Many educators teach students a poem or chant about Zero the Hero, to bring this character to life. Borrow or write a short poem about Zero the Hero, which teaches students about the numeral’s function. For instance, state that Zero is a placeholder, protecting his space from other numbers. Make the poem rhyme to help students better remember the verses. Alternatively, write a poem as a class. Invite students to brainstorm the functions of the number zero and then to turn these facts into verse that rhymes. A third option is to have students individually draft a poem about Zero the Hero to share with their classmates.
Make a puppet of Zero the Hero to give students a visual picture of the character. Typically, Zero is portrayed in red costume with a blue mask and cape. Draw his image on a piece of poster board and cut it out. Glue to the end of a tongue depressor to complete the puppet. Alternatively, make a finger puppet by hot gluing a smaller version of the image to the fingertip of a finger cut from a red or blue stretch glove. Make one puppet to share with the class or have students make their own puppets. On days of the month that end in zero, bring out the puppets to celebrate Zero the Hero.
Have students make a poster of Zero the Hero that reinforces the numeral’s function. Instruct students to draw the shape of the numeral zero on a piece of construction paper. Provide them with markers or crayons to add arms and legs coming out of the zero and to draw a head on top of the zero. Another option is to create a picture of Zero the Hero using only round or circular objects, such as candies or pasta rings. Provide students with different round shapes, a poster board and a stick of glue. Encourage each student to caption his or her picture with a statement about the number zero’s purpose, or challenge students to list three facts about the number zero underneath the image. Display the posters on a prominent wall, where students can reference them.
Fill a blue or red sack with ring- or zero-shaped candy pieces and tell students that the sack represents Zero the Hero’s booty or treasure. Sit in a circle and have students take turns counting to 100 by one. Every student that says a number that ends in “0” gets to take a piece of candy from the sack. Do not restart counting after a student selects a piece. Vary this activity by counting by fives or 10s or by only awarding candy to students that say a number ending in double zeros. Use the candy sack to reinforce good classroom behavior. Give stars or stickers to students for good test scores or behavior. When students accumulate 10 stickers, trade them for a pick from the candy sack. Emphasize that the piece of candy is a placeholder for 10, just as a dime is a placeholder for 10 pennies.