Spider Subtraction

We made this activity to use as a math center for October while we learn about spiders and other creepy creatures for Halloween. Just print the webs and task cards on card stock and laminate. We use plastic spiders for counters that were spider rings from the party store. We cut the ring part off. Children use spiders on a web as their manipulatives to solve the subtraction problems on the task cards.

THEY LOVE THIS!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PREVIEW!

Practice with Color and Color Words

This is a fun pack of practice with colors and color words for the beginning of the year as a review for first graders or for kindergartners any time during the year. It could also be use for struggling second graders or those with special learning needs. And what do they love to talk about? Oh how we love those new school shoes!! We created color puzzles and games that lend themselves easily to that all important center time when you are working with your small groups. Print, laminate, cut, and drop in a center box. Children never get tired of playing with colors. This could also be a fun extra filler for art teachers. 

Click HERE to purchase.

MATH-terpieces - Book Extension

If you love math, then you love Greg Tang books.  His books are a part of every math workshop I've ever attended. (and that's a lot!) This detailed book uses historical works of art to teach math concepts. It will not only help your students with decomposing numbers to 10 , but it will give them an abundant amount of information about art history. This would be great for art teachers as well. The book introduces an artist, gives you a little bit of information about them, then uses an object from their works to pose a math problem. The children LOVE this book and the teachers do too.

Click HERE to purchase!

    

FREEBIE - POCKET DAY!

IT'S A 42-PAGE FREEBIE YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS! Kids LOVE their pockets and putting things in them, so this activity, that is so old we can't remember where it came from is still a huge hit with our first graders. On every 10th day of school we have Pocket Day. We use counting cubes and put one in each pocket. Then as a group we count our cubes to see how many pockets are in the group, then add to make a class total. We keep track of our last total and see if we can beat it each time. We use the counting time to incorporate a bunch of counting and addition activities. We break them into groups of 10, count the leftovers, and figure out how many more it needs to get to 10. It is also a great way to introduce place value. Your kiddos will LOVE it too! They always look forward to POCKET DAY!!!

You can get this FREEBIE here!!

Here are a few pages that you'll get, but there is so much more!

Pumpkin Pickin' FREEBIE

It's FINALLY FRIDAY!!!!  I'm looking forward to an action packed weekend full of FOOTBALL, FESTIVALS, and RESTING up for Monday!!  Can you believe Halloween is on a MONDAY?!?!  That's so wrong!!

Here is a FREEBIE to add to you Fall collection! (or to help you get through Monday!) It can be used during Halloween, Thanksgiving or anytime this Fall! The kids love it!! HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!

Click here to get it!

Number Word Practice

We needed more practice with number words, so we created a little extra practice to go along with our apple theme for September.  We included 3 different activities for practice. (Ordering Apples, A Number Word Booklet, and a center game called Gathering Apples.)  We also included a page to use for assessment because if you're like us, you need a grade.  This goes perfectly with our HUGE Apples! Apples! Apples! unit.  Be sure to check them both out at our TPT store.

You can get it here!

Earth Day~Roll and Add

If you are looking for a fast seasonal  math center, here ya go. It has a roll and add to 12 and also includes roll and add to 18 for rolling and adding 3 dice,   with an Earth Day theme. We pulled it out of our Earth Day packet for those who love seasonal centers like us. It's cute and functional, and you know we can NEVER get enough practice with those math facts. It's $1.50 in our TPT store. Click below to get there faster. 

You can get it here.

FREEBIE - Addition Strategies Practice

This pack will help encourage your students to use the addition strategies that you've been practicing in class. Included in this FREEBIE are Plus 1, Double It, Fast Tens, Fast Nines, and Make a Ten.  Ours love to see how many they can complete correctly in one minute??? They love trying to beat their last score!! 

Click here for FREEBIE!

Valentine's Day FREEBIES

Needs some FREEBIES for Valentine's Day???  

Valentine Make Words Activity for First Grade

Just in time for Valentines Day!! How many words can you make out of the word VALENTINE?!?! This Make Words activity can be done whole group or in small group!  Click here for this FREEBIE!

Valentines Day Fact Family Practice

This Valentine Fact Family sheet is a great way to assess students knowledge of relationships between addition and subtraction facts. The last one is a little more challenging!!

Valentine's Day Numbers To 120 Mystery Picture

This is a little different than your typical Mystery Picture! We are working on Place Value. With this activity, they read the number in “tens and ones” and then locate the number themselves. They can check off as they find them. They love it!!! We hope your students enjoy this activity too!  Check it out here!

