My kids are having a blast with A to Zoo from Mother Goose Time! Letter “A” is an easy sell since my kids are fascinated by alligators. These reptiles are so dinosaur like and bizarre and let’s face it on occasion terrifying!
“A” is for Alligator
After making an adorable “A is for Alligator” craft the kids learned a bit more about these amazing creatures from the included “A to Zoo” alphabet book. Did you know that the gender of alligator that hatches from an egg depends on temperature? Cooler eggs result in female alligators, whereas warmer eggs beget male alligators.
The kids love getting background knowledge on these animals. A small story or a little bit of science (in this case both) make learning letters and phonics worth the effort for them!
Alligator Nest Math Game
The kid’s favorite activity was a math game. By matching numerals to the corresponding number of dots, my kids were able to make pairs that were ready to go into the alligator nest. I love that my kids are learning math through activities that they ask to do again and again! This is a great one to try with your preschoolers alone or in a group!
Supplies
- alligator eggs*
- Your Supplies
- scissors
- blocks
- nature items
Set Up
- Place the numeral eggs on the table.
- Hide the dotted eggs under the table or on the floor.
- Independent Play
- Encourage children to build a nest for the alligator eggs. Explain that alligators are hatched from eggs. (We used a tissue box.)
- Choose one of the numeral eggs then search for the egg with the matching number of dots.
- Put the pair safely in the nest.
Observe
- Did the child count the dots correctly?
- Did he or she match the dotted egg to the numbered egg?
Our Experience with Alligator Nest
My three year old thought this was just the best game! He wanted to play it over and over again. Even after Mommy wore out and headed to make lunch, he coaxed his older sister and brother into hiding the eggs for him!
Counting to Six
While my son has been able to count aloud for sometime, this is the first time he has concretely counted to six with one dot per each number said and stopped at the right time. We celebrated! I’m sure that didn’t hurt his enthusiasm for this game or his interest in repeating play!
An Unintended Challenge
After we picked up all the eggs, two of them got stuck in the nest and we didn’t notice until went to put up the game. We got to problem solve which set of numbers was missing! He had a great time solving this mystery, so I highly recommend putting out all the egg sets but one and letting your kids determine which egg is missing. It makes an awesome (if in our case unintentional) extension project!
My Favorite Moment
Check out the faces in these pictures and you’ll know why I love this “I got it” moment so much!
Moments like this are so precious! I love that Mother Goose Time makes them so much easier for this crazy busy Mom of four to achieve.
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If you are interested in reading more about our experience with Mother Goose Time, check out our curriculum page!
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Happy Learning!
As a blog ambassador for Mother Goose Time, I am happy to share preschool curriculum ideas, activities, and crafts with my readers. Mother Goose Time provides our family the opportunity to use their curriculum free of charge in exchange for honest and authentic stories based on our personal experience.
