This is a super simple counting activity that I came up with on the fly. I love that it features the watermelon (our theme for this week) and is something I can keep “on file” as my little one grows in his understanding of numbers. For example, this could easily be used with preschoolers to not only teach counting, but basic number operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division).

Here’s how to make it…

Materials:

felt pieces–one green, one red and one black

scissors (use a good pair so it cuts nicely)

glue dots (about 8-10)

Procedure:

Using a large paper plate, trace half of the plate onto the red piece of felt (use the edge of the felt as a guide). Next, trace 3/4 of the paper plate onto the green piece of felt (again, using one of the sides). Cut out both pieces. Place the red piece on top of the green piece so that some of the bottom portion of the green is showing (it should resemble a piece of watermelon–the green rind and then the red “flesh”). Using the edge of the red felt as a guide, place one glue dot every inch or so in between the red and green pieces so that they hold together in place. With the black felt, cut out the seeds. I folded a small piece of black felt in half and then cut out a shape that resembled a seed. By folding, I was able to get two seeds per cut.