Do you think you know how to count to ten? Most people think they do. But what if I told you most people have no idea how to count to ten?

So goes the blurb on the back of OCS teacher Dan Gilhuis’s new book, Nobody Knows How to Count to Ten. The first in the series “Books for Wiggly Readers,” it was created as a read-aloud book for classroom transition activities such as brain breaks, body breaks, and daily physical exercise (DPA). The story was written for grades K-3, but can work for older grades as well.

The book is engaging and silly, and gets students moving in a fun and interactive way. For each number from one to ten, it provides a rhyming verse and an activity, which range from moving like monkeys to wiggling like spaghetti noodles. One page urges students to laugh until they snort:
“Seven should tickle the tongue once it leaves your lips,
It should tickle your ears to your fingertips.
So throw the old away, you’re not the sort,
It’s time to laugh until you snort!
Instead of saying seven, laugh as silly as you can!
… 5,4,3,2,1, and freeze!”

Mr. G, as he is affectionately known at OCS, got the idea for the book when searching for classroom transition activities. Most of the resources he found were online, which means they weren’t portable, and not always convenient to use. He saw the need for a portable, accessible transition tool and decided to create the book.

While it may seem like just a fun distraction for students, the book is actually structured in a way that facilitates classroom management. As part of the writing process, Mr. G tested many drafts in OCS classrooms and incorporated feedback from students and teachers. “Early versions of the book resulted in students getting too wired,” Mr. G explains. “In the final version, the last two activities, blinking and falling asleep, help students wind down and prepare for their next classroom subject.”

Nobody Knows How to Count to Ten is available in the OCS library and on Amazon.com.

Ottawa Christian School is a non-denominational Christian day school where more than 230 students from JK to grade 8 incorporate Biblical values in their curriculum that meets or exceeds provincial standards. Weekly chapel services and teaching from a Christian perspective allows children to increase their knowledge and practice their Christian faith daily.  Ask about Intensive French and After School programs. For more information visit HYPERLINK “http://www.ocschool.org/”HYPERLINK “http://www.ocschool.org/”HYPERLINK “http://www.ocschool.org/”www.OCSchool.org or call 613-825-3000.
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