It's About Time

Briana has started to show some interest in the clock and what time it is.  While I think that she’s a little young for telling time due to the bigger numbers when dealing with minutes (30-60), she can already recognize most of the numbers 1-12 so I want to give the numbers context for her.  I figure that for Abby it will be good practice on recognizing her numbers.

While we drive home from the gym, I tell the girls that there are two types of clocks: digital and analog.  Digital clocks show the numbers, like this clock in the car.  Analog clocks have hands on them that point to the numbers, like the clocks in your rooms.

When we get into the garage, I point to the clock and ask the kids what numbers are on the digital clock so that we can see what time it is now.  Briana thinks it’s funny that the clock keeps changing while I describe it.   You try to say “It’s 11:20 because 1-1 is how you write eleven, and 2-0 is how you write twenty” while pointing out all of the numbers and letting the kids tell you what they are, and then explaining it all before the clock clicks to 11:21.  At least I know she understands what I’m saying when she laughs and says “Mommy can’t read a clock.  It’s not 11:20 anymore.”

I tell the kids that we want to know what time it is so that we know what we should be doing.  I tell them that while Mommy was working out she had to look at the clock in the gym.  When the clock said it was 11:00, Mommy had to stop working out and come get her kiddies.  Why?  Because the gym daycare closes at 11.  Sometimes it’s important to be right on time, like when you get to go get your kiddies.  Sometimes you don’t have to follow the clock exactly, like we usually have lunch at 12:00 during the summer, but sometimes we are out and we eat a little bit later or earlier.  If we check the clock and see that we’re close to 12:00 then we know we should start cooking the lunches before we all get hungry.

We get out of the car and head inside, excited about making clocks. 

Making an analog clock

We start by making an analog clock.  I ask the girls what they think we need to do to make a clock and realize that the girls don’t have the vocabulary for clock parts, so we back up.  I walk the girls into the princess room and point to the clock on the wall.  I made this clock from scratch (ripped the wood and everything) a long time ago when I took a woodworking class.  Let’s just say I’m not good with idol free time.  By the way, the time on the clock is wrong because I haven’t changed the batteries in forever since it’s mostly hanging to show off my fine craftsmanship – don’t blow the picture up or look too closely at it if you know anything about woodwork J.

I pointed to the face of the clock and explained that the face of the clock is where the number are.  Briana skeptically asks me, “It doesn’t look like a face, are you sure it’s called the face.”  Yes, I’m sure.  Geez, she had me doubting myself for a second there.  Then I point out that there is a little hand and a big hand on the clock.  The little hand tells you what hour it is, and the big hand tells you what minute within that hour we are in.  Since the little hand hasn’t gotten all the way to the 7 yet, we say it’s in the 6^th hour.  The big hand is pointing at…”the nine”.  Yep, so this clock says that it is 6:45.  Let’s make our clocks and I’ll explain why.

To make a paper clock you need:

ü  A paper plate

ü  Construction paper (we used 2 colors to exaggerate the difference in the big and little hands)

ü  Small push pins and small erasers (or a brad if you have access to that…I improvised with the pins and erasers and it worked really well and didn’t necessitate a trip to Michael’s craft store)

ü  Markers

Abigail insisted that we need a ruler to measure the hands, so I let her run off and get us one.

  

I get the paper plate and the markers and explain that we should all write a twelve, a one then a two, at the top of our plate.  Then we all put a 6 on the bottom.  Then a 3 on the right and a 9 on the left.   Then we filled in the other numbers.  Abby counted for us while Briana concentrated on how to write each number down, taking a break only to yell at Abby to stop counting to 20 while she was working on writing a 4 because that’s a very hard one to write.  In fact Bree’s clock has 2 fours on it.  Her first try, and right below it one that Mommy helped with.  Abby did her best to write her numbers too, but unlike Briana, Abby refused to let me help.

  

When we had all of the numbers on the plates (as best as we could write them), I cut out the hands and pushed the push pin through the base of the little hand then the big hand and then the plate. 

I secured the pin on the back (and protected the little ones from the pin) by pushing a small eraser (from a mechanical pencil) on the back.

  

Nothing like seeing the pride on the kids’ faces.

After we have our clock I explain that each of these numbers tells us what time it is.  That’s how Mommy knows what we’re supposed to be doing all day.  I look at the clock and based on what numbers the hands of the clock of pointing at, I know what time it is.  I repeat that the little hand tells us what hour it is and the big hand tells us what minute it is. 

I look at Briana’s clock and say, “What time does Bree’s clock say it is?”  What’s the little hand pointing at? 10.  What’s the big hand pointing at? 12.  That means that it’s ten o’clock.  I explain that the big hand counts to 60, but let’s put the big hand on 12.  When it’s at the top we say o’clock.  So everyone put the little hand on 1.  That means it’s 1 o’clock.  Now everyone put the little hand on 2.  That means it’s 2 o’clock.  So what does 3 o’clock look like.  We change the time on the clock until they get it. 

Then I explain that when the big hand is on the 3 it’s 15 minutes.  “Why when the big hand is on 3 it’s 15 and when the little hand is on 3 you said it’s just 3?”  What a great question, Bree.  I hate saying “because it is” to the kids, but in this case that’s really the only answer (that I know anyway).  We continue.  The 6 with the big hand is 30 minutes.  The 9 is 45 minutes.  I don’t mention that again because I don’t want to confuse them, but when either points to her clock and asks what time it is when they move the big hand too, I can now tell them.  As expected the big hand is confusing so we continue keeping the big hand on 12.

Examining a digital clock

The easier way to tell time is to look at a digital clock.  I show them the time on the microwave.  The reason that I use the microwave instead of one of the many digital clocks in the house is that by using the clock button I can quickly and easily change the time to whatever I want it to be for the sake of the lesson.  I tell the kids that if you don’t know what the numbers are if they get to big, just read all of the numbers out.  So if the clock says 1:45 that means that it is one forty five.  If you don’t remember that 4-5 is forty-five, for now you can say it is one four five.

What time of day is…

Then we return to our homemade clocks.

Let’s make our clocks say what time we get out of bed in the morning.  Who knows what time that is?  “Clock time” says Abby.  Not quite.  Actually it’s 7:00.  Bree puts both hands on the 7.  Abby just spins her clock hands.  I take that to mean that both girls kind-of get what they should do even if they don’t have the execution perfected yet.  That’s pretty good.  I show them how to make 7:00 on their clocks.

What time do we leave for school?  What time do we eat lunch?  What time can we get up from naps?  What time is quiet time over?  What time does Daddy come home from work?  What time do we eat dinner?  Go to bed?  After a couple, when I tell them the time (only in hours), Briana can make her clock say the correct time.

  

Abby does her best to follow along, but in her defense, her clock doesn’t have real numbers on it – just her scribbles – so it’s probably harder to understand.  This is one lesson that I will definitely have to repeat for both girls in the future.

We get through our whole schedule today.  All week I will take the time to point out on the digital clock and an analog clock what time it is when we do things. 

I try to do one more time (When do we eat our morning snack), but Abby says, “It’s silly time now.” as she grabs our clocks and throws them.  I guess Abby thinks it’s about time we quit.

<3 Pedigreed Housewife