counting

Let's try a counting activity! For this activity, you need to get 14 pennies. First, line 7 pennies up so they are touching. Now take the left-over 7 pennies and space them out in a line. (The second line should look bigger) Find a younger friend or sibling that you can quiz.

Ask them which line has more pennies.

If they are older, they will probably count both lines and see that they are equal. If they are younger, they will probably say that the spaced-out line has more pennies.

Why? Younger children do not fully understand conservation. This means that the amount stays the same, no matter what it looks like. As you get older, you understand that it doesn't matter if your objects are spaced out or pushed together, the amount stays the same.



(image courtesy of: http://www.alliancemartialarts.com/PENNIES2.JPG)