chicka chicka preschool math

There's tons of fun activities out there for the Chicka Chicka books, but here are two things I did at preschool.  We had read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom last year, but not the 123 book. 

So a week or so ago I had a teachers choice theme on a math day.  I showed the pages of chicka chicka boom boom to review the plot of the story.  Then I read chicka chicka 123.  The kids loved it.  It was familiar and new at the same time.  This story counts to 20 and then counts by 10s to 100.  We aren't quite there for counting by 10s, but we all needed the counting to 20.  A few of the more mathematically accelerated kids I'm sure appreciated the counting by 10s.  This year I really want to keep them in mind. 

I wrote the kids names out a large chart paper and we counted the letters in each persons name.  We counted each as we worked on their page for our class book.  The page reads, "Chicka, chicka, boom, boom!  Will there be enough room?  ______'s  has _____ letters in her name. 

One of the gals I teach with had the fun idea to use old metal canning lids to use in an activity where the kids plunk them into a metal coffee can.  She did parts of a story or something.  I printed the numbers from the story on the lids.  I laid all the 'coconuts' out in the middle of our circle and asked the kids one at a time to find a number and add it to the tree.

I'm trying to plan fewer activities this year so I don't feel rushed to get to them all.  The kids are a year older this year and they can sit through a bit longer activity like this one.  Also, the kids are doing 1 sheet of 'paperwork' this year and that has to account for 10 minutes or so.  I am really enjoying them being a year older.  For the record, the boys are just as squirrely!