Little children learn numbers with their hands long before they learn them on paper. This pack starts with a pocketful of pebbles, acorns or buttons and turns them into counting, matching and first adding, all within 1 to 5.
Your child counts rows of leaves, stones and flowers, draws lines from each number to its pebble group, and hops a real pebble along a path of numbered stones, forward and back. The number nests are filled with real finds, one for each dot, with a mystery nest for a grown-up to guess. To finish, the hunt goes outside: one big tree, a pair of wings, three stones to stack, four legs, five petals.
The youngest count to 3 together and fill the first nests. Older children match, hop, write the numbers and look for pairs that make 5. Every page has an easier way in and a stretch, so siblings can count together.
What’s inside
- 1Cover: what's inside and a field log for your counting walk
- 2Before you start counting: a one-page guide for grown-ups
- 3Count the treasures: count each row and circle the number
- 4Pebble match: draw a line from each number to its pebbles
- 5Pebble path: hop a pebble from 1 to 5 and back
- 6Number nests: fill each nest with the right number of finds
- 7Number hunt: find 1 to 5 in the park and draw them
Why this matters
Touching, moving and lining things up is how number sense grows. Saying one number for each touch, seeing a small group at a glance and hopping forward and back on a path are the roots of counting, adding and taking away. Real pebbles make it concrete, and a walk makes it fun. Mistakes are part of it, so count again together and let your child set the pace.
Age bands
Every activity page has an easier and a stretchier way in, marked with these bands:
- Sprout 2–3
- Seedling 3–5
- Sapling 5–7
Letter is the standard paper size in North America; A4 is used almost everywhere else.