GO FLY A KITE!

Flying a kite is exhilarating for young children (and adults as well)!

Five Little Kites 

One, two, three, four, five little kites (Hold up fingers as you count.) 

Flying up in the sky (Fly fingers in the air.)
Said “hi” to the clouds as they passed by, (Pretend to wave to clouds.)
Said “hi” to the birds, said “hi” to the sun, (Wave.)
Said “hi” to the airplanes, oh what fun. (Wave.)
Then “swish” went the wind, (Move hand down in a
And they all took a dive: swooping motion.)
One, two, three, four, five. (Hold up fingers one at a time and count.)
*Download this book on my website.

Paper Plate Kite
Cut the inner section out of a paper plate. Decorate the rim with markers. Glue tissue paper streamers to one side. Punch a hole and tie a piece of string on the other side. Go outside and run to make your kite fly. 

                             

Kite Experiments 
Let children make kites out of lunch sacks, plastic bags, and other materials. Have them predict which one will fly best. Experiment to see which one is best. Why did some work better than others?

Kite Tales
Ask each child to write a story about what it would be like to be a kite. What could you see? What could you hear? How would you feel? What would you do? 
                     

Lion or Lamb? 
Explain the quote, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” Every day ask children what kind of day it is, and then let them color a “lion” or a “lamb” on the calendar. Graph "lion" and "lamb" days and compare at the end of the month.

SAINT PADDY'S DAY

There aren't too many songs for St. Patrick's Day, but my daughter Holly wrote this one many years ago. (You can download the book on my website.)

St Patrick’s Day!
(Tune: “Sweet Molly Malone”)
On the 17th of March (Point heels on opposite feet as if doing a jig.)
About when spring starts
The lassies and leprechauns
Come out to play.
We’ll find four-leafed clovers (Hold up 4 fingers.)
And wear green all over, (Move hands over clothing.)
And that’s how we’ll celebrate (Put hand in the air as if cheering.)
St. Patrick’s Day!

The legends of old
Say there’re pots of gold (Extend arms in a circle.)
A’ sparkling and shining (Open and close fingers to make sparkles.)
At each rainbow’s end.
The leprechauns know (Point to brain.)
Right where to go,
So if you see a leprechaun (Hand over eyes as if searching.)
Make him your friend!

On the 17th of March
About when spring starts
The lassies and leprechauns
Come out to play.
We’ll find four-leafed clovers
And wear green all over,
And that’s how we’ll celebrate
St. Patrick’s Day!

*Cut the rim off a paper plate and cut in half as shown. Let children color it like a rainbow and then attach tissue paper streamers. They can use their rainbows as they dance and sing.

Green Writing
Give children green crayons, green pencils, and green markers to do all their work on Tuesday.

And here's a sweet thought for the month of March!

FAIRY TALE DAY

Tell a Fairy Tale Day is February 26th, but any day is perfect for a fairy tale!

Some people think fairy tales are too violent for young children. And I would agree that some of them are a little twisted and dark. However, most of them aren’t any more violent than Saturday morning cartoons. The bottom line is children have enjoyed these stories for hundreds of years. Proof that a good story is a good story! There is usually a protagonist (good character) that struggles with an evil character. The best part of fairy tales is that they always end happily and good prevails. Many psychologists support fairy tales because they believe children will face “dragons” throughout their lives, and fairy tales give them hope, determination, and strength to defeat their problems.

Let’s see how we can use “Tell a Fairy Tale Day” as a springboard for teaching different types of texts.

Discussion
What is a fairy tale?
What do children know about fairy tales?
Are they fiction or non-fiction? Why?


Brainstorm
How many fairy tales can they name?
Make a list on the board as they call them out.
Go to the library and search for fairy tale books.


Comprehension
Get a storybook (without pictures) and have the children close their eyes as you read to them. Challenge them to make pictures in their brain.
*Stop before the end of the book and ask them to draw pictures of what they think will happen. Compare their predictions with what actually happened by reading the end of the book.

Read several different versions of the same fairy tale and compare and contrast.

Compare different illustrations of the same fairy tale.


Creative Activities
Let children dress up like their favorite character from a fairy tale. Encourage them to retell the story and explain why they chose that character.

Have children make puppets of favorite fairy tale characters from lunch bags, paper plates, or sticks.

Divide children into small groups and let them act out their favorite scene from a fairy tale.

I was a lucky little girl because I grew up before videos and iPads. I do remember my mother reading to us from this storybook every night. Look at the forward I found when I opened the book!

