Plant life cycle place value activities for kids who love science and hands-on math! Students build numbers with plant-themed base ten pictures: trees for hundreds, stems for tens and seeds for ones.

Base ten blocks are models that show how numbers are built from hundreds, tens and ones. In this activity, students draw one card from each container and show the number with the plant-themed base ten pictures. Two levels make it easy to teach tens and ones first and then add the hundreds place. Use it as a whole-class activity or a math center.

With these plant life cycle place value activities, you get

• Two levels: Tens & Ones and Hundreds, Tens & Ones
• Plant-themed base ten pictures for building numbers
• 32 cards for each level of learning
• Recording sheets and container labels for centers

Print, fill your containers and let students start building numbers!

What's Included

• Two levels: Tens & Ones (units) and Hundreds, Tens & Ones (units)
• 32 cards for each level of learning (for the hundreds, a set of 8 cards is included for numbers such as 100, 200 and 300)
• Pages 5-6: Cloud and sun faces for fun crowns
• Page 7: Base ten blocks for teaching tens and ones
• Page 8: Container labels for tens and ones only
• Page 9: Base ten blocks for teaching hundreds, tens and ones (you will need 9 copies of this page)
• Page 10: Container labels for hundreds, tens and ones
• Pages 11-13: Place value numbers (if you are teaching only tens and ones, you will not need page 12)
• Pages 14-16: Cards for centers or as an alternative to the place value numbers (tens and ones only)
• Page 17: Recording sheet for the tens and ones center
• Pages 18-20: Cards for centers or as an alternative to the place value numbers (hundreds, tens and ones)
• Page 21: Recording sheets for the hundreds, tens and ones center
• Pages 22-23: Alternate container labels for curricula that call for hundreds, tens and units

Why Teachers Love It

• Science and math together: Kids who are into plants can practice place value with a theme they already enjoy.
• Two levels in one: Start with tens and ones and add hundreds when students are ready.
• Whole class or centers: Use the cloud and sun crowns for a whole-class activity or set it up as a center with recording sheets.
• Labels for your curriculum: Alternate container labels fit programs that use "units" in place of "ones."
• Hands-on and visual: Students build each number with pictures, so they can see what each digit means.

Skills Students Practice

Primary Academic Skills

• Place value: Students show how many hundreds, tens and ones are in a number.
• Building numbers with models: Trees, stems and seeds stand for hundreds, tens and ones.
• Reading and writing numbers: Students read each number card and record it on the recording sheet.
• Understanding hundreds: The set of 8 hundreds cards helps students picture numbers such as 100, 200 and 300.
• Math vocabulary: Words such as hundreds, tens, ones and units become part of the activity.

Secondary Life & Learning Skills

• Following directions
• Taking turns
• Maintaining attention
• Using mathematical language
• Working independently
• Building confidence during group participation

How to Use It

Step 1: Choose your level. Print the base ten pictures, container labels and number cards. Place the cards in 3 small containers or jars (or 2 for tens and ones only).

Step 2: Students draw one card from each container and show the number with the plant-themed base ten pictures.

Step 3: For added fun, build the numbers on a sticky wall, which is simply contact paper taped to the wall with the sticky side facing out. You can also build them on a table or the floor. In centers, students record each number on the recording sheet.

Materials You'll Need

• Paper
• Laminating pouches
• Laminator
• 3 small containers or jars

Easy Differentiation

Students come to place value with different levels of understanding. Two levels make it easy to meet each learner where they are.

For Children Who Need More Support

• Start with the Tens & Ones level
• Build the first few numbers together as a group
• Have students say how many tens and ones before they build

For On-Level Practice

• Use the level that matches what your class is learning
• Have students build the number and record it on the recording sheet
• Rotate students through the center in small groups

For an Extra Challenge

• Move to the Hundreds, Tens & Ones level
• Ask students to build a number and have a partner name it
• Have students explain how they know how many hundreds, tens and ones are in each number

For Speech, OT, ELL or Special Education Support

• Practice place value vocabulary such as hundreds, tens and ones
• Use a sentence frame such as "My number has ___ tens and ___ ones."
• Use the cloud and sun crowns to give each child a role in whole-class play
• Give extra processing time and model each step first

Perfect For

• Math centers
• Whole-class activities
• Small groups
• Spring and plant units
• Science and math connections
• Homeschool

Standards

These place value activities support 1st and 2nd grade math standards in Common Core, the TEKS (Math, adopted 2012) and the Virginia Math SOL (2023):

Common Core State Standards

• CCSS 1.NBT.B.2: Understand that the two digits of a two-digit number represent amounts of tens and ones.
• CCSS 2.NBT.A.1: Understand that the three digits of a three-digit number represent amounts of hundreds, tens and ones.

Texas TEKS

• TEKS Math 1.2.C: Use objects and pictures to represent numbers up to 120.
• TEKS Math 2.2.A: Use pictorial models to compose numbers as a sum of hundreds, tens and ones.

Virginia SOL

• VA SOL Math 1.NS.2: Describe the number of groups of tens and ones in a two-digit number.
• VA SOL Math 2.NS.2.b: Read, write and represent three-digit numbers using pictorial representations.

Add the Plant Life Cycle Place Value Activities to your cart and give your students a hands-on way to build numbers with hundreds, tens and ones. Print, fill your containers and watch place value grow!

Download Details

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2. In your email
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