Counting Bananas
Written by John Carr
Illustrations by Jim Storey
The Story
The monkey,
orangutan and
gorilla have a
banana-eating
competition to see
who can count the
fastest.
Introduction
• Children count to 20 on a number board. Point to the numbers as the
children count.
• Count to 10 with the children. Then count to 10 by twos.
What is different? (It’s faster.)
Children repeat the number pattern.
• Introduce the story. Ask the children to count to 10 as fast as they can
manage (forwards and backwards). The monkey and the orangutan eat
the same number of bananas. Read the numbers on the pages together.
Focus on the difference between counting by ones and counting by
twos.
What is different about the way the monkey and the orangutan eat
the bananas?
• Read the numbers on page 7.
What is the number pattern?
What number can you count up to by twos?
Read the story together.
• Count to 20 by twos.
• Retell the story.
Which animal counted the fastest?
Why could the gorilla count the fastest?
Reinforce the concept that counting by twos is faster than counting
by ones. Count to 20 by twos on the number board.
Follow-up Activities
Process
• Finding patterns
• Using structured
equipment
• Counting with a
calculator
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Making Twos
Place counters or interlocking cubes in groups of two. Read the pattern
together. Use other unstructured equipment to make patterns of 2 up to
10. Children read the patterns to a partner.
Counting in Twos
Ask the children what mini beasts they know with 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10
legs. Children draw a mini beast and label the body parts. Put these on
display.
© Wendy Pye Publishing Ltd 2011
Using the Online Activities
Activity 1 – The Space Ark
The aliens are going onto the space ark two at a time. Help Chip to
count them.
As a follow-up, children take handfuls of unstructured equipment (cubes,
counters) and count it out in twos until they get to 10. They put the
leftovers back in the pile.
Activity 2 – The Treasure Hunt
Help Number Cruncher to find the treasure by counting in twos.
As a follow-up, place number cards to 10 on the floor and children hop
on the even numbers only, counting as they go.
Activity 3 –­ Double Bubbles
Children make double bubbles to stop the Digits getting into trouble.
As a follow-up, give ten children a number card (1–10) and ask them to
line up in order. Ask one child (not in the line) to leave the room. Then
remove a child or mix up the order of the line. The child comes back in
and puts the line back in order or says which number is missing.
Rhyme – Two, Four, Six, Eight
Read the rhyme.
As a follow-up. children glue pictures from magazines into groups of
two, four or six on a number line. Write a number story underneath. 2 cats, 4 trees and 6 cows.
Other Activities
Pretty Patterns
Provide the children with a selection of unstructured equipment.
Children choose a number between 1 and 10 and group objects in
different ways such as counting by twos or odd and even numbers.
Write the number stories.
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3
Maths Concept
Patterns to 10
Doubles
Counting by twos
to 10
Maths Language
odd
even
pattern
calculate
answer
right
wrong
correct
counting in twos
How did you work
it out?
number
sentence
Calculator Counting
Working in pairs and using a calculator, children use even numbers to
make 10. They write down the different number patterns as they go.
Skipping Rhymes
Provide skipping ropes and rhyme charts. Children sing skipping rhymes.
2, 4, 6, 8, Who do we appreciate?
© Wendy Pye Publishing Ltd 2011
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