This book is my house.

The door is open and I shall enter.

I shall be happy here because my house has so many windows and

my companions are men and women who love me.

Here I will find laughter, love, romance, beauty, and happiness.

If you are reading my blog today I know you are the type of teacher that instills the “love and happiness” from books. Thank you for keeping the joy alive!

BONUS!

Here's a new video my webmaster (Alex May) recently created.  This would be a perfect tale to have your children act out.

Here is a link to the narrated video:

https://bit.ly/drjeanTurnipNarrated

This link goes to the video with no audio:

https://bit.ly/drjeanTurnip_NoAudio

LASSIES AND LEPRECHAUNS

I played this game as a kindergartener and I always played it with my students this time of year. It's an "oldie but goodie."

Note! If you don't like me referring to "girls" or "boys" then you can just delete anything you don't like. Everything I offer is free so take it, toss it, or adapt it.

Did You Ever See a Lassie?
(Traditional Tune)

Children form a circle as you explain that a "lassie" is a girl and a "laddie" is a boy. A girl is chosen to be the "lassie." She gets in the middle of the circle and makes a funny motion that the others must mimic as you sing. The girl then chooses a "laddie" to stand in the middle and make a motion. The game continues as girls and boys take turns leading in the game.

Did you ever see a lassie, a lassie, a lassie?
Did you ever see a lassie go this way and that?
Go this way and that way,
Go this way and that way.
Did you ever see a lassie go this way and that?

Did you ever see a laddie...

Hint!  You could adapt this to different themes or seasons.  For example:  "Did you ever see a bunny...monster...elephant...scarecrow...etc."

One of K.J.'s favorite memories from pre-k was St. Patrick's Day. They got to take off their shoes at nap time and put them in the hall. When they woke up the leprechaun had left them a Rice Crispie Treat in their shoe. It's those little things that make memories for our "little things." Here are a few other "little things" you might want to include in your lesson plans next month.


Hunting for Gold 

Spray paint pebbles or rocks gold. (Spread out on newspaper. Spray with gold paint. Dry. Shake. Spray the other side with gold paint. Dry. Shake. Spray a third time.) Hide the pebbles on the playground before children arrive at school. Tell the children a leprechaun hid some gold for them. What fun they will have hunting for the gold nuggets! 

Hint! Need a little bucket for collecting that gold? Hole punch opposite sides of a plastic cup. Insert a pipe cleaner handle and you’ve got a perfect “pot of gold.”
What If? Have children write stories (or draw pictures and dictate) what they would do if they found a pot of gold.


Leprechaun Mischief – While the children are at lunch or on the playground, turn over a few chairs, put books on the floor, and mess up the classroom. Sprinkle a little green glitter around. Have the children write stories about what they think happened.


Catch a Leprechaun - Challenge children to design “traps” to catch a leprechaun in the block center. Give children an empty sack out on the playground and see who can catch a leprechaun.


Green Snack – Eat foods that are green like celery, broccoli, lime gelatin, snap peas, edamame, etc. You could also use green food coloring to dye cream cheese, milk, yogurt or other snacks.


Leprechaun Lunch – Purchase miniature peanut butter crackers (Ritz), cookies (Chips Ahoy), and other mini-foods. Serve these on dessert plates with napkins cut in fourths. Milk or juice in medicine cups makes this a perfect snack for “wee folks.”


Field Trip - Take a field trip (on the internet) to Ireland. Find Ireland on the globe. How could you get there? Could you go in a car? Why or why not?


Math Manipulatives – Spread out dry lima beans on a newspaper. Spray paint one side gold. Dry. Flip over and spray paint the other side gold. These golden nuggets are perfect for making sets, adding, and subtracting.

ABRACADABRA!

Give yourself a Harry Potter cheer by putting your finger in the air like a magic wand as you go, “You’re psh psh psh – TERRIFIC!!!”

And here’s a terrific magic wand you can make with your students. Take wooden chopsticks or coffee stirrers and dip one end in glue. Roll in glitter, dry, and ABRACADABRA! Now, let’s see if we can do a little magic with the wands in your classroom.

Smart Wands
Children walk around the room and point to words, letters, shapes, etc. that they can recognize.
*Encourage them to use whisper voices and make complete sentences.
*Divide children into pairs and let one child point while the other child reads the word.


Trackers
Use wands to track print, identify parts of speech, find details in illustrations, and so forth.


Invisible Writing
Use wands to write letters, words, numerals, etc. in the air.


