Now teachers are finding that the Touch Math techniques are practical for most students at the elementary school level. Students touch the single touchpoints once and the double touchpoints twice as they count forwards, backwards and sequence count. They learn to consistently follow the correct touching pattern in approximately one week. Second graders will require two or three days, and third graders should be proficient in one class period. Gone is the need for number lines, manipulatives, and counting on fingers.
Students feel more successful when they can do the math assignment by themselves.
Our students are able to interact and experiment with turtles, rabbits, frogs, insects, as well as trees, ponds and a variety of plants. We transform sections of our habitat yearly into various children's gardens such as ABC, Pizza, Three Sisters, Nursery Rhyme, etc. This fall we will have guest animals including a goat, owl, falcon, sheep, hen, a chin chilla, snakes and an iguana. Parent volunteers will share these animals and give a presentation for each. Each class in grades K-5 also sign up each week for habitat jobs such as rabbit feeding, window washing, turtle feeding, weeding, pond cleaning, bird feeders and updating the Habitat News.