Mushroom Math: Cardboard Counting Board

Transform a cardboard canvas into an interactive learning space. Let your child’s counting skills bloom with this easy to create Mushroom Math Board. Engage curious minds in this tactile adventure that combines creativity and numbers, making math a delightful journey. In this blog post, we’ll guide you through the steps of creating this educational masterpiece that promises hours of learning and play.

WILL YOU SET UP THIS EASY MUSHROOM MATH BOARD WITH YOUR CHILD? Pin it for later!

Benefits of the Activity:

• Counting Skills: This activity provides a hands-on experience for toddlers to practice their counting skills in a fun and interactive way.
• Fine Motor Development: The process of coloring in the mushrooms and pressing the peas or beads into the playdough enhances fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
• Number Recognition: Associating numbers with quantities and engaging in counting fosters early number recognition and understanding.
• Imaginative Play: The creative aspect of coloring and decorating the mushrooms encourages imaginative play and artistic expression.
• Tactile Engagement: Manipulating playdough and pressing peas or beads provides tactile stimulation, contributing to sensory exploration.

Supplies You’ll Need:

• Large piece of cardboard
• Sharpie
• White Paint Markers
• Red playdough (you can make it using a simple recipe found here)
• Yellow split peas or yellow pony beads
• Packing tape

Crafting and Learning Steps:

1. Mushroom Creation:

• Draw 5 to 12 mushrooms on the large piece of cardboard using a sharpie marker. Feel free to let your creativity flow as you design each mushroom’s cap and stem.

2. Adding Numbers:

• Color in the bottom of each mushroom’s stem with white paint marker, providing a canvas for the numbers. Write the numbers 1 to 5 or 1 to 12 on the base of the mushroom’s stem.

3. Protection and Durability:

• Cover the entire cardboard with packing tape, creating a protective layer that ensures your masterpiece withstands countless play sessions.

4. Playdough Playtime:

• Hand your little one a vibrant ball of red playdough, setting the stage for artistic exploration. You can either use store-bought playdough or whip up a homemade batch using my simple recipe whichyou can find here.

5. Mushroom Coloring:

• Invite your child to use the red playdough to color in the tops of the mushrooms. This step allows them to practice their fine motor skills and engage in imaginative play.

6. Counting Challenge:

• Now comes the educational twist! Hand your child a handful of yellow split peas or yellow pony beads. These will be used for counting and creating spots on the mushrooms.

7. Count and Press:

• Based on the number written on the base of each mushroom, ask your child to count the correct number of split peas or beads. Then, they can press them into the red playdough on each mushroom, creating vibrant spots.

The Cardboard Mushroom Counting Board is a magical gateway to learning where numbers intertwine with creativity. This craft not only nurtures mathematical concepts but also enriches your child’s sensory experiences and fine motor skills. Through the blending of play, crafting, and education, this activity ignites a spark in young minds and celebrates the beauty of early learning. So, gather your supplies, let the colors and numbers dance, and embark on a captivating journey of discovery and fun!

Age Suitability

This activity is good for toddlers aged children 3 years old and up with adult assistance.

Mess Level

The mess level for this activity is low.

Difficulty to Create 

Low.

Skills Developed

Language development, shape recognition, color recognition, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, imaginative play, creativity.

Toddler and Preschooler Curriculums, Books & TV Show!

Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers

There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!

But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.

Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.

Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again! 

These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!

Click here for more information: Play2Learn

Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.

Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids

Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon. 

Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.

Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.

Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids

Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more. 

Find out more and grab your copy here.

Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.

Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids

Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.

• 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
• Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
• Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.

Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!

Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.

TV Show: Curious Crafting

I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.

Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!

Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.

In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create. 

Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.

This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up. 

WILL YOU SET UP THIS EASY MUSHROOM MATH BOARD WITH YOUR CHILD? Pin it for later!