Roaring Fun and Learning: Using Dinosaurs for Counting and Basic Math Skills!

 

                                                                            

                                                                 Roaring into Math!

        The Kinder Bunnies and I enjoyed using our dinosaur collection for math. Dinosaurs are a perfect fit to spark excitement in the natural curiosity that the Bunnies possess. We showed off our number sense skills by incorporating dinosaurs into student-created math activities. 

      We started by reading several dinosaur counting books. Here are a few of our favorites that inspired us to start sorting and counting. 

                                                                                    

               They went to work sorting and counting their dinosaurs. There were great discussions about what we know about each kind of dinosaur, what they ate, and why they're extinct. It was beautiful to hear the students share why they sorted into different groups and how many were in each group. 

A few of the students decided to note their findings on Post-it notes. 

Other students decided to build a dinosaur zoo. This hands-on activity promotes number recognition and counting skills.

Another way to encourage counting is by using "dinosaur eggs." Create a set of plastic eggs with numbers. Scatter them around the room and challenge your child to find and count the eggs in order. A bonus is to have small dinosaurs inside the eggs to count and sort.

We measured our dinosaurs and created our own to use as a math counting mat. We made up our own math stories to reinforce addition and subtraction.

      Non-standard measurements using cubes and little dinosaurs kept us on task.

                               We engineered 3D shapes to capture our dinosaurs.

                          Counting dinosaur bones, and different-sized footprints, are a few other ways to bring in dinosaur counting and learning opportunities with your child. 

                                                                    Happy Learning!