Story Starters
Prompt creativity by having children write stories about what they would do with a magic wand.


Teacher Magic
Close your eyes as you wave the wand and say, “Abracadabra! I wish that all my students would sit quietly and listen to me.” When they are all quiet you can open your eyes. Taa daa!


Hocus Pocus
Can your students help you come up with some other magic chants? On Sesame Street the Count said, "Allah peanut butter sandwiches." In Cinderella the phrase was, "Salagadoola mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo."

DOG BISCUIT DAY

I'm not making this up, but this really is International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day. A box of dog biscuits and you're set for math, reading, and writing!

Woof! Woof! Game
Cut out dog bones and write sight words, math facts, letters, etc. on them. On a few write “Woof! Woof!” Pass the box around and let each child pull out a bone and identify the information. If they select “Woof! Woof!” they have to get down on the floor on all fours and bark like a dog. (I know it's stupid, but the kids love it!)

Use the dog biscuits for math activities. Add, subtract, make sets, sort… This dog dish with two sections is perfect for tens and ones.

Make a book about pets. Cut the front and back off the box and cut paper the size of the box. Give each child a sheet of paper so they can draw a picture of their pet and write or dictate a sentence about it. Put their pictures between the covers of the box, hole punch, and you’re ready to read.

Hint! If they don't have a pet they can draw a picture of a pet that they would like to have.

P.S. I’m fascinated by the names people give their dogs like “Heredog” (Here-dog!) and Boozer (St. Bernard). How about Peanut (little Yorkie) or the mascot from your favorite team like Buzzie (our dog named after GA Tech's mascot Buzz). What’s your dog’s name?

THE HAPPY READING DANCE

I like to read, 

Oh, yes, I do! 

I like to read. 

I’ll read with you!! 

Children have always longed to do what they see adults do. When I was a little girl I saw my parents and older brother and sister read, and I wanted to learn how to do it, too! I used to beg my mother to teach me how to read, and she'd smile and say, "You'll have to wait until you go to first grade." And I did learn to read on that first day in first grade. "Look, look, look! Oh, look, look, look!" It was magic! Can you believe that I'm a pretty good reader and I didn't learn until I was over six years old? Go figure!!!!

Since children don't see adults reading in their homes, we have to really "sell" reading in our classrooms. When you read to your class remember to say, “I love to read. It’s so special to read with you.” If your class is reading independently you can comment, “WOW! This is a class of amazing readers! It makes me happy to see all of you reading and enjoying books like I do.”

One time when I visited a school I said to the teacher, “I can't believe how well your students can read!” The teacher smiled and said so all could hear, “You know, my children have learned how much fun it is to read and they just want to read all the time!” That’s the power of positive thinking and the power that we have to influence children’s feelings and interests.

Here’s a chant that my daughter wrote a few years ago. It’s done like “Cadence” where children repeat each line.

We Like Books
We like to read, yes we do. (Slap thighs and step from side to side.)
We like books. How about you? (Point to self and then others.)

Books are my friends wherever I go.
When I have a book I’m never alone. (Shake head.)

Search for treasure, solve mysteries. (Hand over forehead.)
Meet famous people from history.

Ride on a dinosaur long ago.
Or fly to the future with a UFO. (Slap hands.)

You can travel to faraway places. (Arms out like airplane.)
Mountains, beaches, or desert oasis.

Learn about pandas and rattle snakes. (Palms together like snake.)
Just look in a book, that’s all it takes.

If you’re feeling sad or blue (Look sad.)
Books are always there for you. (Smile and open palms like a book.)


*Encourage your students to talk about why they like to read. Let them each contribute a page for a class book called "We Like Books."




*Invite your students to discuss WHY it is important to read. Emphasize that learning to read really does make you smarter and happier.

*Discuss why you LIKE to read. Let children complete this sentence: I like to read because…

*Have children ask their parents how reading helps them do their job.

Let children interview family members, friends, and school helpers about reading. They might want to ask the following:

*Why do you like to read?
*When do you like to read?
*Where do you like to read?
*What do you like to read?
Compare results.

DOLLAR WORDS

This is a perfect project for any skill because children love to make things and they also enjoy collecting things. They’ll feel “richer” as they learn new words and add the dollars to their wallets.

