Statistics Fun

 

When you hear the word statistics, you think about all the handy things that we know well as adults such as spreadsheets, graphs, or patterns and links to algebra.  But in Tautoru,  for our year 2 and 3 students, statistics looks different and loads of fun at the same time.  It looks like curiosity, discovery, and lots of hands-on data collecting and interpreting.  We are also aiming to present this data in different ways. 

We use statistics to make sense of the world. Whether deciding what to wear based on the weather forecast or picking which grocery items offer the best value, life is full of data-driven decisions, no matter how informal they might be.  For our kids, It could be as simple as sorting collectible game cards or ooshies. We are aiming to teach our children to gather, sort, and understand data so that they can be confident thinkers and informed decision makers. 

The children have been posing questions and collecting data.  Learning to ask investigative questions about their interests and their environment has been all part of this learning.  They have been collecting information using simple tally charts.

We have been using the data cards from census as a next step.  These cards have been such a valuable resource to encourage flexible thinking, sorting and categorising using all the different visual features. These cards have a range of colours, shapes and symbols. 

Here is an example of the cards that our students have been using: 

The students have been displaying Information in different ways.  We have also been exploring pictographs (using picture symbols) and basic bar graphs.  Because we have had so much fun with this we also dabbled with pie graphs.  Making data statements and conclusions has made interesting talking points and has encouraged lots of interesting questions. 

Here are some quick, everyday activities that could be fun and helpful at the same time: 

The sock sorting challenge - Dump a load of clean laundry and ask your child to group socks by colour or pattern. Count them up and make a simple tally on a piece of paper. 

Pantry pictographs or lunch box audits -  Line up cans or fruit pieces in rows to compare quantities.  Ask:  "Which row is the longest? Which has the least?"

Daily weather tracking - Keep a weekly weather chart on the fridge with sun, rain, or cloud stickers. At the end of the week, count up which weather type showed up most often.

Teaching statistics gives tamariki a super-power:  the ability to ask good questions, spot patterns, and make sense of their world !!