Animals and insects line up to be counted in painted scenes.

• 1.

  Cover your work area with newspaper. At the top of your paper, use Crayola® Washable Watercolors and Crayola So Big Brushes to a paint background scene, such as a farm, garden, or ocean. Leave space at the bottom for a description. Dry.

• 2.

  Imagine what kinds of creatures live in the setting, such as pigs on a farm, bugs in a garden, and fish in an ocean. On a separate sheet of paper, use Crayola Washable Markers to draw a set of creatures. Cut out each creature with Crayola Scissors.

• 3.

  Count your creatures. Attach them to your dry watercolor scene with a Crayola Washable Glue Stick.

• 4.

  With markers, describe your scene using words and numerals. Exchange scenes with classmates to count and read each other's work.

Standards

• LA: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade level topics with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
• LA: Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.
• LA: Participate in shared research and writing projects.
• MATH: Understand place value.
• SCI: Ask questions about the natural and human-built worlds.
• SCI: Construct drawings or diagrams as representations of events or systems.
• VA: Use art materials and tools in a safe and responsible manner.
• VA: Use visual structures of art to communicate ideas.

Adaptations

• With the help of adults, small groups of students write stories, songs, or poems about their original scenes, incorporating counting as an integral element.
• Encourage students to create a second scene that includes a different number of creatures.
• Organize student artwork for the counting exercise into a class book. Students take turns bringing the book home to share with family members and practice their counting after school hours.