Materials: construction paper 9” x 12”, markers, green paper cut 4” x 2”

Directions: First let each child make a wallet where they can “save” their sight words. Lay a sheet of construction paper horizontally. Fold up the bottom within one inch of the top. Glue the two sides and then fold in half. Let children decorate their wallets with their name and drawingss. As you introduce new words let the children write them on the green rectangles/dollars and then store them in their wallets.

*Use these at small group time to play “mystery word” as you call out clues. For example, “This word starts with ‘t’ and ends with ‘e.’” This word is the opposite of ‘sad.’”

*Children can use their words to make sentences, sort parts of speech, etc.

*Let children take their word wallets home and practice them with their parents.

*If you have a few extra minutes in the day have children get out their dollar words and read them independently or with a partner.

*Challenge children to learn to spell their dollar words.




Letter Wallets - Younger children could save letters, numbers, or shapes in their wallets.



Math Wallets - Write addition and subtraction facts on dollars and save them in math wallets.

Vocabulary - Have children write vocabulary words on dollars and store them in their wallets.

Word Families - Use wallets to reinforce word families.

1, 2, 3, FOUR SQUARE

Need a simple open-ended idea that you can adapt to different abilities and skills. Put on your thinking cap and see how much milage you can get out of this four-square activity!

Sight Words - Children write words with 1, 2, 3, or 4 letter in the appropriate square.

Math – Show four ways to make a number. (word, numeral, set, facts, etc.)
Draw four objects made with the same shape.

Nouns – Label “people,” “places,” “things,” “animals.”
Sort nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.

Task Card - Write four things they can do when they finish their work.

How To – Write/draw four steps for an activity, such as making a sandwich, making your bed, building a nest, etc.

Life Cycle – Four stages of the butterfly.

Seasons – Four seasons.

Writing Prompts – Draw pictures of four things they’d like to include in their story, such as the characters, setting, problem, solution.

For younger children, let them draw pictures of four things they like, don’t like, four animals, or any category you might be studying.

NATIONAL DENTAL HEALTH MONTH

February is National Children's Dental Health month. There’s a great website with lots of free activity sheets in English and Spanish to get you started. The daily calendar is my favorite.

https://www.ada.org/en/public-programs/national-childrens-dental-health-month

Here are some other websites with free lesson plans:

https://www.dentalcare.com/en-us/patient-education/childrens-dental-health/lesson-plans



https://www.dentalcare.com/en-us/patient-education/childrens-dental-health/lesson-plans

Vocabulary
What is a dentist? What is a hygienist? What is plaque? What is decay? What is a filling?

Brainstorm
Why do we need teeth? What do we use our mouths for?

Guest Speaker
Call your personal dentist and ask her if she’d like to visit your class to discuss good oral health. You might be surprised that she’d be thrilled to be invited and will bring each of your students a toothbrush and toothpaste.

Tooth Puppet
Let children make a “happy tooth puppet” and talk about nutritious foods. What foods cause decay?

T-Chart
Have children make a t-chart of foods that are good for teeth and foods that harm teeth.

Dental Health (Stephanie Velasquez)
Glue the cut out of a white tooth on a colored sheet of paper and place in a clear sheet protector. Let the children color the tooth with a dry erase marker to represent the “germs" on the tooth after they eat. Children use a toothbrush to erase the germs.

This Is the Way We Brush Our Teeth
(Tune: “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush”)

This is the way we brush our teeth,
Brush our teeth, brush our teeth.
This is the way we brush our teeth
Every morning and evening.

First the fronts and then the sides.
Don’t forget the tops and inside.
First the fronts and then the sides.
Don’t forget the tops and inside.

This is the way we brush our teeth,
Brush our teeth, brush our teeth.
This is the way we brush our teeth
Two minutes twice a day.

Now we have happy teeth,

Happy teeth, happy teeth.
Now we have happy teeth
Give a great big smile!

NATIONAL DAY OF UNPLUGGING

NATIONAL DAY OF UNPLUGGING was created to inspire people to plug out all the devices of the present technology and to spend some time with their loved ones.  

www.nationaldayofunplugging.com

It's officially March 3-4, 2023 (sundown-to-sundown), but I wanted to tell you about it early because it's going to take some planning to get UNPLUGGED for a day.  

This link would be great to share with families because there are tons of "unplug" ideas to encourage parents and children to have FUN together.

https://www.unplugcollaborative.org/ndu-what-to-do-collection

There are many things we do in schools that don’t have an impact on children, but I bet if you “unplugged” for one day it would leave a lasting impression. It could also lead to some great learning opportunities. Students could write opinions, do a T-Chart of things to do with a screen and without a screen, graph preferences, make a book about what to do without technology, do a Venn diagram...


