Simply put, my interest in mathematics lies in the fact that it is organically based on inquiry, and that this inquiry passes through representations (figures, diagrams, tables, etc.) and symbolic forms, thus giving an essential part to the writing process. My research, within the collective in which I work, was conducted with young elementary school students. One might think that “scholarly mathematics” is far from elementary school mathematics. But this is precisely the idea I am trying to get away from. An overarching goal of our collective is to design teaching sequences that allow students and teachers to conduct a mathematical inquiry through the use and deep understanding of representations and symbolic forms. In particular, my research team has set up a device in elementary school from Grade 1 and onward called “the Journal of Number”. In my contribution, I show how such a device can contribute to establishing an epistemic kinship between elementary school mathematics practice and the practice of mathematicians, in particular by having teachers and researchers work together on the production of instructional sequences based on the Journal of Number.