Exploring maths through ramp play with Young Minds Big Maths

In Young Minds Big Maths, university mathematicians and early years educators collaborate to explore mathematics. We discuss how the project led us to create a booklet to help educators discover maths through play in their settings. The booklet uses real-life examples of ramp play—something children love—to show how building and experimenting with ramps reveals rich mathematical ideas.

Read the article here:

https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/exploring-maths-through-ramp-play-with-young-minds-big-maths/

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Episode break down:

Episode breakdown:
00:00 – Welcome & podcast intro
01:20 – Setting the scene: young minds, big maths through play
01:42 – Meet Rachel, Catherine and Sarah
02:24 – About the nursery schools and community context
02:51 – How the collaboration with a mathematician began
06:27 – Maths as the "dirtiest lens" in the EYFS
07:25 – Starting with patterns in nature and children's interest in circles
09:55 – Meeting the mathematicians & a new model of CPD
16:37 – Moving into ramp play as a focus for maths learning
17:11 – Ramp play across different settings
22:54 – The rich mathematics in ramp play (angles, variables, data)
26:55 – Children's own ways of measuring and defining
32:28 – Children's questions, language and ongoing learning for educators
35:14 – Being brave: advice for starting collaborations
40:34 – Three key ideas from the project
41:28 – Ramp play booklet
41:51 – Closing reflections & invitation to share your own maths-through-play stories

For more episodes and articles visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com