Materials

• Orange, brown, and yellow construction paper
• Scissors
• Plastic zip-close bag
• Counters: discs, teddy bears, poker chips, small cubes or blocks, button, or
• beans
• Number spinner or dice
• Chart paper and marker

Activities

Counting Kids

1. Read the book to the children. Encourage the children to count the groups of five as the numbers progress. Ask the children to notice how the color patterns change as the numbers get higher. Reread the book for a few days so that children can have time to practice and understand the concept of number groupings.
2. On a sheet of chart paper, write the following: "There are ____ children in our class. How many groups of five children will there be?" Ask the children to count how many children there are. Record the number on chart paper. Next, ask the children to predict how many groups of five there will be. Record the children's predictions on chart paper. Encourage the children to explain their answers. Now invite the children to make groups of five children. Count the number of groups and record the correct answer on the chart paper. Are there any children left over?
3. Assist the children in counting groups of children by fives. Begin with one group of five, adding on an additional five, and counting the total. Then assist the children in counting off by fives. Practice counting by fives when counting daily attendance, lining up for yard time or lunch, or during snack time.
4. Once children learn the concept of grouping by fives, they can begin to learn about other groupings, such as twos and tens. Provide children with a variety of opportunities throughout the day to practice these math concepts.

1. Place the cutout "paper Reese's pieces" and the book in a basket or large, plastic zip-close bag. Explain to the children that they can work individually or in small groups to play a counting and matching game.
2. Invite the children to create the same number groupings and color patterns depicted in the book.
3. Keep the book and paper pieces in the math area to encourage continued use. The materials can be used as a take-home activity for children and families to do together.

1. Provide the children with a variety of items to use for counting and grouping activities, i.e., discs, counting bears, poker chips, small cubes, blocks, beans, or buttons.
2. Divide the children into small groups. Give each group 25 counters. Ask each group to divide their items into groups of five. How many groups will they have? Encourage children to make predictions before grouping their counters. Increase or decrease the number of counters and continue the activity.
3. Provide the children with a number spinner or dice. Children can spin or throw the dice to get a number. They will group their counters according to that number. Children can work together to organize their number groups or each child can have his or her own set of counters and take turns grouping.
4. Keep a variety of counting materials and the dice or spinner available for children to use during center time to practice grouping numbers.

1. Divide the children into small groups. Provide each group with a large sheet of paper, glue, and 100 items to group onto their paper. The items can be found or made by the children, or they can use beans, paper clips, collage materials, craft sticks, pictures from magazines, etc.
2. Assign each group a specific number to group their items by, i.e., twos, fives, tens, etc. Ask the children to place their groupings on the paper before they glue them. Some children may need a grid outline on the paper to organize their number groupings. Provide assistance if needed.
3. Invite the children to share their finished number grouping collages with their friends during meeting time. Exhibit the children's work in the math area.