Counting Petals Poster is a Great Art and Counting Activity

Hi friends,

     How are you?  I hope you are well.  You may know that I used to teach kindergarten.  So, it is no surprise that I have quite a few activities in mind to use for the younger students.  Today, I want to show you what I call the “Counting Petals Poster”. 

     I usually introduced the “Counting Petals Poster” in early spring with the plants unit.  Petals are something that most students can kind of draw by the time early spring comes.  By then, we have already worked on numbers and counting to ten, at least a little. 

     The good thing about the “Counting Petals Poster” idea is that you can tailor it to the needs and skills of your students.  However, don’t underestimate what they can do.  It might not always come out neat and tidy, but students can often do more than we think they can.

     Let me show you what I mean.  Here is an example of my finished “Counting Petals Poster”.

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     This one is done digitally, however, when I was teaching kindergarten, often I would do it by hand just to show that they can do it too.  You can do this activity in a variety of ways.  I tried in different ways, depending on my students. 

     You can ask the students to create a poster of their own making and design as long as the number of petals are drawn and labeled for numbers one to ten.  (For struggling students, you may want to do it for numbers one to five or even one to three.)  I tried this once.  Some came out pretty nice and others came out all squished together and not necessarily in the correct order. 

     The activity can also be done with handing students a plain piece of paper with just the grid on it.  Or, a plain piece of paper with the grid and circles for the flower centers on it.  Sometimes something as simple as adding the circles for the flower centers is all it takes to give the students a greater understanding and sense of accomplishment.  Then, you don’t have to explain which squares have the numbers and which squares have the flowers with the petals.

     If you want, you can let students do this individually, as a small group activity, or as a class.  You will probably want to introduce it, discuss it, and even walk through parts of it before you give it out as an activity for independent work. 

     Another thought is to do the “Counting Petals Poster” activity partially as a group. Maybe draw the petals as a group one step at a time and then have students go back and count the petals and write the numbers.  Or, it can be done the other way around.  Write the numbers as a group and then have the students go back and draw the flowers with the petals to match. 

     I like to have the students do the activity in pencil first.  Then, I can check it, let the students know if there is anything that needs correcting, and when it is ready, have them go over it in color.  The numbers can be traced in marker, the flowers can be colored with crayons or colored pencil, and then students can color around the outside of the grid to make a border of his or her own color or design.  Or, students can cut out around the edge of the grid and glue it to a piece of colored construction paper.

     These make great art and academic pieces to hang on the wall or the bulletin board.  They can also be put in a portfolio, because this activity highlights many different skills.

     At times, after we did the activity once as a class, I would put it in one of the centers as an activity.  In that way, students can do it over and over again as they choose.  They can learn ways to improve the involved skills.

     There was even a time when I had the students not just put the number but also write the labels, such as “one petal” or “two petals” and so on.  It depends on the skill of the students.

     I am sure that you have many of your own ideas about how to include the “Counting Petals Poster” activity into your lessons.  I look forward to reading your ideas, so other educators and I can learn from you.  How would you introduce the “Counting Petals Poster” activity to your class? 
 
Now, it is your turn.
     I am so glad you are here.  I can’t wait to read your comments.  Also, it is possible that you will be seeing this poster as a bigger package product, so stay tuned.  Speaking of products, if you haven’t checked out my educational resources, please do so.  (I will let you in on a “secret”.  Currently, most of my products are supplemental curriculum materials.  However, I am working towards creating curriculum materials for entire skills sets, subjects, or units.)  And, if you don’t see anything that fits your needs, please feel free to contact me and request something.  I am happy to make things easier for you, if possible. 

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