How would you use patterning in teaching elementary mathematics?

Describe an activity you would use for a specific grade level. Chapter one tells us that mathematics has been described as the study of patterns and those patterns are everywhere and all around us. Patterns help children see how things work together as well as help in predicting what happens next. Patterns help children become our future problem solvers. There are many ways at which a teacher could use patterning in teaching elementary mathematics. However, repetition is needed for children to become proficient at this. A five or six year old may be able to recognize and recreate patterns but this will take time and practice. The use of a variety of manipulates is essential to children gaining adequate knowledge about patterns. Teachers could use legos, building blocks, crayons, shapes, candies, ect and you could use the color of the items for the pattern or the size of the object as well, such as small, big, small, big.