Materials Required:
Vegetable counters (or fruit counters)
Dice (with numerals or pips)
Brown playdough or peanut butter playdough (colored with cocoa powder if desired)
Steps Involved:
Set-Up: Pour vegetable counters onto a tray or line them up on the table. Provide each child with a chunk of playdough and set out the dice.
Exploration: Allow children to explore and manipulate the vegetable counters and playdough freely before beginning the structured activity.
Math Activity:
Invite each child to roll the dice and identify the number.
Have the child count out the corresponding number of vegetable counters and “plant” them into the playdough by pushing them in.
The child must use one kind of vegetable per roll. For example, if rolling a five, they should use five of one type of vegetable counter.
With each new roll, the child can either add more of the same type of vegetable or choose a different kind.
Observation: Allow the children to create their own “vegetable gardens” within the playdough. Encourage them to experiment with organization and placement of their vegetables.
Discussion: Engage in a conversation about the activity, discussing the number of vegetables used and the different types of vegetables planted