Ten Terrible Dinosaurs, by Paul Strickland

What child doesn’t like dinosaurs? This fun book will help children with their number awareness.

Materials

A variety of small dinosaurs
Some rocks, sticks, grass, etc. to make dinosaur habitats/dioramas

Vocabulary

Enormous (really, really big)
Spiky (sharp and pointed)
Elated (to be happy)
Feisty (acting pretty wild)
Weary (tired)
Carnivore (one who eats meat)
Herbivore (one who eats plants)
Canine teeth (the pointed tooth between the incisors and the molars, people have one on each side of their mouth.)

Before Reading the Story

Today the children will be exploring their teeth before reading the story. Make sure that the children have washed their hands appropriately before they come to the group today so that they will not be putting dirty fingers into their mouths. On a piece of paper, draw a large tooth. Ask the children if they know what it is. Talk for a moment about dental care (brushing, dentist visits, minimal sugars, and not using teeth to open things). After you have discussed dental care to your and the children’s satisfaction, point to the tooth you drew and ask the children if all teeth are shaped like this. Draw a pointy canine tooth. Tell them that some teeth are shaped like this and ask them to touch the tooth in their mouth that is pointy like this. Explain that this tooth is called a canine tooth. It is pointy so that it can tear and eat meat. People and animals that eat meat are called carnivores. Ask them to think about other animals that might have pointy teeth. After each, if it is a meat eater say, “Yes, it’s a carnivore”. Have the children go back into their mouths and touch a back molar. Explain that some teeth are flat like these and are called molars. People and animals use them so that they can chew plants like vegetables and fruits. Tell them that people and animals that eat plants are called herbivores. Ask them to think of some animals that might be herbivores. If it is a plant eater say, “Yes, a (rabbit) is an herbivore. If the animal eats both meat and plants tell the children that it is both an herbivore and a carnivore and has a special name called omnivore. Let the children name animals and guess. Make sure the children are repeating back the words to you. (I like meat and veggies so I am an omnivore. My sister only eats veggies so she is an herbivore like a rabbit).

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations. AND Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; uses an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.

Reading the Story

Tell the children that your story today is about a creature that is sometimes an herbivore and sometimes a carnivore. Read the title of the book and look at the dinosaurs on the cover. Point to each one and ask, could this one be a carnivore? (Only the ones with visible teeth count) When you get to the pages that say, “so then there were”…pause to see if the children can name the correct number.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; demonstrates and increasing interest and awareness of numbers and counting as a means for solving problems and determining quantity.

After reading the Story

Hold up 10 fingers and state, “10 take away one equals _____. Let down a finger. (take away one equals ____.) Continue down to zero.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; develops increased abilities to combine, seperate, and name “how many” concrete objects.

Discovery

Bring in pictures of dinosaurs or books about dinosaurs. Literacy Knowledge and skills; shows interest in shared reading experiences and looking at books independently.

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; shows growing interest in reading-related activities, such as asking to have a favorite book read; choosing to look at books; drawing pictures based on stories; asking to take books home; going to the library; and engaging in pretend reading with a peer.

Music and Movement

Say, “Feel that shaking on the floor, must be the dancing of the dinosaurs!” Turn on some lively music and stomp, twist and dance to the music.

Creative Arts/Movement; shows growth in moving in time to different patterns of beat and rhythm in music.

Sing 10 Big Dinosaurs to the tune of 10 little indians.

1 big, 2 big, 3 big dinosaurs,

4 big, 5 big, 6 big dinosaurs,

7 big, 8 big, 9 big dinosaurs,

Ten big dinosaurs!

They all lived a long, long time ago.

.Now they are extinct. (Now they live no more)

Mathematics/Number & Operations;develops increasing ability to count to ten and beyond.

Blocks

Dinosaurs in blocks would be fun. Encourage children to create a habitat. Hang a picture on the wall so the children can see what earth looked like during the dinosaur era.

Approaches to Learning/Engagement & Curiosity; demonstrates increasing ability to set goals and develop and follow through on plans.

Art

Move the chairs away from your art table and have the children stand around the edges. Tell them that you are going to be dancing, twirling, silly dinosaurs. Put out two primary colors of finger paint directly on the table and some lively music. As the children finger paint the table top, help them be aware that the two colors are mixing into a new one. (This is really fun but make sure to give yourself ample clean-up time as it tends to be messy).