Valentine - Numbers To 120 - Place Value Riddles

If you are working on Place Value, your kids will love this! It is Common Core aligned and perfect to use whole group as well as an assessment. We gave you a blank sheet to use whole group for several days. Once they get comfortable, give them the assessment sheet. Click here to get this FREEBIE!

Wikki Stick Time

You would have thought it was Christmas when I gave out the Wikki Sticks today.  We were practicing time and these make perfect hands for the clock!  I kept hearing, “You’re the best teacher ever!”  HA! HA!   I was thinking,  not really,  because it took me 69 days to remember to get them out!!  Anyway, they had a blast!  I let them take them home, along with the clock.  Due to the excitement, I feel like they will be practicing at home! 

 

Monthly Math

We have compiled some of our favorite math activities into Monthly Math Packs!  Inside each pack you will find a variety of activities.  You do not have to use everything!  You probably won't have time!  There are several activities that you might want to use every week…not just one day.  The skill levels are varied so that you can differentiate as needed. We have been using most of these activities for 25+ years. We have been through Math Their Way, Marilyn Burns, Math Investigations, Calendar Math and 7 or 8 different textbook adoptions.  We would love to give credit where credit is due, but we honestly don’t remember where all the different ideas came from!  Most ideas were tweaked a little to fit our style or theme, but most ideas did originate from somebody!  If it was YOU and you want credit, let us know.  We will gladly give it to you.

Here is the link to January!

Here is the link to December!

 

Here is the link to November!

 

Here is the link to October!

 

Here is the link to September!

 

Here is the link to August!

 

Trick or Treat Roll and Add

Today we played roll and add  using this cute little witch game board.  The children take turns rolling, add two to the number rolled, and cover their number.  The person with the most covered at the end is the winner. We used the cute little candy corn and Frankenstein erasers I found at Target last year in the dollar section to cover the numbers.  I've looked this year, but haven't found them again sadly.  If you find them, grab them up.   Well, you KNOW how they love competition.  They had a blast and didn't want to stop to go to PE. Some played the game three times. 

50th Day of School

It is hard to believe that it is already the 50th day of school!  Where has the time gone???

Of course our number of the day was 50.  We have a certain format we use to work with our number of the day.  After watching me model for the first 30 days of school, they finally get to take turns doing it on the interactive board.  The kids love using the interactive board to show what all they know about numbers.  We also practice once a week on paper so parents can see what we do everyday!

Then we played a game called "Rockin' and Rollin' to 50".  We played Teacher vs. Students first on the white board!  I show no mercy and always try to win!!  Today, they did!  We were going back and forth trying to get the last square!  They finally rolled a "1" and won the game!

After the whole group game, they played with a partner!  I let them play two times so they would have a game page to take home!  Plus, each child had a part on the bottom to do.  They had to write to 50 by 2's. 

After all that Math...WE HAD TO DANCE!  

We had a lot of twistin' goin' on! 

It's really hard to capture "dancing" in a picture, but trust me, they were good!!!

Peas and Carrots

Does anybody out there still use painted Lima beans for math activities?  I have had mine for 25+ years and they are really starting to show it!  I may need to paint some more of these real soon!   When doing the Spill the Beans activity, I always use the term "Peas and Carrots" because my beans are green and orange.  I think I started saying this about 15 years ago, after doing a Marilyn Burns math activity.  It just kind of stuck with me.  And it sticks with the kids too.  They know the equation has to match the picture.  Peas first.  Then carrots.

 

Some of the YOUNGER teachers has not heard of this saying.  I started to question myself and googled it!  There are a million examples of PEAS AND CARROTS!  I'm not totally crazy!

We are still having fun with our plant study, even though there is no sign of our lima bean plants sprouting anytime soon!!  I hope the pack of seeds were actually good seeds!  They will be so disappointed!!  Fortunately, our grass heads are growing!!  Some thought it was time for a hair cut! 

We've been reviewing greater than and less than with numbers to 120.  Check it out!

The activities above came from our PLANTS Math Unit. If you are interested, check it out on TPT by clicking on the title above!  It includes other skills as well.
Here is the preview page!

We also have a 43 page Science Unit on PLANTS. If you are interested, click HERE.  You can download the preview to see what all is included!!  This has been our top seller on TPT!

We did a hallway display on "How To Plant A Seed", using one of the sheets from the science unit.  Since we are a school that focuses on the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, we just had to have a cute sign to go with it!!