Preschoolers Learn Numbers Through Rhymes & Activities

Teach your preschooler numbers through RHYMES and hands-on ACTIVITIES.  At the See Hear Do Company we use the Number Neighborhood Activity Book and Flip Chart to teach children numbers and number values.  Preschoolers enjoy exploring numbers with a variety of manipulatives.  Take the number SEVEN for example.  In the STORY found in the Number Neighborhood Flip Chart number seven is learned through rhyme; 

"7 Lives In Heaven"

The clever character 7, his life in heaven, and the rhyme bring to life number seven.  The activity of counting cotton balls or marshmallows makes learning the value of seven more concrete.  Today we had fun with our head in the CLOUDS!

Placing the corresponding number of cotton balls or marshmallows in the cloud makes adding EASY & FUN!

We practiced identifying numbers in a similar way. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7!

Today I used a hands on activity here.  We love our "Cloud Sensory Bin."  Thank you For the Love of Learning, great idea!

{photo credit here}

Hope you are having success in teaching your preschoolers.  Don't forget to connect with me for my latest ideas and teaching tips...

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Measuring With Snap Cubes

Sorting, counting, measuring and stacking! You name it Snap Cubes are my Go-To for Preschool Measuring and Building.

Today we are building things and talking about the Number 4.  We read the clever story about 4 in the Number Neighborhood Flip Chart, and practiced counting and measuring.  

4 builds a door 4 4 4 !

Number 4 is a builder at heart.  He likes to hammer 4 corners of the door, and he likes to count the 4 sides of the door, 1,2,3,4!  Today we used Snap Cubes (also known as Unifix Cubes) to measure things we found around the house.

How long are the scissors?  How long is your shoe?  Here is a list of other things you might want to measure.

spoon                   pillow                     book                    favorite toy            mug           
doorknob              cup                        computer             remote control        family photo
lamp                    phone                     pencil                  hand                     penny

Building things takes some thinking, planning and measuring!  We started measuring all the doors found in the Number Neighborhood Activity Book (also sold as an eBook).

We kept busy all morning building and measuring!

I found some other fantastic ideas over at The Measured Mom!  Go check her out!

Roll a dice to build a tower.  An easy way to practice recognizing numbers and adding them to a cube tower.

{thanks Measured Mom}

Continue the pattern.   Measured Mom found some great free pattern cards for you at Heidi's Songs.  

{thanks Measured Mom}

So many ways to use Snap Cubes as a teaching tool!  What are some ways you have incorporated them into learning?

Some SMOKIN' HOT Fire Safety Review

A few days ago I was visiting with a friend and she told me about an electical outlet in her home that started smoking and almost caught on fire!  Good thing she was home to take care of things...it could have been bad!

This made me think of the what ifs...  What if sometthing caught on fire in my home?  

Do the kids know their fire safety?

I decided we needed a review.  In my Amazing Action Alphabet outline, {located in the Amazing Action Alphabet Activity book} I talk about SAFETY when I teach letter S.  I also talk specifically about FIRE SAFETY when I teach number 6 {found in the Number Neighborhood Activity book}.

I read some of my favorite fire safety books to the kiddos today:

Going to the Firehouse 

by Mercer mayer

Clifford the Firehouse Dog

by Norman Bridwell

I talked a little about STOP, DROP & ROLL...

``

{image found HERE}

I pulled out Number 6's activity in the Number Neighborhood Activity book and had some fun painting and counting some campfires.

I grabed some RED paint...

and some ORANGE paint...

I guided my little girl to use the back of the plastic fork and create flames...

The fork made some pretty cool textures and designs!...

We added some red to make the fames really HOT, and placed the right amount of sticks under each campfire...

Overall we had a SMOKIN' HOT time! ;)

Activities for Number 3...All About Trees!

Three grows a tree...3, 3, 3!  In my Number Neighborhood Flip Chart number 3 knows how to grow beautiful trees.  There are 3 things to grow trees...soil, water, and sun.

{image found HERE}

Here is a variation for YOUNGER CHILDREN using number 3's activity found in the Number Neighborhood Activity Book. Instead of following the instructions and drawing each bird in the tree, try using play-doh.  Using red, yellow and blue for the birds in the tree will be a great tactile activity.

Encourage the child to place 3 red birds, 3 blue birds and 3 yellow birds in the tree.  Remember to touch and count teach bird.  

For OLDER CHILDREN, those having better use of their fine motor skills, have them use dot stickers and place 3 blue dots, 3 yellow dots and 3 red dots in the tree.  Then simply have the child add beaks, wings and feet to each bird.  Now practice counting each bird.

You can find these dot stickers in most stores that sell office supplies.  They are often called 'Color Coding Labels' I grabbed mine from HERE.

Three grows a tree...3, 3, 3!  The school year is officially started.  You're kids are going to learn so much about trees and growing things with number 3 this month.  Here are a couple of tree jokes to keep your kids thinking, and giggling!  

