These simple leaf math games for preschool let you take your learning outdoors for some hands-on fun.
Leaf math games for preschool
We took our math games outdoors into our Garden Classroom today. Many of the maths lessons we work on can be done just as effectively outdoors. The garden is full of math manipulatives!
Ready-made forest school lesson plans
Have you got your copy of The Forest Classroom yet? It is the perfect beginner’s guide to running a successful forest school. Download your forest school guide here.
A forest classroom is a place of adventure, discovery, and imagination. It can also be a wonderful place to learn about math and science, explore art and crafts, and develop language and social skills.
The Forest Classroom is a practical guide which will show you how to engage your children in fun and educational forest-school activities.
These ready-made forest school lesson plans are suitable for forest school leaders, teachers, childcarers and parents with children aged 4 to 10, to learn in a forest, school nature area, local park or your own backyard.
Get your copy of The Forest Classroom here and you’ll be ready to head straight outdoors and enjoy teaching, using our ready-made lesson plans.
Exploring size
The first task I set the children was to find five lovely leaves that got bigger and bigger.
They picked some bay leaves, which had the added benefit of having an aromatic smell to enjoy while we played with them. Any time we add the sense of smell to our activities we’re building in an extra sensory element, which I think gives our brain a little extra zing.
Reading digits
We arranged our leaves in size order and then added the numbers one to five. Our numbers increased in value as our leaves increased in size.
Treasure hunting counting
Then we went hunting for treasure to see what interesting things we could find in the garden to match our numbers. All the time we are counting and comparing numbers, using sensory materials that look, feel, and smell really good.
Addition and subtraction
You can also use the number leaves for some adding and subtracting math games.
Use some chalks to write in some plus, minus and equal signs to build some number questions.
The children can use the extra flowers and leaves they collected in the treasure hunt to help them work out the answers. Having real objects to count helps them to learn that the written numbers in their sums really do correspond to real quantities of things.
Free Forest School and Garden Classroom resources!
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Seasons School is NurtureStore's year-round program of living and learning with nature. Our activities and resources focus on hands-on, nature-based learning that connects children with the natural environment.
If you're looking for nature study lessons, arts and craft projects, campfire recipes, foraging ideas, outdoor math and literacy activities, outdoor games, and ways to explore forests, gardens, and outdoor spaces - think of NurtureStore as your forest fairy godmother!
Whether you're in a forest school or outdoor classroom, running a school gardening club, bringing nature lessons into your class, home educating with nature, or wanting to connect with the great outdoors at the weekend, you will love the Seasons School ideas.
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Fabulous photos that show how you use nature items to teach math! Thank you!
I am so pleased I came across this site as I am developing a program for my Pre-School. I want to develop a Christian and Nature Pre-school and I have found resources that support my STEM programs.
I will need more support and resources as I walk the path introducing this kind of a school.