Tally Charts

On a Monday evening, I was talking with one of the kids in our group about ideas he had in terms of activities he wanted to do with his peers. He suggested doing some tally charts in our sketch books, and we collaborated on an idea- going around the park and doing tallys on the trees that we see. This was a neat idea since we are still studying trees, and we decided this would be a great way to explore the types of trees in the park and estimate their ages. So, on a nice afternoon, we decided to have snack outside and do the tree tally activity in our sketch books. We set up our snacks on picnic table and then the kids went around the park, working independently but also in pairs and a group to talk about how they divided certain trees on their tally charts and why.

Eating our snacks on a beautiful fall afternoon in the park.

One way of setting up a tally chart. Since some of the kids had never done tally charts before, it was a great group learning experience, but also a great way for the kids to teach one another and learn from one another too. They worked so well together and really did a great job.

Here the boys are discussing what they have recorded so far.

Looking for a few more trees to add to his tally!

After completing our tally activity, the kids wanted to play red light/green light using the huge hill leading down to the dog part. We exercised our legs and talked about the importance of strengthening bones and muscles. They all did a great job and celebrated by cheering each other on and giving each other high fives!

All in all, the tally activity was fun, and one we will definitely explore again in the future with different themes and objects. This will also allow the kids to develop their counting skills and get better at doing tally charts overall.