Get 'Em Moving!

Hi all!

I have a wiggly group of kinder kids (who doesn't- ha!) this year so it is super important for me to get them up & moving as much as possible. One of the ways I do this is through my math centers.

I LOVE to do count the room activities! 

My kinders love to work in them, too! 

Here is an example of a count the room...

Here is the set up-

First, I put apple erasers into the bags that are labeled a-i to match the recording sheet. *If you don't have apple erasers, no worries, I have included an apple sheet for you that will work perfectly! 

Then, I put those bags all over my room. It's kind of like a Hide-and-Seek game for the kiddos! 

The kiddos find a bag, count the apples, and record the number on the recording sheet.

Easy Squeezy & super easy prep! 

Here is the freebie for ya! 

You're welcome! ;)

If you want more fun stuff- here is the entire packet! It has number activities for the kinders! 

Let me know if you snag it by leaving me feedback on TpT! 

Happy Teaching!!

Let's Talk Math

Hello bloggy friends!! 

Today I am talking math with ya! 

At my school the name of the game is NO WORKSHEETS! And, yes, recording sheets are considered work sheets! I don't even try to argue...it's not worth it! 

Really though it's not all that bad. I rarely used sheets in math anyway so there weren't many tears shed on this one! 

So, you ask...what DO you do for math centers??

Here are a few of my math centers (please ignore the fact that some are winter...I've been a slacker taking pics this year. You'll still get the idea...)

Let me start by saying that I do the SAME centers over & over...gasp!! 

No, really...I just change the difficulty, theme, standard, whatever to keep the centers feeling like they are fresh and new. This is a huge WIN for me because I never have to reteach how to do a center after they have learned the game. I do 4/5 centers a week & the kiddos know how to play 10 different centers. This is how I can keep things feeling new but the kiddos know how to play them! 

 This is a roll & ___ game. It may be roll & add 1, add 10, take away 1, take away 2...the list goes on. BUT, because they already know the premise of the game I can change it to whatever I see that they need & they automatically know how to play it.(I think that this game was actually a "Mittens PLUS 10" game...can you say typo?)

 I am a huge fan of getting the kiddos moving so I usually have a "____ the Room" center. It may be add the room, count the room, subtract the room, solve the room....again, the possibilities are endless. I can change it to whatever my kiddos need. Below you can see a "Measure the Room" center. I teach them how to record their work in their math journals so NO WORKSHEETS! Win!!

How easy is it to throw out some 10 frames, manips, & flash cards? Again, the possibilities...

Holy cow...domino centers can last forever! This time I had them doing commutative property of addition. You can do addition, subtraction, +10, -10, +1, -1, ...I could go on & on & on.... ha! Go to the dollar store & grab some cheapie dominoes & you will be set! 

Well, I hope that you found some of this to be helpful!

If you hung on this long I have a cutie freebie for ya! 

It one of my Roll & Add games with the apple theme. So fun for the fall! There are 2 versions so you can differentiate. 

PLEASE leave some comment love if you snag it! 

A SUPER Fun Game!!

Hello Bloggy Friends! 

In my last post I mentioned that I LOVE for my kiddos to learn through games. I thought I would introduce you to a game that I play with my kiddos that is really versatile & can be played with any subject. My aunt, who used to be a teacher, taught me this game. She used it in 4th grade & I have used it in Kindergarten & First Grade. It is really simple to play & seriously fun for the kiddos! 

Have I built the suspense enough?!? Ha!

I have always called the game "Up Down". I'm sure that it goes by many others & I want you to know that I DID NOT invent this game. If you know who did, please let me know so that I can give credit where credit is due! :)

Up Down

To play students will need a white board, marker, & eraser. 

They will need to be seated at their desk/table.

Like I said, this can be played with ANY subject. For the sake of understanding the directions I'm going to use letter ID in the example.

The teacher will call out a letter. Students will write the letter on their white boards. After 5 seconds (you can decide it you need more or less time) the teacher says "Boards Up" & the students have to hold their boards facing the teacher above their heads. The teacher will then quickly scan the boards & tell each student "Up" or "Down" according to the answer on the board. 

 (OK, so he didn't hold it above his head, but in a room full of kids that's the only way to quickly see all the boards.)

If the answer is correct the students move UP. 

Yes, moving UP means that the students are now sitting on top of their desk **GASP** Can we really do that! Yes, you can!! 


If the answer is incorrect the students move DOWN. 

 Moving down means that the student moves down to the floor. 

Throughout the course of the game students will be moving UP & DOWN. The student that is on the floor will move back to the chair when he gets a correct answer. The student sitting on the desk will move down to the chair with an incorrect answer. A second incorrect answer will get that student to the floor. 

**You will want to sprinkle in questions that are very easy so that your low students will not stay on the floor! It is a great confidence builder when they get to sit on top of the desk. Likewise, you will want to have some difficult questions for your high flyers to knock them off the desks. 

