Crow Knows a Number

Over in the Pond Coloring Club today I'm sharing with you and your learners a crow tracing page. Tracing is a great prewriting and handwriting activity and this one has some downstrokes to practice - great for letter formation. 

While you have the crows on display (you may like to make scarecrows too) - here is a fun no-prep number warm up or transition to play:

Crow Knows a Number

• tell students that the scarecrows are so friendly they are not doing a very good job and there are crows everywhere
• the scarecrows don't seem to mind and are having fun counting all the crows
• the crows love math too and are busy taking buttons from the scarecrows - let's find out how many
• listen for a clue and tell me the number of buttons crow has taken
• now give students some number clues and let them tell you the number

This can be a verbal, fast paced class game where students are allowed to think and count mentally (or with fingers) or you can use equipment at the small-group table for a more focused activity.

I know you may have busy-teacher-brain so here are some ideas for clues to get you started:

• it's one more than 7 (students call out 8)
• it's one less than 6
• it makes 5 with 3
• it's two less than 9
• it's one less than 10
• it's left when you take 2 from 8
• it's two groups of 3
• it's one more than 6
• it's one less than 5
• it makes 9 with 6
• it's two less than 7
• it's one less than 7
• it's left when you take 3 from 7
• it's double 2
• it's three groups of 2
• it's one less than 5
• it's makes 7 with 5
• it's three less than 8
• it's three more than 2
• it's double 5
• it makes four with 3
• it makes ten with 6

If you love creative teaching ideas, I can help:

• more tracing activities
• a fun crow action rhyme
• more for order and position of numbers