A Winter Walk in Chicago

Hello,

Montessori method of teaching involves, concrete before abstract. Let a child learn about words by the senses of site, touch, feel and hear and smell. The hands-on experience of learning helps a child retain what he/she has learned. Following that thought, I wrote this story quite a few years ago and used objects to teach counting to my own children. Later, with my  class, I brought "seeing" the objects with my self-illustrations to introduce one to ten, the numerical as well as the ordinal numbers. A little later, the class took its own trip to make their own number book with objects collected. They drew the pictures and I wrote the words. 

Meera

A Winter Walk in Chicago

umbroller = a small stroller that folds like an umbrella

Three-year-old, Sagar loved Chicago. He lived on the first floor of a ten story apartment building with his Mom and Dad.

One brrr…winter evening Sagar said, “Mama, let’s go for a walk.”

He put on his flannel shirt, a sweater, a jacket and a long pair of warm pants. He wore a winter hat and gloves. Mama put on her warm clothes, took an umbroller and they stepped out of the apartment.

Sagar counted one snowman in the yard. It was the first snowman he saw that winter.

Sagar walked on with his Mom.

Sagar counted two lost gloves on the sidewalk. One was blue and the second glove was red.

Sagar walked on with his Mom.

Sagar counted three leaves on the sidewalk. Two were brown and the third leaf was green.

Sagar walked on with his Mom.

Sagar counted four houses in a row. Three had smoke coming out of their chimneys, the fourth chimney had no smoke.

Sagar walked on with his Mom.

Sagar counted five trees along the street. Four trees had no leaves and the fifth tree had green pine needles.

Sagar walked on with his Mom.

Sagar counted six children playing in a park. Five were girls and the sixth child was a little boy.

Sagar walked on with his Mom.

Sagar counted seven jackets thrown on the park bench. Six jackets were blue and the seventh jacket was green.

Sagar saw eight black birds sitting on an electric wire high above. Seven sat in a row and the eighth gray bird was sitting at a distance.

When Sagar got tired, his mom put him in his stroller. She walked on.

Sagar counted nine windows in an apartment building. Eight windows had shades and the ninth window had none.

Mom pushed the stroller and she walked on. 

Sagar counted ten street lights on electric poles. Nine shone on beautifully, the tenth street light flickered off and on.
Sagar started to doze off. Mom pushed the stroller home.

The End


© 2013, Meera Desai Shah