On Dec. 1, 2017, more than 45 parents continued their participation in the kindergarten parent workshop on math concepts held at George Wolf Elementary in Bath.

The parent workshop, designed by George Wolf’s kindergarten teachers, is the second of a new series of three parent workshops. The first kindergarten parent workshop was held early in the fall on literacy concepts.

Parents came into their child’s kindergarten classroom and took a seat by their child’s desk. They opened the awaiting folder filled with math resources. In each classroom, kindergarten teachers modeled math concepts by showing parents the multiple methods for an answer to a mathematical equation. Parents were guided on how to use the curriculum’s website to obtain the classroom’s math textbook.

Michelle Schoeneberger, Northampton Area School District K-12 math/science supervisor, observed each of the four parent workshops held in the kindergarten classrooms.

“It is important to engage parents,” Schoeneberger said, “so [parents] don’t feel disconnected from their child’s learning but feel empowered to help their child at home. This is a glimpse of what’s going on in the classroom, and they can be part of it.”

Later in the session, the teachers instructed parents to cut the numbers found on a printed yellow sheet in their folders. The preliminary work led to a Tic-Tac-Toe game for parents to have fun while helping their child to learn numbers.

After students came in from their special classes, parents practiced the learned activities with their child with the Tic-Tac-Toe game, among other games.

The folder included a one to 100 chart with games that parents can play to help their children learn numbers, a double 10 frame, number cards, addition and subtraction cards and a laminated number of the day sheet.

Parent Luis Rivas was happy to participate in the math workshop.

“Math is important. With so many computers and robots doing the jobs now, kids need to learn the future of this technology to have a job,” Rivas said.

A third kindergarten parent workshop is scheduled for February on writing concepts at George Wolf Elementary.