Creative Arts/Movement; shows growth in moving in time to different patterns of beat and rhythm in music. 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.

Library and Writing

Make a large D on a piece of paper. Tell the children that this is a capital D that begins the word dinosaur. Ask the children to think of as many D words as they can and write them on the paper with the large D.

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; shows growing awareness of beginning and ending sounds of words.

Sand and Water

Add small dinosaurs to the sand table. Dampen the sand so the children can make mountains, craters, and volcanoes. Add rocks and sticks to make a dinosaur diorama.

Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; approaches tasks and activities with increased flexibility, imagination, and inventiveness.

Dramatic Play

As the children move about the room today, at intervals call out , “Dinosaurs Roar!” and encourage all the children to roar loudly with you. When you are counting down 10 minutes to clean-up you can ask the dinosaurs if they heard you and they can roar, Kerry, it’s time to use the bathroom (have Kerry roar that she heard you). If a child is feeling frustrated ask them to roar and then ask them to raor again louder.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Control; shows progress in expressing feelings, needs, and opinions in difficult situations and conflicts without harming self, others, or property.

Math and Manipulatives

This would be a good day to put out any puzzles relating to dinosaurs, teeth, or numbers.

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; grows in hand-eye coordination in building with blocks, putting together puzzles, reproducing shapes and patterns, stringing beads, and using scissors. AND Approaches to Learning/Engagement & Persistence; grows in abilities to persist in and complete a variety of tasks, activities, projects, and experiences.

Outdoor Play

Choose one child to be the ferocious, meat eating Tyrannosaurus Rex. The rest of the children can be the gentle plant-eating dinosaurs. The T Rex is it and chases the others. If they are caught, they must go stand by a tree and pretend to eat the leaves until the T Rex has caught three children and then a new T Rex is chosen.

Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; develops increasing abilities to give and take in interactions; to take turns in games and using materials; and to interact without being overly directive or submissive. AND Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and written numerals in meaningful ways.

Transitions

As the children go to their next activity, ask them to make loud chomping sounds if they are an herbivore plant eater, roar if they are a carnivore meat eater, now stomp on off.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding;understands an increasingly and complex vocabulary.

Resources

Ten Little Mice, by Joyce Dunbar

This lovely illustrated book helps children count down by one while learning about the life habits of field mice. A charming book that children will enjoy.

Materials;

Ten mice***

Mouse bookmark directions

Mouse mask***

Soft pillows and fabrics

Several ping-pong balls

Bag of cotton balls

Several bowls

Tongs or clothespins

Shapes printed on colored paper. See resources.

Vocabulary;

Cozy (something warm and comfortable)

Before Reading the Story

Use one of the mice pieces and on several colors of construction paper draw a simple house. Have the children take turns hiding their eyes and put the mouse under one of the houses. Have the children repeat the following, Little Tommy Tiddlemouse, lives in a pretty house. Can you guess which one? The child then uncovers their eyes and guesses under which color the mouse is hiding. Encourage the child to name the colors instead of just pointing. Play till all the children get a turn or until they lose interest.

Reading the Story

Put the ten mice on the wall or flannel. As you read the story take one down accordingly.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; demonstrates increasing interest and awareness if numbers and counting as a means for solving problems and determining quantity.

After Reading the Story

Go back through the story and talk about the pictures. Note the things that the mice are bigger then and smaller then. Ask the children if they can think of other things that a mouse would be bigger then or smaller then.

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; shows progress in using standard and non-standard measures for length and area of objects.

Discovery;

Bring in a book or pictures of real mice so the children can explore the life and times of a mouse.

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

Music and Movement

Re-read the story and ask the children to show what all the different movements would look like that the mice did as they went back to their cozy nest. Who can show me what scurry-scurried looks like?

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.

Teach the children the song Five Little Mice sung to 5 Little Ducks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9rqAO2zSIc

Five little mice came out to play
Gathering crumbs along the way
Out came pussycat sleek and fat
Four little mice go scampering back

Four little mice came out to play
Gathering crumbs along the way
Out came pussycat sleek and fat
Three little mice go scampering back

Three little mice came out to play
Gathering crumbs along the way
Out came pussycat sleek and fat
Two little mice go scampering back

Two little mice came out to play
Gathering crumbs along the way
Out came pussycat sleek and fat
One little mouse goes scampering back

One little mouse came out to play
Gathering crumbs along the way
Out came pussycat sleek and fat
No little mice go scampering back.

