Activites Activities In "Seaweed Soup, the math concept presented is matching sets, or one-to-one correspondence. Understanding sets is an important step in cou...nting, understanding more than/less than, and learning about patterns and relationships. If you would like to have more fun with the math concepts presented in "Seaweed Soup, here are a few suggestions: Read the story with the child and describe what is going on in each picture. Ask questions like: " Now how many animals are coming to lunch?" " How is the table setting on this page different from the table setting on the previous page? Why did it change?" While reading the story, ask the child what things each new character will need in order to eat lunch. As each new guest arrives, count the number of cups, spoons, napkins, and bowls on the table. Discuss how each guest has 1 cup, 1 spoon, 1 napkin, and 1 bowl. Ask the child such questions as: " Suppose there are 8 people coming to the house for dinner and there are only 6 spoons on the table. How many more spoons will we need?" or " Suppose everyone in the family will need 2 spoons for dinner. How many spoons will we need altogether?" After reading the story, act it out by setting a table using different types of cups, spoons, napkins, and bowls for each of the 5 characters. After acting out the story, have the child compare the table he or she set to the table at the end of the story. Following are some activities that will help you extend the concepts presented in "Seaweed Soup into a child's everyday life: Lunch Party: Plan a lunch party (real or make-believe) with the child's favorite soup as the main course. Have the child figureout how many cups, spoons, napkins, and bowls will be needed for the lunch. Around the House: Have the child count the number of spoons, knives, and forks in the kitchen. Is there a spoon for every fork? How many sets of 1 spoon, 1 knife, and 1 fork can you make? Game: Make two rows of pennies (any number will do) in front of each child. Ask, " Do your sets of pennies match?" Ask the children to close their eyes. Add 1 penny to or take 1 away from some of the rows. When the children open their eyes, ask, " Who has 2 rows that don't match? How can we make them match?" If a child answers correctly, he or she gets 1 penny from each of the other players. Repeat. Whoever ends up with the most pennies wins.Detailed info »« Brief info