Materials
Large bowl
Long handled spoon1 egg1/3 cup (170 g) sugar1 1/4 cups (300 ml) milk1/3 cup (80 ml) oil1 cup (125 g) flour4 teaspoons (60 g) baking powder1 cup (125 g) wheat germ
Muffin tin and muffin cup papers
Oven
Sink or tub of water, dishwashing soap, and dishcloth
Instructions
1. Choose many different colors and sizes of one type of item for the children to
sort. As an example, this activity will use buttons. Gather lots of different sizes
and colors of buttons, including two-hole and four-hole buttons.
2. Use small cups or bowls to sort the buttons (or other item).
3. Encourage the children to sort by color, size, and two-hole or four-hole type.
If the buttons have different shapes, sort them by shape too.
4. Ask the children to count each time they sort something different.
5. Make a graph by color, size, and so on. Use tally marks to count, or draw
circles to represent the buttons.
6. Make special work mats for the children to do their counting on. Cut out a
large circle from poster board and laminate it or cover it with clear contact
paper. (For example, I use a picture of a puppy when the children are sorting
dog biscuits. The children LOVE this! The flavored snack bones are good to
use because they come in different colors.)
7. Ask any kind of question that requires math thinking.
More to do
Graph the math problems. Encourage the children to use individual graphs, and
then make a giant class graph. Encourage the children to come up with their own
"counters" and ideas. Ask them to bring in something from home (cotton balls,
Q-tips, band-aids, safety pins, and so on).
