Planting By 2's: A Skip Counting Melody

13 April 2015 / 4 comments
Hi, everyone! I'm Laura from Differentiation Station Creations. I'm really excited to share in this new blogging adventure with so many amazing teachers!
http://differentiationstationcreations.blogspot.com/
I love getting kids invested in their learning. One way I've found to stimulate student interest is using songs, manipulatives, and fun. Students seem to grasp concepts with more ease and retain that knowledge when it is learned in a memorable way.

Since the weather is getting warmer and plants are sprouting up all over, I wanted to bring the excitement of the growing season to the kids! 

I got together with my mom to create a skip counting melody centered around planting. This song is sung to the tune of "If You're Happy And You Know It" (an easy song that most people know). This song has a lot of repetition that will help your kids to learn it quickly. I use green beans in this version of the song, but you can substitute other fruits and veggies to add more verses. Here are a few: white potatoes, purple beets, yellow peaches, red tomatoes, green onions, and orange peppers.
In addition to the song, I created a label and set of seeds that you can use while singing the song. I printed out two copies of the seeds and cut them apart like a puzzle.
I cut the beans apart, so that each student would be counting 2 beans at a time. You can place the beans on the pocket chart, on the floor, or have 10 student volunteers hold them up at the front of the class.
You can also use real beans which is great for your kinesthetic learners. There are so many choices when using real beans as manipulatives.
You can "plant" them on the floor. I put down two lines of painter's tape, so that students are able to easily see the two rows.
 
You can also use muffin tins in a row. I used 3 muffin tins from the dollar store. Each muffin tin has 6 cups, so I covered 4 of the cups with a paper towel. I just taped the paper towel to the muffin tin to create 20 cups.
Another option is to use plastic ice cube trays. I put two trays in a row and covered 4 of the ice cube spaces. I taped a paper towel over 4 of the spaces, so that only 20 were available. Using containers makes it much easier for some children. They can visually see that only one bean fits in each space and each row is already created for them.
These are a few quick ways to get kids engaged in skip counting with very little prep! I hope that your students enjoy this little song and activity as much as my kids do!
 
Get your copy of Planting By Two's: A Skip Counting Melody here! 
 
If you want another great skip counting activity, you can check out my Let's Get Hopping pack. Get your kids hopping like frogs, while they visually and kinesthetically explore the concept of skip counting. It is great fun and is easily differentiated. I've used the lily pads and jumping frogs for kids who are just learning to skip count and for those that need more practice with multiplication. The lily pads are available in color and black & white.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Lets-Get-Hopping-Skip-Counting-2-3-5-10s-Math-Lesson-Plan-Games-Printable-779535
Thanks for stopping by to check out my skip counting melody. I hope that your spring days are sunny and sweet!

4 comments:

  1. What a great post Laura! I love how you carried the math skills across the theme.
    Carla

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love the lilypads! I know my own kids would get kick out of leaping from number to number. I looks like a fun activity for this summer.

    Nicole

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Nicole! The lily pads are a definite favorite here!
      Laura

      Delete

Powered by Blogger.
Back to Top