This page has information on how to make a Counting Caterpillar

     I used my counting caterpillar when I taught kindergarten and also when I taught second grade. In kindergarten we added a numeral and counted every morning, and the children loved it. At first we counted by ones. We counted by one's until we reached 30. Then we counted by ones, and two's (yellow). When we reached 50 we counted by 1's, 2's, 5's (all large circles), and 10's (all large circles with a line below the numeral). Counting was one of my kindergartner's favorite activities. I used a pointer at first, and stopped using the pointer after a while. I have made circles which you can download and print (or print and copy).

You will need the following files:

Small circles (six to a page)

Large circles (two to a page)

I would suggest the following for your caterpillar to number 180 days of school:
Small circles - 15 sheets of green (for odd numbers)
                       15 sheets of yellow (for even numbers)

Large circles - 18 sheets of orange or other contrasting color to back the 5's and 10's. Don't forget to underline or draw a box around the 10's so the children can differentiate them from the five's.

Number the small circles putting odd numbers on green circles and even numbers on yellow circles. Glue all multiples of 5 on a larger circle, and draw a line below the multiples of ten.

I would suggest that you enlist some help from parents or and aide with cutting out the circles. If you put the circles on cardstock they will last a while. You might want to laminate them so they can be used for a few years.

Occasionally challenge the children to turn around and count without looking at the caterpillar. For a change count backwards from 100 - 1.

Happy counting!
Audrey Smith

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