Objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to understand basic arithmetic concepts through a fun mushroom-themed activity.

Materials and Prep

• Mushroom-shaped cutouts or drawings
• Counting objects (e.g. buttons, beans, or small toys)
• Pen or marker
• Scissors

No prior knowledge is required for this lesson.

Activities

1. Introduce the concept of counting by using the mushroom-shaped cutouts or drawings. Show the student how to count the mushrooms and encourage them to count along with you.
2. Ask the student to pick a number between 1 and 10. Write that number on a piece of paper.
3. Using the counting objects, ask the student to count out the chosen number of objects and place them next to each mushroom.
4. Repeat step 3 a few times, choosing different numbers each time. Encourage the student to count out the objects accurately.
5. Now, ask the student to add two mushrooms together. For example, if there are 3 mushrooms and 4 mushrooms, ask the student how many mushrooms are there in total. Help them count the mushrooms and guide them to the correct answer.
6. Continue adding different numbers of mushrooms together and ask the student to find the total.
7. Finally, ask the student to subtract one mushroom from another. For example, if there are 5 mushrooms and you take away 2 mushrooms, ask the student how many mushrooms are left. Help them count the remaining mushrooms and guide them to the correct answer.
8. Practice subtracting different numbers of mushrooms and ask the student to find the remaining amount.

Preschool Grade Talking Points

• "Mushrooms come in different shapes and sizes, just like our numbers."
• "When we count, we are saying the numbers in order."
• "We can add mushrooms together to find the total number of mushrooms."
• "Subtraction is when we take away some mushrooms from a group and see how many are left."
• "We can use counting objects to help us count and solve arithmetic problems with mushrooms."