I’ve been working on making some manipulatives today, and I couldn’t find a picture that really fit what I was looking for, for “greater than” and “less than.”  I’m sure most, if not all, of us were taught that the “greater than” and “less than” signs are like a hungry alligator who wants to eat the biggest meal possible.  I wanted a picture of an open-mouthed alligator, but preferably one where the “greater than” or “less than” sign was somewhat visible within the image.  I couldn’t find one, exactly, but I did find a photo with a cave drawing that was pretty close to what I was looking for, so I copied the concept and made my own. Here are the images, for any other moms/dads/teachers who may find them useful.  Please feel free to use them as needed for your family, your classroom, etc.  All I ask is that you not take credit for them, and you not include them in any collection, etc. where people will be charged for them.  Keep them free. 🙂  Thanks!

(Oh, by the way, they’re a bit large.  You will probably need to shrink them down a tad for printing.  I chose not to shrink the files any further, though, in case someone has a purpose for them where larger is better.)