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

Do the following poem with the children. The teacher is the old grey cat. After doing the poem once, the children can take turns being the old grey cat.

The old gray cat is sleeping , sleeping, sleeping,
The old gray cat is sleeping in the house
The little mice are dancing, dancing, dancing (children dance)
The little mice are dancing in the house (continue dancing)
The little mice are nibbling, nibbling, nibbling (children nibble)
The little mice are nibbling in the house!
The little mice are resting, resting, resting (children sit or lay)
The little mice are resting in the house (continue sitting)
The old gray cat comes creeping, creeping, creeping (Cat begins to creep)
The old gray cat comes creeping in the house (Continue Creeping)
The little mice go scampering, scampering, scampering (Children run around)
The little mice go scampering in the house (Children run until caught then that child is the cat)

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

Blocks

Challenge the children how to use the blocks to make hallways or paths. Pretend the ping-pong balls are mice and roll them through the hallway maze. Can they roll from beginning to end? Can the children make the mouse/ping pong ball roll under or over an object or around a corner?

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; grows in recognizing and solving problems through active exploration, including trial and error, and interactions and discussions with peers and adults.

Art

Put out the many colored shapes and scissors for the children to make mice. You can make one ahead of time so they can see how the shapes go together. For older children, draw and cut out the shapes using a manilla folder. The children can then draw around your shapes onto pieces of paper that they can then cut out.

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; progresses in ability to put together and take shapes apart. AND Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; grows in hand-eye coordination in building with blocks, putting together puzzles, reproducing shapes and patterns, stringing beads, and using scissors.

Library and Writing;

Have the children make bookmarks by following the direction cards. Cut out the oval shapes in various colors. Show the children how to use a single hole punch to make an eye and a hole for a tail. Give each child a piece of yarn to put through the tail hole, tie.

Literacy/Early Writing; develops understanding that writing is a way of communicating for a variety of purposes.

Sand and Water

Hide the following letters in the sand table; M-O-U-S-E. On a piece of paper write ‘MOUSE’ above the table. Encourage the children to find the letters and put them in the same order as the word on the wall to spell mouse. Use magnet letters, cookie cutter letters, or make letters out of cardboard to hide. Can the children identify any of these letters?

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; shows progress in associating the names of letters with their shapes and sounds.

Dramatic Play

In the story the mice all went home to their cozy nest. Bring in soft and cozy fabrics and pillows so the children can pretend to be mice in a cozy nest.

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.

Math and Manipulatives

Put out a bowl of cotton balls and a pair of tongs or a clothespin. Show the children how to pick up the cotton balls with the tongs and move it to another bowl. Roll a dice and count how many cotton balls you will need to move.

Mathematics/Number & operations; begins to make use of one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects. AND Physical Health Development/Fine Motor Skills; develops strength, dexterity, and control needed to use tools such as scissors, paper punch, stapler, and hammer.

Outdoors Play

Challenge the children to build tunnels under the sand. You may have to dampen the sand ahead of time so it has some sticking power as these are very sensitive to collapsing.

Approaches to Learning/Engagement & Persistence; demonstrates increasing ability to set goals and develop and follow through on plans.

Transitions

Put 0-10 mice up on the board. Ask the child to count and name the number of mice present before they move to the next activity.

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

Resources

Enlarge and attach to a sentence strip to make mouse hats for dramatic play

Make 4 sets to use mice for counting throughout the day

Ten Apples Up On Top, by Dr. Seuss

What happens when three bears decide to put apples on top of their heads? Will they be able to keep them there? This is a fun 1-10 counting book for children.

Materials

Head shape and apple shape
Apple pattern cards
Enough apples for each child to have a piece of two-three different varieties to sample. Ask parents to send an apple to school for their child.

Vocabulary

Stack (to put one on top of another)

Before Reading the Story

Bring an apple to the rug. Ask the children if they know what it is. Ask the children who likes to eat apples? Ask if they can think of any food items made from apples (applesauce, apple pie, apple granola bars). Show the children the cover of the book. Read the cover and then have the children count to 10 holding up fingers to correspond. Count to ten then back down to one again.

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

Reading the Story

On various pages, stop and have the children help count the number of apples up on top.

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

After Reading the Story

Draw a simple tree on a large piece of easel paper. Have the children take turns rolling a dice and then drawing that many apples/circles onto the tree. Go around the circle several times until the children loose interest.

