Cookie Dots

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• 18 sheets of paper
• 3 or more sheets of ¾-inch dot stickers (24 to a sheet)

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Preparation

1. Post 9 sheets of paper — arranged in separate clusters of 2, 3, and 4 sheets — where the children can see them easily during circle time. Save the other 9 sheets of paper for later use (see below).

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1. Show a sheet with 24 dot stickers. Tell the children that they will pretend the dots are cookies. Ask, How many cookies are there? Have the class count along as you point to each “cookie.”
2. Point to the cluster of 2 sheets of paper and the sheet of dot stickers. Ask, How can you share these 24 cookies equally so that each sheet gets the same number of cookies? Have the children suggest solutions. (Possible answers may include: placing the dots one at a time on each sheet, or placing some dots on each sheet and then counting and moving the dots from one sheet to another until each sheet has an equal number.)
3. Say, Let’s try out one of the ideas! Repeat the strategy suggested by one of the children, e.g., Sonia said we could put 1 cookie on each sheet until all the cookies are gone. Let’s try it. One on this sheet, and 1 on the other. Have 2 volunteers alternate sticking a dot on one sheet and then the other while the rest of the children give them advice as needed. Once all the “cookies” are divided, ask, How can we tell if we shared them equally? (They can count the cookies on each sheet.) Have them count the dots on each sheet and confirm that they were shared equally.
4. Repeat the activity using a second sheet of 24 dots, the cluster of 3 sheets of paper, and 3 volunteers. Then repeat the activity using a third sheet of 24 dots, the cluster of 4 sheets of paper, and 4 volunteers.
5. Try out the other suggested strategies for sharing the cookie dots equally, using additional sheets of 24 dots and clusters of either 2, 3, or 4 sheets of paper.

Note: Increase the challenge by having the children compare the three clusters of shared dots. Ask, Why do these 2 sheets of paper have more cookies than these 3 sheets of paper? Why do the 3 sheets of paper have more cookies than the 4 sheets of paper?