Ages 3–5 · 8 little discoveries
Pistachio's Number Garden
Eight small discoveries: match, count, compare and make a group. Take as much time as you need.
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Choose a lesson. You can revisit any discovery.
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One for each
Match each bowl with exactly one acorn.
Pistachio is having a picnic. Each friend has a bowl. Each bowl needs one acorn.
Put one acorn in a bowl. Then go to an empty bowl and give it one too.
Look at all the bowls. Is one still empty? Find it!
Now every bowl has one acorn. One for each! Your turn.
One, two, three
Count a group of up to three objects once each.
Here is one acorn. Touch it and say: one!
Another acorn came. Touch the first: one. Touch the next: two.
Now there are three. Touch and count: one, two, three!
Lost your place? Start again from one side. Take your time.
Four and five
Count four or five objects without skipping or double counting.
One, two, three... and touch the next one: four!
One more came. Let’s count: one, two, three, four, five!
The acorns moved apart. None came, none left. Count again: still five!
Touch each one only once. The little check marks help you.
The last number tells us
Use the final counting word to name the total.
Let’s count the apples with Pistachio: one, two, three.
The last number we said is three. So there are three apples!
The apples moved apart. Nothing was added or taken. Still three!
Count a new group. The last number you say tells how many.
An empty bowl
Recognise zero as no objects in a group.
There are two apples on the mat. Pistachio gives one to a friend.
The last apple goes too. No apples left! That is zero.
One apple: there is still one. Zero: there is none at all.
Take the apples away until the tray is empty. An empty tray is zero.
The same amount
Match two groups with the same number of objects.
Three friends, three apples. One apple each, none left over. Same amount!
Three acorns and three apples look different. But both groups have three!
Big apples or small apples: three is still three. We count, not look at size.
Find a group with the same number. You can count again.
More or fewer?
Compare two quantities up to five using counting or matching.
Pistachio sees two apples here and four apples there.
Match them one by one. The group with apples left over has more.
Two and four. Four is more than two. Two is fewer than four.
Listen: do we want more or fewer? Then look at both groups.
Make the amount
Create a requested group of zero to five objects and check it.
A friend wants four acorns. Start with an empty basket.
Put them in one by one: one, two, three, four. Stop at four!
Put in five by mistake? Take one out and count again.
Now with stars! Make the group, check it, then say ready.