Excellerations® Outdoor Learning Kit Math

Description

The Excellerations® Outdoor Learning Kit Math creates a complete mathematics learning center designed specifically for outdoor education. This thoughtfully curated collection combines durable wooden puzzles, engaging counting manipulatives, and real-world math resources that encourage children to explore mathematical concepts while enjoying fresh air and natural learning environments.

The kit arrives ready to use with everything needed to establish an outdoor math station. Quality wooden shape puzzles feature protective clear coat varnish that withstands outdoor conditions, while easy-clean plastic components make maintenance simple after outdoor sessions. The included stackable storage container (13″ H x 22¾” W x 16″ D) keeps all materials organized and protected between uses.

What’s Included

The comprehensive set contains 10 wooden shape puzzles for spatial reasoning, 10 peg number boards for number recognition and counting practice, and 12 easy-squeeze tweezers that develop fine motor skills alongside mathematical thinking. A 96-piece jar of counting bears provides endless opportunities for sorting, patterning, and basic arithmetic, while the yellow sorting tray organizes activities and materials.

Six “Math Around Us” books featuring real photography help children connect mathematical concepts to their everyday world. An activity guide provides structured learning ideas and suggestions for maximizing the educational potential of each component.

How Homeschoolers Can Use This Product

Benefits for Homeschool Families

This outdoor math kit addresses several common homeschooling challenges while providing unique educational advantages. The portable nature allows families to easily move math lessons to backyards, parks, or nature centers, breaking up indoor routine and potentially increasing engagement for kinesthetic learners. The all-in-one design eliminates the need to source individual manipulatives, saving both time and money while ensuring all components work together cohesively.

The durable construction means this investment will serve multiple children over many years. The variety of manipulatives accommodates different learning styles and developmental stages, making it suitable for multi-level teaching common in homeschool environments.

Practical Learning Activities

Nature Integration: Use counting bears to create patterns with natural materials like pinecones, leaves, or stones. Practice addition and subtraction using real outdoor objects alongside the manipulatives. The tweezers become tools for collecting small nature specimens while practicing fine motor control and counting.

Weather and Seasonal Math: Track daily temperatures, measure rainfall, or count seasonal changes using the number boards and counting materials. Create weather graphs using the sorting tray to organize data collection over time.

Garden Mathematics: Apply measuring concepts in garden spaces, use counting bears to represent seeds planted or vegetables harvested, and explore geometric shapes found in nature using the wooden puzzles as reference guides.

Conversation Starters and Extension Ideas

The “Math Around Us” books naturally lead to discussions about mathematical concepts in everyday life. Use outdoor time to identify shapes in architecture, count birds or clouds, and discuss patterns found in nature. The hands-on materials support questions like “How many more pinecones do we need to make ten?” or “What shapes do you see in that flower?”

Create outdoor math challenges that combine physical activity with learning: set up counting races, create shape scavenger hunts, or establish measurement stations around your outdoor space. The tweezers add an element of precision and focus that many children find engaging and satisfying.

Multi-Child and Multi-Level Teaching

The generous quantity of manipulatives supports simultaneous use by multiple children working at different levels. Younger children might focus on basic counting and sorting while older siblings work on multiplication or fraction concepts using the same materials. The variety of components ensures each child can find appropriately challenging activities within the same outdoor learning session.

The storage system encourages responsibility and organization skills as children learn to clean up and properly store materials after outdoor learning time, creating valuable life skills alongside academic growth.