Castles

1. Castles Early Years Numeracy Book 1

2. Numicon Castles • If you do not have the actual resource it is possible to print out the Numicon shapes and laminate them from the Numicon website • Provide images of castles and ask children to create their own castles using Numicon shapes. • Which Numicon shapes make the best turrets? • Why do you think that? • Which Numicon shapes would make the tallest/shortest castle? • How many doubles have you used in your castle? • Which castle has used more/less Numicon holes? • Which castle is the biggest/smallest? • This resource can be used to support the following domains at 1 *, 2 ** and 3*** • Read and Write numbers – Children say the Numicon shape as they take it out/put it back in the box e.g. I am using a 6. Children could record how many of each shape used on a simple table, using tally marks or numbers (adult may model this if child is unable to record tally marks/numbers) • Structuring Numbers – Grouping - Ask children to tell you what they can see within a 5 shape: ‘4 & 1, 3 & 2’ • Counting and Comparing Collections - How many 5 shapes did you use to create your castle? Have you used more 4 shapes than 10 shapes? Which castle more/less holes? • Counting Strategies, Early addition and subtraction/ facts to 10 – Place shapes together to explore addition/subtraction. You could take 2 shapes (under 10) and look at how many all together. E.g. if we have 2 and 4 , how many do we have all together? • Early Multiplication and Division – What does a 4 shape and another 4 shape make? Share the shapes fairly with your friend , you’ve now got the same amount as your friend. • Mental Agility – Basic Facts -How many ways can you make a number? • Patterns and Relationships – Make odd and even patterns using the shapes or pictures. • Solve Simple Number Stories – Can you make a Numicon castle the same as your friends?

3. Rapunzel’s Ribbons • Provide a washing line, pegs and ribbon box in different lengths, widths, colours and patterns to sort out so Rapunzel can find: • The right one for her hairdo • Match her dress • Select a ribbon that will reach to the ground • How many ribbons are on the line? How many are in the box? • How many are there all together? • Which one is longest, shortest, wider, narrower? • How many are medium - sized, small or large? • Snap! – Are any ribbons the same length / width etc? • What are the differences? • Rapunzel has chosen 2 ribbons to wear as she is wearing her hair in bunches. How many ribbons are left? How do you know? • This activity can be used to support the following domains at 1 *, 2 ** and 3*** • Number word sequences - Count backwards and forwards as they place ribbons on the line, how many? Or use numbered pegs. • Read and Write numbers - Record the number of ribbons in the box and on the line using simple grid. • Structuring Numbers – Grouping - Using up to 5 ribbons with 2 differences ask the children, how many do they see. E.g. 2 shiny and 2 stripy or 4 red and 1 blue. • Counting and Comparing Collections - Group the patterned/plain/red/shiny ribbons together. How many are there? • Measurement - Discuss which ribbon is longest/shortest. How do you know? Lining them up next to each other to compare lengths. • Counting Strategies , Early addition and subtraction / facts to 10 - How many are silver? How many are gold? How many are there all together? • Early Multiplication and Division - Use the washing line to support early skip counting. Peg 2 ribbons together ‘2, 4, 6…’ • Patterns and Relationships - Use pictures/colours/socks to create and extend patterns.

4. Building Towers • Provide a box of wooden blocks or Lego and a spinner. Children take it in turns to spin, call out the dot pattern or numeral, and take the right amount of blocks to build a tower. • Alternatively use a spinner/die and a coloured die. If they spin a 3 and a blue, they take 3 blue bricks. • Children may also make a symmetrical tower or try to balance both sides. • Additional ideas and questions can be found on the NRICH website • Your tower is 4 blocks tall. Now you have spun a 3. How many does that make all together? How many more do you need to make a tower 10 blocks tall? • Who has the tallest tower? Who has the shortest? How many blocks difference is there? • This resource can be used to support the following domains at 1 *, 2 ** and 3*** • Read and Write numbers – Reading numbers on the die, using a vertical number line to measure how tall their tower is. • Counting and Comparing Collections - I have used more/less bricks than you. Take 10 bricks and build a tower. Who can make a tower with 8 bricks? What happens if I add one/two more? • Counting Strategies, Early addition and subtraction/ facts to 10 – I have used 5 red bricks and 4 blue bricks. • Early Multiplication and Division – Share the bricks out fairly then make your tower. • Patterns and Relationships – Using only 2 colours make a pattern e.g. red/blue/red/blue. • Solve Simple Number Stories – The Three Little Pigs needed to use 12 bricks to build a tower for Rapunzel. Can you help them build it?

5. Mosaic Castles • Provide lots of different sized squares from paper and leave in a tray for the children to glue towers and walls , mosaic style, to pieces of paper. Use graph paper to match and count off squares (ideally adult would model this activity by sticking the squared paper). • How many green/yellow squares have you used? • How many all together? • Who has used the most/least squares? • This resource can be used to support the following domains at 1 *, 2 ** and 3*** • Counting and Comparing Collections - Can you use 5 yellow, 5 blue, 5 green and 5 pink? • Early Multiplication and Division – Can we share out the squares equally before we start? • Mental Agility – Basic Facts -Use doubles up to 5 or make symmetrical patterns. • Patterns and Relationships – Look at symmetry or balancing the sides of the pattern. • Solve Simple Number Stories – Design a castle for a big ugly monster or a beautiful little princess to hide in. If given an actual figure, children can see if their tower is large enough by placing it up against the tower.