Learning Objective:
Numbers: children count reliably with numbers from 1 to 20, place them in order and say which number is one more or one less than a given number
Resources
- Chalk
- Conkers, leaves, acorns
- Green bottles
Introduction Activity
Gather the group together and sing ‘Ten Green Bottles’, altering the green bottles with brown conkers! Ask ten children to line up be the ‘conkers!’ Move one child from the group when it ‘accidentally falls!’
Activity
Divide the pupils in to groups of three or four. Write the numbers 1-10 for each group on the playground. Visit a Horse Chestnut tree either in the school or nursery grounds or in the local community and collect lots of conkers. If this is not possible, prepare a bucket of conkers and ask the children to collect lots of fallen leaves. Ask the children to place the correct number of conkers in a line under the numbers. Look and count together to check their results. Ask the children to stay with their collections and call out simple instructions – e.g take one conker away – how many are left? What number is one less than 7 – one less than four – what number is one more than five? Encourage lots of counting.
Plenary
Now add numbers 11 -20 and ask the children to collect leaves (top tip – use smaller leaves if possible!) and lay out the correct number of leaves, supporting the children where necessary. Experiment with pattern – can the children make a leaf, conker, leaf pattern in their number lines? Do they have the same number of items in each line?
