: Egg Carton Counting :

Earth Day is here! There are so many ways to take care of our environment, including the reuse of household recyclables. For instance, egg cartons have countless possibilities when it comes to transforming them into other things. We will continue to use egg cartons for crafts and activities. We have already created starters for seeds with cartons that were leftover from Easter. Today, Jared used an egg carton as a counting board with individual pouches for each number.

Materials

One dozen-sized egg carton

Lentils or other dried legumes

Paper

Pen

Scissors

Tweezers

Directions

1. Simply write numbers 1 through 12 on your paper (I used an index card because it is thicker), then cut them out to fit into each slot of the carton.
2. Fill a small container with your lentils (use lima beans if lentils are too difficult).
3. Demonstrate to your child how to pick up each lentil with the tweezers and set it in each slot. Also, explain to them that the object is to put as many lentils in each slot as the corresponding number calls for.

Other Comments

This activity is wonderful for your preschooler's fine motor skills and coordination, therein. It also reinforces math/counting skills by associating the written number with actual objects counted to that number, and it gives a 3-dimensional look at numeric sequence. So, don't throw away that egg carton. Create an easy, frugal counting activity for your young child.