BLACKOUT
Have you read BLACKOUT by John Rocco. It’s a delightful tale about what happens when a family in a big city loses power. I won’t tell you what happens, but I bet you can guess. I was talking to some children recently about the “olden days” before televisions, video games, cell phones, and computers. They were stunned and said, “What did you do?” I smiled and replied, “You know what? We played outside and had lots of fun!”

Several years ago a teacher told me that they asked the families at her school to record the amount of screen time their child had for a week. The next week they asked the parents to turn off all devices and spend the same amount of time interacting with their child by reading, playing games, doing chores around the house, going for walks, etc. Do you think most families could survive this? It certainly would be a meaningful challenge!

VERBS, VERBS, ACTION WORDS

If you can DO it, then it's a verb!

Verbs, Verbs, Action Words 
Verbs, verbs, action words
Things that you can do.
I’ll say a word, and if it’s a verb,
Show what you can do.
Run (Children run in place.)
Fly (Children pretend to fly.)
Dog (Children shout, “That’s not a verb.”)

Continue calling out verbs for the children to pantomime.


Charades
Let children take turns acting out verbs as their classmates try and guess what they are doing.


Pass the Story
Write verbs on index cards and place them in a sack. Have the class sit in a circle and begin passing the bag around. The first child chooses a word and begins the story by using that verb. The second child chooses a word and adds to the story with their word. Continue passing the bag as children add to the story using a verb from the bag.

Catch and Tell

Have children think of an action word in their head. The teacher throws a ball or beanbag to a child. That child states the verb they are thinking of and then passes the ball to another friend. Children continue passing the ball and saying verbs.


Say What?
Write simple verbs on the board. Invite children to come up and add different endings for their friends to read and then use the word in a sentence.

*Cover the end of a fly swatter with white paper. Write different endings on the paper (ing, ed, s). Children place the ending by verbs and read the new word.

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME

 

It’s springtime and time to root, root, root for your home team!  There are some things that are not in your curriculum that I think all American kids should be exposed to such as the traditional song "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."  Use this link to go to my website and get a free download.

http://www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2014/05_May_css/index.html

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Take me out to the ball game. (Hand in fist as if cheering.)

Take me out to the crowd.

Buy me some peanuts  (Hold up one palm and then other.)

and Cracker Jacks.

I don’t care if we never get back,  (Shake head “no.”)

For I’ll root, root, root for the home team. (Cheer with hand in the air.)

If they don’t win it’s a shame. (Open up palms and shake head.)

For it’s one, two, three strikes   (Hold up fingers as you count.) 

You’re out!  (Stick up thumb like “out.”)

At the old ball game.    

Cracker Jacks Book  - Cut the front and back off a bag or box of Cracker Jacks.  Cut paper the size of the bag and give each child a piece.  Let them draw and write what prize they would like to find in a box of Cracker Jacks.

Visor
Here's a simple visor that you can wear to the game.  Cut a moon shape out of a paper plate and let the children decorate it with markers and crayons.  Punch holes in the ends and tie on strings so you can fit the visor to children's heads.
                

Bar Graph
What's your favorite baseball team?  Make a bar graph that children can fill in when their team wins.

Let’s Play Ball! 
Write “1st,” “2nd,” “3rd,” and “Home” on paper plates. Place the plates in a diamond shape on the floor. Divide the class into two teams. Let them “huddle” and come up with a team name. The first team lines up and one player at a time stands on “home” as the teacher “pitches” a flash card to them. (Flashcards with words, letters, math facts, etc. can be used.) If the student can identify the information on the flash card they can walk to first base. The game continues as different players on the team come up, identify the flash card, and move around the bases. Tally points on the board. The second team then has a turn at bat.


Note! If they don’t know the answer you can call them out. I did this when I taught first grade, but with kindergarten I let the other players on the team help them. The great thing about being the teacher is that you are the baseball commissioner and you can change the rules to work for you!!!

Batter Up 
Cut 4” circles out of cardstock and draw baseball stitching on them. Write words, letters, math facts, etc. on most of the baseballs. On a few write “out” and on a few write “home run.” Mix up the balls and place them in a bag. Children take turns choosing a ball and reading the word. If they select “out” they are out of the game. If they select “home run” everybody cheers.

SINGULAR AND PLURAL

Standards may come and go, but singular and plural forms of nouns will always be in the curriculum. 