Q.  Do you know what a tree's lease favorite month is?  

A.  Sep-timber!

Q.  Why did the leaf go to the doctor?

A.  It was feeling green!

Q.  What kind of tree can fit into your hand?

A.  A palm tree!

{image via Examiner}

Pairs, Doubles, Twins...Talking About Number 2

Today we introduced Number 2 with the Number Neighborhood Flip Chart.  I began by reading Number 2's story.  Oh how she loves things that come in PAIRS!  Number 2 is a little western gal that can always be found wearing her shiny red cowboy boots. I love how she feeds her 2 horses, Salt and Pepper, and she plays with her 2 dogs, Cookies and Milk.    

When talking about Number 2 it is ideal to gather shoes and help the children to graph how many different kinds of shoes they have.  I talked about this in a prior post... {HERE}.

{image via Teach Preschool}

A variation of the Number 2 activity, found in the Number Neighborhood Activity Book, is to copy Number 2's activity page in four different colors.

Cut out each section of shoes and give the child an assortment of shoes to graph.

Have the child place the shoes on the graph.  Practice counting the different pairs of shoes.  Which kind of shoes have the MOST?  Which ones have the LEAST?  Any type of shoes EQUIL to another type?

The child can then color each pair of shoes they received.

Ta-Da!  The children are able to SORT, COUNT, and GRAPH with this fun activity!

You Are A Hero! & Secret Art Tricks For Kids

Coming back to school is always a fun and exciting time of year.  In the first few days we talk a lot about who we are, and what makes each child so SPECIAL!   We have this similar poster HERE!

image via artrageousfun.wordpress.com 

Today I had the kids come as a superhero.  Heros are often ordinary people that can do extraordinary things!  Heros can save the day!  Heros are people you can look up to and try to be like.  

YOU ARE A SUPERHERO!

In conjunction with this theme I introduce NUMBER ZERO!  Zero is a hero! 0...0...0!  This is the chant we say when learning about Zero in the Number Neighborhood Flip Chart.  Review the story from the Flip Chart and talk about how important Zero is.  

A creative way to learn the value of ZERO is to play simon says.

Simon says jump 3 times.
Simon says blink 2 times.
Simon says yawn 0 times. ;)
Simon says turn around 4 times.
Simon says flap your arms 0 times. ;)

You get the point.  The kids just grin when you ask them to do things ZERO times, 
and so do I! (try asking them to clean their room 0 times today, or eat 0 more bites of their least favorite food)  We love ZERO the HERO!

In the Number Neighborhood Activity Book the Zero Activity gives instructions on how to draw the very best superhero out there. . .

I have the child use a black crayon or marker for the eyes, noes and mouth.  Also color the super hero's clothes and hair with crayons.  Now, for the part that REALLY makes it look good. {shhhhh...I'm going to share with YOU my little secret for art portraits today}  Use watered down craft paint for the skin, and remind the child not to color the whites of the eye.  I water the paint down to 50% water and 50% paint.  

Another secret I have...try painting with q-tips.  It is a lot easier for the child!

There is a Super Hero inside all of us, 

we just need courage to put on the cape!

Thank you to all those SUPERHERO moms and teachers!  

To the world you may be just a teacher, 

but to your students you are a HERO!

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Teaching Number 11 with Greater Than & Less Than

Getting closer!...

My Number Neighborhood Activity Book is hitting my STORE in September.  Keep watching for updates!

Today I wanted to give you a sample of NUMBER 11.

With this activity we talk about GREATER THAN & LESS THAN.  As always, I first review the story and introduce NUMBER 11 from my Number Neighborhood Flip Chart.  This story talks about NUMBER 1, and her perfectly made bun (see here debut HERE).  Number 1 gets together with her best friend, a TEEN, and together they train a pet dog named Kevin.

Preschoolers LOVE learning about pets!  With Number 11's activity we see that our pet Kevin likes to eat the BIGGER pile of bones.

First we get the activity ready...

                               

Then I put the bones into two different piles for my little one to count.

The child then decides which one is GREATER, and which one is LESS.  Kevin, our pet, always wants to eat the GREATER pile of bones.  So we position his mouth to eat that pile.

I created the dog to easily flip to whichever pile is correct!   I grabbed some Scooby-Doo graham cracker snacks and tried again and again...

We had a lot of fun counting and feeding 11's pet Kevin today!

You will love how easy this activity is, and the kids LOVE counting piles and piles of bones!

Number ONE's Activity

As promised...I wanted to give you a little peak into the Number Neighborhood Activity Book.  This book is getting so close to printing.  You are in for a real treat!  Today I wanted to share my NUMBER ONE's Activity.

Learning about 1

ONE wears a bun

also learning small, smaller & smallest

First we reviewed the story from the Number Neighborhood Flip Chart.  
You can see more about the story

 {HERE}. 

 Then we  reinforced teaching Number One by the activity.

With a cut cut here...

and a cut cut there...

here a cut, there a cut, everywhere a cut cut...

Okay...just had "that" little tune in my head.  Once you color and cut the designated parts you can slip in number 1's perfectly pink ribbon.  As you pull it through talk about small, smaller and smallest.

Enhancing this activity we gathered some ribbon and had each child lay out the pieces according to size.  The kids loved doing this, and quickly identified which were SMALL, SMALLER & SMALLEST...SHORT, MEDIUM & TALL...LONG, LONGER & LONGEST.