The Counters Beside the Tray

Ages 9-12

Elchanan sets six wooden counters in a line on his desk.

Beside them, a tray holds a wooden spoon, a clothespin, a brown cork, a white shell, a loop of red ribbon and a round eraser.

At break, he and his friend will try to name the things with the tray covered.

Elchanan looks across the tray.

"Spoon. Clothespin. Cork. Shell. Ribbon. Eraser."

He touches one counter for each name. All six stay in the line.

He says the names once more, looking from the spoon to the eraser.

"All six."

His friend comes to the desk and lays a cloth over the tray.

Elchanan touches the first counter.

"Spoon."

At the second, he says, "Clothespin."

At the third, he says, "Eraser."

He puts his finger on the fourth counter.

"Pin."

His friend keeps the cloth over the tray.

Elchanan moves his finger to the fifth counter. Then he returns to the fourth.

"A pin."

He pulls off the cloth.

The white shell lies beside the spoon. The red ribbon curls around itself, and the brown cork stands at the back.

"Shell. Ribbon. Cork."

Elchanan straightens the six counters. He reads the tray across again, touching a counter for each name.

His friend picks up the cloth.

"Ready?"

Elchanan looks at the straight line. All six counters stand beside the open tray.

He takes the cloth and lays it over the things himself.

"Spoon. Clothespin. Eraser."

His finger reaches the fourth counter.

He pushes it out of the line, back beside the tray. Then he pushes the fifth and sixth beside it.

His friend lifts the cloth and looks over the six things.

The tray is uncovered. Three counters stand in the line. Three stand beside it.