Singular and Plural
Write the name of common classroom objects on the board. Cover the end of a fly swatter with white paper. Write the letter “S” on the paper as shown. Children take turns adding the “s” to the end of the words and saying the plural. Can they use it in a sentence?

Blocks
Cut paper the size of rectangular and square unit blocks. Write common nouns on the rectangles and tape to blocks. Write “s” on a square and tape to a square block. Children read nouns and then add the “s” block and read the plural.




Unifix Cubes
Place sticky dots on cubes and write letters on them. Make a list of common nouns. Children make the words with the cubes and then add “s” at the end and read the word.

Singular and Plural (Tune: “This Old Man”)
One is book, 2 are books.
One is cook, more are cooks.
Add an “s” to the end of a word
Makes it plural, haven’t you heard?
One is toy, two are toys.
One is boy, more are boys.
I’ll say a word, then you add an “s.”
You make it plural - do your best!
Car Star
Dog Log
Cat Hat
Ball Wall
Coat Boat
*Let children suggest other words to sing in the song.


T-Chart
Children draw a T-chart on a sheet of paper. On the left side they write the singular form of nouns. On the right side ask them to write the plural form. Can they read the words?



Oops!
Make up inappropriate sentences and when the children hear you say something wrong they can say, “Opps!” Have them repeat the sentence correctly.
Teacher: “We have 12 boy here today.”
Children: “Oops! We have 12 boys here today.”

WHAT'S A NOUN?

Every sentence has a noun, so let's find out more about them!

(TUNE: She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain)
A noun is a person, place, or thing. Yee haw! (Fist in air.)
A noun is a person, place, or thing. Yee haw!
A noun is a person. (Point to a person.)
A noun is a place. (Point to a place in the room.)
A noun is a person, place, or thing. (Point to a thing.)


Wacky Sentences
Write nouns and picture clues on 5 index cards and verbs on 5 index cards. Place them in lunch bags labeled “nouns” and “verbs.” Children choose a noun card and a verb card and write a sentence using the words.

Hint! They love to use nouns with their teacher’s name, principal, and other stars.

Noun Sort
Fold a sheet of paper into fourths. Write “people, animals, places, things” in the sections. Give children old newspapers and catalogs and ask them to cut out pictures of people, animals, places, and things and glue them in the appropriate section. Can they label their pictures?

Noun Hunt
Give children a clip board and challenge them to find all the nouns they can in the classroom. They can write the words or draw pictures.
*For homework ask them to make a list of the nouns in their home.


Noun Names
Make name cards for the students in your class from 8” sentence strips. Write each child’s name and glue their picture on the card. Use these for writing prompts in a center.

MORE? LESS? EQUAL?

One math standard that many children struggle with is the ability to understand what is one more and one less. Let’s see what happens when we hop, sing, and move this standard.

Paper Clip (Parisa Ghannadan)
Make a number line on a sentence strip. Use a paper clip to slide to different numbers and the children can see what comes before and after.

Number Line Hop
Draw a number line with chalk on the carpet or use masking tape to make a number line on the floor. Choose different children to hop to a number. What is one less? What is one more?
*Let children roll one or two dice and then hop to that number. What is one more? Less?
*Call two children and ask each to stand on a different numeral on the number line. Which one is more? Which one is less?

Ruler Game
Give children a ruler to use as a number line. Have them point to the numbers as they count on the ruler. Can you find 6? What’s 1 more than 6? What is 1 less than 6?

More or Less Game
Make a grid similar to the one shown. Two children take turns making sets with unifix cubes in the middle section. Their partner has to make sets with “one more” and “one less.”

Counting on a Shoestring
Write numerals 0-20 on a cotton shoestring with a permanent marker. Insert a bead. Children move the bead as they count. They can clearly see what is one more and one less.

Ten Little Friends
Ten little friends (Hold up fingers.)
Went out to play (Wiggle.)
On a very bright
And sunny day.
And they took a little walk.
Walk, walk, walk. (Walk fingers in front of your body.)
And they had a little talk.
Talk, talk, talk. (Put fingertips together.)
They climbed a great big hill (Move fingers over your head.)
And stood on the top very still. (Keep hands still.)
Then they all tumbled down (Roll hands around and down.)
And fell to the ground.
We’re so tired, (Hold up fingers.)
They all said.
So they all went home
And went to bed.
10 – 9 – 8 – 7 – 6 – (Put down fingers one at a time as you
5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1. count backwards and lower your voice.)
Good night! (Lay head on hands.)