This book offers a fun way to add and subtract objects one to ten

Materials

• 10 objects when dropped into water will make a small splash (small blocks, crayons,
• Several sponges
• 10 paper plates with a number written on it 1-10
• Stickers of pond animals or a bingo dauber

Vocabulary

• Pond (a small body of water with different animals and plants that live in or beside it).
• Habitat (environments or homes where different animals live)

Before Reading the Story

Talk about habitats (environments or homes where different kinds of animals live).  Ask the children if they know who lives in a forest environment?  A jungle environment?  A desert environment?  A pond environment?  Tell them that today’s story is about animals that live in a pond environment.  Introduce the story.

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Reading the Story

Stop and count how many are in the pond on each page.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; develops increasing ability to count in sequence to 10 and beyond.

After Reading the Story

Who can remember what happened to the dog in the story?  Why do you think the cat was mad?

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in abilities to retell and dictate stories from books and experiences; to act out stories in dramatic play; and to predict what will happen next in a story. AND Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; develops increasing abilities to understand and use language to communicate information, experiences, ideas, feelings, opinions, needs questions; and for other varied purposes.

Discovery

If you are fortunate to have a pond nearby, collect a large container (clean mayonnaise jar) of the water.  Try to get some of the mud, scum, and any water insects.  Put this into the center with magnifying glasses so the children can observe and talk about their observations. Encourage the children to draw their observations on paper. Dictate any observations/discussions that take place.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; develops growing abilities to collect, describe, and record information through a variety of means, including discussion, drawings, maps, and charts.

Music and Movement

Play in the pond on the bank. Mark off an area large enough for all the children to be able to comfortably jump inside of. Use the edge of a carpet or chalk/tape to make a ‘pond’. Have all the children stand on the outside of the pond. Explain that they are on the bank (where the land meets the water). Tell them that when you say, “In the pond” everyone is to jump inside the area. Practice a couple of times saying “In the pond” or “On the bank”. The children jump accordingly. After they have gotten good, speed up your calling or call on the bank two times in a row, etc.. This is a listening game, can they follow the directions?

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multiple-step directions.

Teach the children the song, Swimming swimming in the swimming hole. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c15F0h0fyoo. Make motions to go with the song.

There’s a little white duck. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y57RWhz76y8

Here is My Turtle…Finger play
Here is my turtle,  ( Form fist and extend thumb.)
He lives in a shell.  (Put thumb inside fist.)
He like his home
Very well.  (Nod head) He pokes his head out    (Pop out thumb.)
When he wants to eat.   (Circle thumb around.)
And pulls it back in
When he wants to sleep.  (Put thumb back inside fist)

1,2,3,4,5, (Hold up fingers as you count) I caught a fish alive (point to self) 6,7,8,9,10 (hold up fingers as you count) Then I threw him back again.  (pretend to throw) What made you let him go? (shrug shoulders) Because he bit my finger so! (make a scowl face) Which finger did he bite? The little pinky on the right. (hold up right pinkie and kiss it)

Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; chooses to participate in a variety of tasks and activities AND Creative Arts/Music; participates with increasing interest and enjoyment in a variety of music activities, including listening, singing, finger plays, games, and performances.

Blocks

Tell the children that they can pretend to be frogs jumping from lily pad to lily pad today.  Have them use the blocks to make a pond that goes around the edge of the center.  Spread the paper plates marked 1-10 within the pond.  Show the children how to jump from 1 to 2, 2 to 3, etc. to 10.  Mix the plates up in the center and begin again.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and written numerals in meaningful ways.

Art

Paint with watercolors today.

Creative Arts/Art; gains ability in using different art media and materials in a variety of ways for creative expression and representation.

Sand and Water

Fill the table with water and give the children objects that they can drop in.  As they drop the items ask them to count for you.  How many did you drop? Now drop one more, how many are in the water now?

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to use one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects.

Add items that will make a splash sound such as; watering can, water wheel and squirt bottles to the water table today. Can the children find any other items in the classroom that will make a splashing sound? Which one sounds louder? Why do you think that?

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations.

Library and Writing

Help the children make a number chart today. Going down the left side of a piece of paper write the numbers 1-10.  Give the children stickers to put the appropriate number beside each number.  If you do not have stickers, use a bingo dauber or something similar.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to use one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects.

Dramatic Play

Encourage the children to set the table for four, three, or two.  Do they understand how many plates they need?  Can they add all the utensils that are needed for setting a table?  Do they know where to put the plate, cup, spoon, etc?

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to use one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects. AND Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to use language to compare numbers of objects with terms such as more, less, greater than, fewer, equal to.

Math and Manipulatives

Trace and cut out ten turtles. Color them green and number them one through ten.  Cut out spots for on the turtle’s back and color them brown.  Have the children add correct number of spots to turtles back.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to use one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects.

Outdoor Play

Fill a bucket up with water and give the children sponges to throw at a target such as a large piece of cardboard or  a hula hoop hung on the fence.

Physical Health & Development/Gross Motor Skills; demonstrates increasing abilities to coordinate movements in throwing, catching, kicking, bouncing balls, and using a slide and swing.

Mud play. Have the children dig a hole in the ground and then add water. Let the children continue to make the hole bigger adding more water. After the hole is a good size, let them make mud pies!

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; participates actively in games, outdoor play, and other forms of exercise that enhance physical fitness. AND Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to use senses and a variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships.

Transitions

On a dry-erase board or a chalkboard write/draw 3 letters, 3 numbers, 3 shapes, and 3 words.  Ask a child to come up and use a dry erase marker to circle a number, a letter, or a word.  Continue giving each child a turn to circle a letter, a number, a shape, or a word.  Were they able to tell which one was what?

Literacy/Print Awareness & Concepts; recognizes a word as a unit of print, or awareness that letters are grouped to form words, and that words are separated by spaces. AND Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; knows that letters of the alphabet are a special category of visual graphics that can be individually named.

Resources