Recent trends in education have focused on an integrated curriculum. Children learn best when subject matter is meaningful and useful, and literature brings meaning to science. Education that is organized in such a way that it cuts across subject-matter lines, bringing together various aspects of the curriculum into meaningful association, provides children with a better understanding of the subject.  It views learning and teaching in a holistic way and reflects the real world, which is interactive.

Since we have been learning all about trees this week, we decided to expand upon this theme with the book, Chicka Chicka 1,2,3. Chicka Chick 1,2,3 is a counting story book that first counts 1-20 as the numbers climb the apple tree.

After numbers 1-20 are in the apple tree the story then counts by tens, eventually reaching 100. We initially read this book during snack, and then your little ones built their very own trees with playdoh and cookie cutter numbers.

This activity served several developmental purposes. First, it demystified the concept of a large number to, it encouraged counting and one-to-one correspondence, and strengthened students’ fine motor skills as the manipulated the playdoh.