When six monsters get together to play musical chairs, you'd better watch out! "Stomp, stomp, SNORT. Shake, shimmy, SHOUT! When the music stops, one monster is OUT!," sings the leader of the monster band. One by one the players are tagged out until there's only one left: The winner!
Knowing how many objects are left when one is taken away from a group is a first step in understanding the concept of subtraction.
Illustrated by Scott Nash.
Ask questions throughout the story, such as: "How many monsters are left?" "How many chairs are left?" "Why are there more monsters than chairs?"
Give your child (or each of your students) 15 small treats, such as raisins or mini-marshmallows. Have the children eat one and then count and say how many are left. Continue until all the treats are gone!
Before you check out at the grocery store, count the number of items in your cart together with your child. As you place the items on the check-out counter one by one, ask your child how many items are now left in the cart.