Math with Rooster's Off To See the World

Earlier this week, I used the book Rooster's Off to See the World (Eric Carle) to introduce the concepts of addition and subtraction to our home(pre)school co-op.

This book is simple and predictable, and was perfect for our three and four year olds. The story is about a rooster who decides to go off and see the world. Along the way he "adds" 2 cats, 3 frogs, 4 turtles, and 5 fish to his entourage. I had the children stack Unifix cubes to represent animals.

• 1 rooster + 2 cats = 3 animals off to see the world
• 3 animals + 3 frogs = 6 animals off to see the world
• 6 animals + 4 turtles = 10 animals off to see the world
• 10 animals + 5 fish = 15 animals off to see the world

But then the animals realize that rooster hasn't planned the trip very well, and they "subtract" themselves from the group.

• 15 animals - 5 fish = 10 animals
• 10 animals - 4 turtles = 6 animals
• 6 animals - 3 frogs = 3 animals
• 3 animals - 2 cats = 1 rooster

The preschoolers enjoyed acting out the story with the Unifix cubes. Manipulatives aren't just for math!

What are your favorite math storybooks?