Home Learning with Treasures From Jennifer
Part 1: An Introduction to Treasures From Jennifer Frames and Coins
By Kate Kwijas for Oskar's Wooden Ark | June 27, 2022
Treasures From Jennifer is a family-run business that specialises in handcrafted wooden toys that promote hands-on learning. These educational treasures are as beautiful as they are functional - ideal for supporting a Montessori or Waldorf curriculum.
For this three-part blog series, we have teamed up with teacher and mum of three, Kate Kwijas (@exploringlifetogether_) to explore the Treasures From Jennifer range of frames and coins. Kate will show us some of the many ways that she and her boys use these versatile resources in their home learning and play, including counting, creating patterns, loose parts play, practicing mathematical equations, word play and more.
In Part One, Kate introduces us to the variety of Treasures From Jennifer frames, coins and accessories available from Oskar's Wooden Ark, as well as some of the ways that they can be introduced to children of different ages. Stay tuned for Parts Two and Three, where Kate will share even more activity ideas, focused on supporting Literacy and Numeracy.
Treasures From Jennifer Frames
Treasures From Jennifer Ten, Twenty and Hundred Frames are made from solid walnut or maple wood and finished naturally with linseed oil and beeswax. The frames feature a set number of dimples, ready for your child to fill with the Treasures From Jennifer pegged coins and woollen or wooden balls.
The TEN Frame
7.5 cm x 15 cm
Ten Frames are widely used in educational settings to help children learn to count with one-to-one correspondence, as well as to practice addition and subtraction.
Your littlest learners will also enjoy using a Ten Frame to enhance their fine motor skills; the dimples create the perfect invitation to be filled with loose parts or any other treasures they might find.
The TWENTY Frame
7.5 cm x 29 cm
Divided into quadrants and engraved with lines through the middle, the Twenty Frame helps your child to quickly identify quantities by seeing them as groups of five, rather than counting one by one; this is referred to as ‘subitizing’.
The Twenty Frame compliments the hundred frame beautifully as it fits perfectly alongside the larger board.
The HUNDRED Frame
29 cm x 29 cm
The Hundred Frame is divided into quadrants, like the Twenty Frame, which helps your child to subitize.
The Hundred Frame, along with a set of coins is the perfect starting point if you're beginning your Treasures from Jennifer collection.
Coins & Balls
All coins below are compatible with the Ten, Twenty and Hundred frames and are 2.5cm in diameter with a peg attached to the back to allow for easy placement into the dimples of the frames. Wooden balls are included with the Ten and Twenty Frames, while a pack of 100 woollen balls is included with the Hundred Frame. A pack of 100 wooden balls is also available to be purchased separately.
Alphabet
Grammar
Sight Words
Symbols
Numbers
Multiplication
Fractions
Balls
Where should I start?
A fabulous feature of the Treasures From Jennifer frames is that you can begin with one and slowly add to your collection. All frames fit the woollen and wooden balls, as well as the range of coins. The frame you start with very much depends on the age of your little learner. In our home, all three frames are used regularly, sometimes in conjunction with one another. Not only do these frames add beauty to our learning space, they are also truly versatile; the options for using them are endless.
Learning through Play with a Ten Frame
If I were to choose just two resources for teaching or supporting learning at home, counters and a Ten Frame would be my essential items.
Simply creating an invitation to play by placing the frame upon a low table with the woollen (or wooden) balls presented in a bowl, or on a tray, encourages your child to begin engaging with it as a resource.
My two-year-old loves to simply transfer the woollen balls into each dimple and talk about what he is doing. The language he uses when completing this task shows a developing understanding of colours and numbers. At this age, children will also enjoy filling up the frame with small treasures that they have found.
Please note that small parts are a choking hazard and should be used under close supervision.
My five-year-old is currently using the Ten Frame to develop his understanding of ‘making ten’ and consolidating the concept of one-to-one correspondence. In the first year of schooling, ten frames are used regularly in numeracy sessions.
The First to Twenty
My seven-year-old is enjoying using multiple Twenty Frames to add and subtract large numbers (the Hundred Frame would work well for this too!) A simple game that all my children love is to have a Twenty Frame each, a dice and either the woollen balls or some loose parts.
We take turns rolling the dice and place that many parts into our frames. The first person to fill their Twenty Frame is the winner.
This game becomes even more exciting when an addition and subtraction dice is added! Will you be adding or taking away from your Twenty Frame?
The Hundred Frame
For older children, the Hundred Frame offers endless learning opportunities. One hundred dimples ready for your child to fill up while counting, creating patterns, practicing mathematical equations, discovering cardinal directions, and more.
Word Play
My children also enjoy making words and sentences with the alphabet, sight words and grammar coins.
My five-year-old is beginning to order and recognise the alphabet. He also enjoys putting letters together to make nonsense words; the squeals of delight as I sound out the words he has created are those of pure joy.
My seven year old uses the Sight Words and Alphabet Coins to practice his spelling words and loves to make sentences using the Sight Words and Grammar Coins.
He also enjoys using the Twenty Frame to create a sentence and then identify the part of speech underneath each word.
If you are looking for high quality handcrafted resources to add to your playroom or home learning space, you can’t go wrong with the Treasures from Jennifer wooden frames and coins, or indeed any of the other items available as part of the Treasures From Jennifer range.
In Parts Two and Three of this blog series, we will cover some exciting Numeracy and Literacy activities using the Treasures From Jennifer frames and accessories. Stay tuned!
