Use a School Readiness Activity to provide early mathematics thinking experiences for preschool children that will prepare them to do well in the early grades.
Grades:
Subjects:
Adding One More to Peter's Vegetable Soup
Purpose/Skills
- To add 1 more
- To count on 1
Materials
A real or paper soup pot
For each group or math station, 9 of each: paper carrots, onions, green beans, potatoes, rabbit or chef hats (optional, or make hats as an art project)
Read The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. Ask children to notice what vegetables Peter ate (lettuce, French beans, radishes).
Vocabulary
add 1 more
how many?
vegetable soup
chef
Warm-Up
- Introduce the children to the concept of 1 more.
- Show them a real or paper soup pot.
- Pretend to be Chef Peter Rabbit. Put 1 paper vegetable into the pot, and say, "There's 1 carrot in the soup." Ask, "Who can add 1 more?" Select a child to put in 1 more and say, "1 more makes ____________." (Have children help you complete the sentences.)
- Complete the demonstration by saying, "Now there are 2 carrots in the soup." Start with 1, 2, or 3 vegetables and play "Add 1 More" with the children.
Procedure
- Help children play "Add 1 More." Children should take turns being Chef Peter. Peter puts some vegetables in the pot and says, "There are vegetables in the soup." Who can add 1 more?
- Peter chooses another child to add the vegetable and says, 1 more makes. Now there are vegetables in the soup.
- Encourage children to explore putting larger numbers in the pot and adding 1 more or 2 more.
Children work in pairs to play "Chef and Helper." The Chef puts some vegetables in the soup and says, "There are _________ vegetables in the soup. Who can add 1 more?" Helper puts a vegetable in the soup and says, "Now there are vegetables in the soup." Then they reverse roles.
Observation Assessment
- Proficient - Child can identify a small number of vegetables and can easily add 1 more.
- In Process - Child participates, but experiences difficulty adding 1 more.
- Not Yet Ready - Child does not yet identify a small number of items or add 1 more.
