And how!

This week we have been doing a lot of counting. So much. In fact, I'm not exactly sure why my students haven't revolted, except that, well... counting is fun. Seriously. Counting up and counting back, counting all and counting on. Counting by fives and tens. All of it.

So, one of our activities this week was a counting inventory where the children had to count various things in the classroom -- the number of chairs, the number of scissors, the number of cubes in our toolboxes, the number of steps to the cafeteria, to the Counselor's office and etc...

The counting steps one was a big hit.

Before we even started, we talked a lot about the responsibility of doing one's work in the hallway: that other people are working so we'd need to be quiet, the need to walk and be safe, as well as to really concentrate so we wouldn't forget where we were counting.

I love when children show me just how much they do think about these things.

I had to leave for a quick meeting during our Math time, so a glorious colleague of mine was with the kids while I was gone. On my way back from my meeting I passed two of my students walking down the hallway, counting steps, totally entranced in their task, looking at me and waving and grinning, but getting right back to their work. About forty steps later, I passed another pair, doing the same thing and looking fully exhilerated.

After I turned the corner into the final corridor (yes, our classroom is that far away from everything else), I almost literally ran into another pair of students who were grinning at each other in triumph: "Miz F," they told me, "it's fifty whole steps to the Counselor's office!"

"Fifty?" I said. "That's a lot!"

"Yeah," Antonio said. "I didn't even know we could count that high!"


Yeah. Well I did. ♥