This game can be played whole group or small group. I have done it both ways & it was great fun either way. I have played it by calling out spelling words, math facts, land forms, shapes, numbers, letters, blends, digraphs, showing time on a clock, calling out rules & they write yes/no if what I say is or isn't following a rule...I mean, the possibilities are ENDLESS! 

Try the game! I promise that your kiddos will love it! 

Let me know if I need to explain anything to make it a little clearer! 

Reflection Post #2- Math

Hello Friends!

Here I go with another reflection post...look at me!

Today's post will be about math. 

Math is my favorite subject to teach & I think that I do a pretty good job getting my kiddos on grade level. :)

Here are my reflections:

1. REPETITION, REPETITION, REPETITION is the key!
2. Kids LOVE to play math games!
3. I am not great at spiraling, but I did get much better this year.

To address the above I started to create my own math centers that were based on the CCSS, but, more importantly, on the needs of my classroom. Since I change my math centers pretty frequently I knew that 2 things had to occur...#1 they had to be centers that could be printed using NO COLORED INK & #2 they had to be centers that were completely independent (repetitive). I make VERY small changes, but the centers remain engaging & stimulating to the students. So, I came up with these math packets...

*I am making more of these! I wanted to make sure that they would meet the needs of my students! 

The activities in these packets are engaging, fun, competitive, independent, spiraled, and REPETITIVE! I used them in my class this year & they were always a hit. I think that the kiddos liked the fact that they looked new each time, but were played in the same way. Once I taught the activities my kiddos were good to go for the rest of the year. It was super-awesome for me to be able to work with my small groups & not have to worry about the rest of the class goofing off being off task!

My centers & my homework are spiraled to ensure that my kiddos are keeping all the math strands fresh. I have worked hard to spiral this year & I know that I will have to work even harder this next school year! :) 

Spring Time Math!

Hello Everyone!!
Well, you've been asking for it & I finally finished it!!

Here is the Spring math centers packet...

Here is what it looks like...

Remember...all you need to do is print on colorful card stock & laminate & you are ready to go!

I make these packets with the same (or similar) activities so that my students will be completely independent during center time. 

The fewer times I have to explain things the better! 

EVERYTHING has been tested on my firsties & they continue to be highly engaged throughout the center time! 

Win! 

Wanna copy?

Pin it, leave a link in the comments, & I will pick some lucky winners! :)

However, if you don't win, it's only $2! 

I like to keep the prices down for the poor teachers, like me! Ha! 

Spring Math Freebie!

Hello Everyone!!

I have been kicked back & enjoying my awesome Spring Break!!

Buuuttttt, I still have a little teacher brain going on! 

A few weeks ago I found these in the dollar spot at Target:

Aren't they the cutest Spring-y erasers!

So I made some math centers to go right along with them!

For this one, I put erasers in zip lock bags and put them around the room. They find the bag, count & write the number, then add 10 more & write the new number. So, for example, I would put bunny erasers in a baggy & write an "a" on the bag with a sharpie. That way they will know where to record the info. 

BTW~ I try to make everything a 1/2 sheet to save on copies! 

 In this center they will choose a bag of erasers, measure each item, & record the results. I would have a baggies of bunnies, carrots, or chicks already prepared. I don't allow them to switch baggies (you get what you get...) that way I don't have any confusion & ruckus! :)

Here I will have plastic eggs labeled with sharpies for each of the letters on this sheet. Then put in different amounts of chicks, bunnies, & carrots for them to write & solve addition problems. You can do 2 & 3 digit addition problems...the possibilities are endless! 

Click HERE if you would like a copy of the recording sheets! 

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT if you like them!

I am more likely to share more if I know that people are actually getting use out of them!! 

Happy Spring!! 

Winter Math Fun!

Let's talk math...

Math in my classroom looks like this:

First, we do a whole class mini-lesson. It takes 15-20 minutes or so.

Next, we complete an exit ticket based on that day's mini-lesson skill. It takes 4-5 minutes tops.

Then, I briefly (like 5 minutes) explain the math centers. I do not have to do a lot of explaining this time of year because the centers are all familiar. I just change the skill/ difficulty, but the activities are always the same. 

After that, they work in centers for about 12 minutes.

Finally, we finish up & meet back on the carpet for a quick closing. 

We don't have as much time this year for math, but we make every minute count!! 

Here is a peek at this week's fun!

My kiddos have been having a blast with these math centers....

(click the pic to see more)

Here are a few pics of our fun! 

Mitten 3 digit Addition

I decided to make the 3 digit addition mitten game into an add the room...my kiddos needed to move around this week!

This is one of the Mitten dice games that my kiddos LOVE to play!

This is a roll & dot...another of their faves! :)

There are more math centers in this packet, but we can't use all of them in one week. It usually takes 2 weeks for us to use all of them! 

My school uses IXL math.

My kiddos LOVE it & it makes it really easy for me to have a pre-planned center where I choose the activity for them to focus on! 

If you got this far you may want to snag this little freebie!! 

Click the pic to get the freebie! 

Leave me some comment love, please!