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; progress in abilities to use writing, drawing, and art tools, including pencils, markers, chalk, paint brushes, and various types of technology.

Discovery

As the children go to science, give each an apple that they can cut apart with a plastic knife. Encourage them to look at the seeds through a magnifying glass. Talk about and help record the children’s observations using all their senses on how they describe the parts of the apple. (Tell me about the apple’s skin; tell me about what is inside the apple).

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations. AND Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Music and Movement

Sing 10 Red Apples, to tune of ten little Indians

1 red, 2 red, 3 red apples

4 red, 5 red, 6 red apples

7 red, 8 red, 9 red apples

10 red apples on top.

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

Play Apple Round. Have the children sit in a circle and turn on some music. While the music is playing the children pass an apple around the circle. When the music stops whoever is holding the apple must tell how many fingers the teacher is holding up, 0-10. Then put on the music and begin again.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; demonstrates increasing interest and awareness if numbers and counting as a means for solving problems and determining quantity.

Give each child a bean bag to place on their head. Ask them to try touching their toes, walking backwards, turning in a circle, standing on on foot, etc. without letting the bean bag fall from their head.

Physical Health & Development/Gross Motor Skills; shows increasing levels of proficiency, control, and balance in walking, climbing, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, marching, and galloping.

Blocks

Encourage the children to make stacks of ten blocks.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to make use of one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects. AND Physical Health & development/Fine Motor Skills; grows in hand-eye coordination in building with blocks, putting together puzzles, reproducing shapes and patterns, string beads, and using scissors.

Art

Put large apple shapes on the easel and let the children paint them however they choose.

Creative Arts/Art; develops growing abilities to plan, work independently, and demonstrate care and persistence in a variety of art projects.

Library and Writing;

Give children a head shape and ask them to draw facial features on it. Then give each child enough apples so each apple contains a letter of the child’s name (Kerry would have 5 apples, one with a K, one with an E, two with R and one with Y). Encourage the children to write the letters of their name in each apple shape. Ask the children to put them on top of the head in the correct order and glue. Talk about whose name has more apples and fewer apples. Whose name has more letters and fewer letters? Can the children name the letters?

Literacy/Early Writing; progresses from using scribbles, shapes, or pictures to represent ideas, to using letter-like symbols, to copying or writing familiar words such as their own name. AND Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to make use of 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 meore, less, greater than, fewer, equal to.

Sand and Water

Put several apples in the water table. Notice how they float. What other objects in the classroom can the children find that will float?

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

Dramatic Play

As the children play in the center today, ask them if there is an apple in the pretend foods? What other fruits can they find in the pretend foods? What color apple is there? What other foods can they find that are the same color as the apple? Apples are crunchy to eat, what other foods can they find that would be crunchy to eat?

Approaches to Learning/Logic & Reasoning; develops increasing ability to find more than one solution to a question, task, or problem. AND Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; shows increasing abilities to match, sort, put in series, and regroup objects according to one or two attributes such as size or shape.Logic and Reasoning; classifies, compares, and contrasts objects, events, and experiences.

Math and Manipulatives

Color the apple pattern strips to show simple patterns using red, yellow, and green. The children can then match the pattern cards with small pieces of construction paper or unifix cubes.

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; enhances abilities to recognize, duplicate, and extend simple patterns using a variety of materials.

Outdoor Play

Bring bean bags outside with you. Play a follow the leader type game. Show the children how to balance the bean bags on their head, their arm, and their foot and move about. Can they climb the stairs with a beanbag on their head? Can they ride a bicycle with a beanbag on their head?

Physical Health & Development/Gross Motor Skills; shows increasing levels of proficiency, control, and balance in walking, climbing, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, marching, and galloping.

Transitions

Make a head from the head shape pattern and 10 apples. Cover these with contact paper and put a loop of tape on the back. Put the head on the wall or flannel board. Put some apples up on top (1-10). Say the following rhyme; Apples, Apples up on top. Count them _____before they drop! The child who was called them counts the apples and is dismissed to the next activity.

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

Resources

Dear Parent,

Today we read a story about apples. As you prepare your meal tonight, ask your child if he can name the different foods that you are using. Talk to your child about foods. (I am cutting this onion to add to the ground beef to make a meatloaf. Smell this; this is garlic powder which I am adding also. Do you want green beans or peas to go with our meatloaf and potatoes tonight?)