Counting with Balls and Tunnels (18-36 months)
Text on screen: Counting with Balls and Tunnels (18–36 months).
Logo: Count, play, explore—for early education.
On screen: An educator sits on the ground outside. In front of the educator is a white structure built out of tubes. The structure is held up by long tubes on either side and a tube that runs across the top. Tubes of different lengths, both white and clear, extend down from the top tube. The top tube has openings that connect with the extending tubes. Several children stand around the structure. The children place balls into the openings on the top of the structure and watch the balls exit through the extending tubes.
Educator: Look, here I’ll stop it at the bottom and we can see if all of the balls fit.
On screen: The educator places the palm of their hand over the bottom of one of the clear tubes that extends from the structure. A child places a ball into the opening at the top. The ball travels through the clear tube and stops when it reaches the opening that is covered by the educator’s hand.
Educator: One.
Child: One.
Educator: Let’s try another one.
Child: Okay.
On screen: The child takes several steps to the right and picks up another ball before walking back to the structure and placing the ball in the same opening at the top. There are now two balls in the clear tunnel.
Educator: Okay.
Child 1: One.
Educator: One more.
Child 1: One, two … three
Educator: Two.
On screen: The educator holds up two fingers on the hand that is not blocking the tube bottom. The child retrieves another ball and places it in the opening. There are now three balls in the clear tunnel.
Child 1: Four.
Educator: That’s three.
Child 1: Five, six.
Educator: Three.
Child 1: Seven, eight.
Educator: One, two, three.
On screen: The educator points to each ball in the clear tube and counts them.
Child 1: Nine, 10.
Educator: Should we see if we can fit nine?
Child 1: Yeah.
Educator: How many are you going to get, Ev? One?
On screen: The educator holds up one finger while the child goes to get a ball to the right of the structure.
Child 1: Two.
On screen: The child holds up two balls, and the educator holds up two fingers. Another child walks over holding two balls.
Educator: Two. Now you each have two, right? Let’s put them in. Whoa.
On screen: Each child puts the two balls they are holding into the structure. There are now seven balls in the clear tunnel.
Child 1: We did it.
Educator: We just added four more. And now how many do we have? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
On screen: The educator points to each ball in the clear tube and counts them. The child points to some of the balls as the educators counts.
Text on screen: A special thanks to the children, families, and staff of the Cuesta College Children’s Center, without whose help these videos would not have been possible.
Logo: Count, play, explore—for early education.