Last summer 123 Count With Me By The Sea launched with our website, to rave reviews.

Students enjoy counting the seashells and then X-ing off that many squares, putting in stickers, or dabbing the boxes with a bingo dot marker.

I have been using this bingo-dot concept with my Y5’s for over 10 years on skill sheets, as well as “find and circle the number in the sequence of numbers.” Both these techniques are fun ways for students to learn numbers.

As with the seashell booklet, many of my booklets also have a cut and glue the group/set of objects to the matching box in your booklet.

This helps reinforce counting, one-to-one correspondence, matching groups of objects and numbers, as well as having students refine their fine motor skills.

Several subscribers asked for more of these counting booklets as they cover a variety of standards, skills and subjects.

Students can do them independently in 5-8 minutes so they can be plugged in for Daily 5, centers, or something for students to work on, at their own pace, when they have completed other work.

They also make wonderful “Easy Readers” that help reinforce word wall words and build self-esteem.

You can also tuck them in a take home folder for “homework” or a home-school connection; or for parents to work on with a struggling child.  They are perfect for a substitute as well.

I sat down to make a template and a list of all the themes for back-to-school and came up with apples, buses, crayons, and footballs. 

I made 123 Count With Me booklets for each of them and plan to make at least 4 for every month.

October’s counting booklets will be leaves, pumpkins, bats, spiders and candy corn.

To celebrate the launch of the 123 Count With Me booklets I designed a special counting booklet that has a similar format.

It’s entitled: The Students On The Bus.

This one is more of a keepsake, because students glue their own photo on the first bus and then 14 of their friends’ school pictures on the next 4 buses.

Teachers simply print their class composite on the photo setting of their copier for each student.

The last page is made extra special as well, when the teacher glues their picture over the driver’s face before running it off.

Click on the link to view/print The Students On The Bus back-to-school booklet.

Why not become a subscriber and be able to download all of the 123 Count With Me booklets (There will be approximately 40!) Click on the link to see how.

Do you have a counting idea that works for you?  I’d enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com

Remember…commenting or sharing an idea are 2 ways to enter our back-to-school-button bracelet CONTEST! Click on the link for all the details.

LIKE us on Facebook and link this article and then e-mail to let me know, and there you have another way!  Thanks for participating.

This article will go towards next week's winner, which will be announced Monday August 8th instead of Friday the 5th.

Check out this week's winners in the article after this one.

Simple scroll down! (We had 3 winners!)

Be sure to pop in this week for back-to-school idea #28 and make an adorable Alligobbler to help your students understand the concepts of less than and greater than.