count to 100 by ones and tens, showed off their counting skills by also counting in Hebrew. My favorite part of the day was watching the students faces light up as they shared their love of numbers, counting, and math. Mirroring their enthusiasm was Zero himself, “No, my son did not go into the zero business”, he answered, “but all of you can keep counting!”