Materials
3 to 5 plastic eggs
20 medium-sized yellow pompoms
Instructions
1. Begin the activity by showing the children one yellow pompom.
2. Explain that this will represent a newly hatched chick. Place the pompom into
an egg, close the egg, and open it again. Show the children that one chick
hatched from the egg.
3. Next, place two pompoms in one egg and repeat the actions. Ask the children
to count the chicks that hatch from the egg.
4. Next, place two pompoms in two eggs (total of four). Ask the children to guess
how many chicks are going to hatch. "Hatch" the eggs and let the children
count the number of chicks that hatch.
5. Continue the activity with different numbers of eggs and chicks. If children are
catching on, try having them count before the eggs hatch. For example, put
two chicks in three eggs. Make sure the children understand that each egg has
two chicks in it.
6. Ask the children to count the chicks without opening the eggs. Hold up each
egg and count "One, two, and three, four...and five, six!"
Teacher - to - Teacher Tip
* By changing the number of chicks in each egg, you can introduce both
addition and multiplication basics. Let the children take turns creating
combinations to count.
Assessment
To assess the children's learning, consider the following:
* Are the children able to follow directions?
* To what extent do the children grasp the concept of grouping numbers?
