Circle Fractions Frog Craft
Shapes, Scissor Skills, Colors, Fractions, and Counting Practice

Contributed by Leanne Guenther

This craft can be used to teach a variety of skills.  You don't have to use all the thoughts for lessons... just choose the ones you're working on with your child.

Materials you'll need:  scissors, glue, printer, paper,

Optional:  CD ROM - the large circle will fit on a CD rom if you'd like to make this a CD Rom craft

Thoughts for Lessons:

SCISSOR SKILLS:

• This craft has lots of nice large circles to cut out -- good scissor practice!  
• You can precut the template into separate pieces (roughly) to make it a bit easier for beginning crafters to cut out the circles.

FRACTIONS:

• The mouth is a half circle.
• Use this opportunity to show the children the difference between WHOLE circles and HALF circles.
• Ask the children how many half circles (mouths) it would take to make a whole circle.
• Instead of using the template mouth, have the children trace a cup or margarine container lid onto red construction paper.  
  • Cut out the circle.
  • Have the children fold it in HALF and cut it.
  • This demonstrates that they get two halves (mouths) from one whole circle.

COLORS:

• verbally instruct the children on how to assemble the shapes using the colors of the shapes.  (ie:  Take the white circle and glue it on the green circle.  Take the black circle and glue it on the white circle.  Take the red mouth and glue it on the head).

SIZES:

• arrange the circles into piles of very large, large, medium and small
• show the children two circles and ask -- is this one bigger, smaller or the same size as that one.

COUNTING

• Count the circles

Assembly Directions:

• Assemble the eyes (stack a large green, medium white and small black circle).  Show the children how this is done OR verbally tell them the steps (practice following verbal direction).
• Glue the eyes onto the top of the head
• Talk about the 1/2 circle mouth
• Glue the mouth onto the head.
• Optional:  Tape to a drinking straw to make a puppet OR tape a small piece of coarse sandpaper to the back to make a felt board character.

Templates:

• Close the template window after printing to return to this screen.
• Set page margins to zero if you have trouble fitting the template on one page (FILE, PAGE SETUP or FILE, PRINTER SETUP in most browsers).

Template  (color)   or   (B&W)