Hello Folks! Since some of you have already started back to school, and the rest will be there soon enough, this is just a super quick post to share what I do on the twelfth day of school.
Have some math fun with 12 on the twelfth day of school!
First of all, I set up my light box sign to welcome in the kids. It immediately gets their attention, since the only other time they've seen it was the first day of school. I use it sparingly throughout the year and it always emphasizes something special. I don't use anything fancy on the sign, just the letters, emojis and numbers that I got when I first got the box. Our math discussion starts with the sign though- that the letters just happen to be all capital letters, why I there are two hands and two fingers on there, and what the number 12 looks like. The one means ten and the two, two more. We practice making twelve with our fingers, needing a partner to do so.
We talk about how twelve is a special number which gets a special name. We also talk about how some things are sold in dozens– like eggs, donuts, and flowers.
I bring in a dozen hard boiled eggs in a carton. We all get to eat one (I bring in some extra for the whole class) and then we use egg cartons to count out twelve of all sorts of things in math centers.
I also bring in a dozen donuts, which leads us to discuss a "baker's dozen." The history I share goes something like this: The term baker's dozen started back to the middle ages, a looooong time ago, even before your grandparents were born, or their grandparents! There was a very strict law and sellers who sold things by the dozen, but who cheated or even just miscounted and gave less than twelve, were punished. (They had their hand amputated, but I don't add that detail to the story!) So it was very important that everyone could count correctly to twelve. To make sure the shopper ALWAYS got at least dozen, bakers started giving them 13 for the price of 12, and that became known as a baker's dozen. Even today it is nice to get a bonus donut, isn't it??
Our math discussion usually includes dozens we see in our room... like a dozen students, plus seven more. We talk about "half a dozen." I also add an egg carton and a dozen plastic eggs to our Drama area where they stay the rest of the year. You get the idea.
Now PIN so you remember and have fun on your Dozen Day!
I just found this new math game on Pinterest. All it takes is one of these trays from the dollar store and some foam dice. There are several variations for kids from preschool to third grade. The kidpeople are gonna love it. Kathy even has a video on all the ways to play. Brilliant! Click to see.
2. I combined literacy, art, and technology– specifically QR codes and Chatterpix– to make a neat display in our hallway at school. Parents and visitors can scan the code and see my student's artwork talk to them with the voice of each of the kidpeople. I posted about how I used ChatterPix and this guided drawing project on this previous post HERE. I put the display up just in time for our Kindergarten Round-up to get maximum viewing. Our fifth grade students went down with iPads to scan and listen, too. They will be using Chatterpix for some of their own future projects- it's not often kindergarten gets to teach fifth graders in the use of technology! Gotta love ChatterPix.
An interactive display using QR Codes
3. We made clay snowmen, the kind of clay that is made of earth that dries hard without firing. (Google Crayola– one tub of it did twenty little snowmen.) We rolled them in glitter before they dried, though it's hard to see in the photos. The arms are real twigs- gathered before the snow covered the ground. We added tiny buttons and pony beads. Colored toothpicks made the noses. The scarves are fat yarn- easier to work with than ribbon. And the best feature is the headgear, I think. The kids could choose from earmuffs– chenille stems and pompoms– or caps– the fingers cut off of dollar store gloves! I had to use the hot glue gun to get them to stay. This is our display in a place of honor in our library. The kids were tickled with them!
Whee! I love the arms coming out of the head.
Lean to the left. Lean to the right.
Adorable and full of personality, each one.
My DH Jonathan, helped me set up the display on crinkled pink roll paper with tissue shreds on top, as they wouldn't have been as easy to see against white paper. (Okay, okay, I know snow can be blue sometimes, but we didn't have any blue... and pink was better than yellow.) He caught the spirit of these snowmen perfectly when he said, "Kindergarten art is always so sincere."
4. Michigan at it's finest. Yesterday was just at freezing, brilliant sun, and no wind- rarely is it as wonderful as this. I grabbed several items as we headed out the door to extend the fun and learning outside. We were outside for almost an hour and terrifically happy the entire time. We hadn't done a good long recess in a looong while. I wear my phone and used it to snap lots of pics. It was SO sunny I was like a mole using the camera, unable to see much of anything. I managed to get some good faceless shots I can share, though.
Bilibos make good sleds
And good buckets
Which can be combined with real buckets
If you don't know about Bilibos click here to read about them.
It's difficult to see here, but bingo markers were a huge hit
When it's hard to climb in snowsuits you find other ways to hang upside down
5. And on a personal note, we took on one of those way-bigger-than-we-thought projects in the last month. (Jonathan chuckles at that line. It was a way-bigger-than-I-thought project. He knew exactly what he was getting into when he bowed to my request of an inside construction project in the winter.) We are a complete book fanatical family. We have books in every room of our house, and we were still in need of more storage space. I reorganized the bookshelves in my study this summer leaving in only teaching books to cover the full wall of bookshelves in there, but that meant that I needed to take out my storytelling books. They've been in boxes since then in my workroom. And I had multiple stacks of books all along the foot of our bed– books we've read but don't want to get rid of. (Remember, I have a little free library that is a regular source for my give-away books.)
We also were in need of quick and handy spots to hang coats. We have a coat closet, full of coats, but being the lazy and rushing family we are, we rarely actually get out a coat hanger and hang up our everyday coats. They stack up on a chair in the family room which looks messy and takes up seating. So we decided to maximize the space in our front hall with built in bookcases and added coat hooks.
Before
During
Let your imagination fill in with ladders, lumber, paint cans, dry wall supplies, air compressors, tools and toolboxes, dozens of electrical cords, and dust, dust, dust.... right in the house. Ugh.
Almost ready
It still needed major dusting and cleaning at this stage. You can actually see piles under the shelves.
Ta-Da
Well, almost ta-da... we are still waiting for the coat hooks we ordered to come in. There will be three sets of two on each of the vertical supports where coats can hang. I don't know if I've ever seen bookcases combined with coat storage, and you won't be able to see the books as well in the winter, but that is what we need so we are going to give it a try. We also built in a long horizontal support on which we can mount a ladder rail. I've always wanted one of those library ladders... we'll see.
We had various little issues to solve- We wanted to keep the wardrobe, but still have a built-in look. We needed an outlet up high so we could install the lighting on the top shelf that shines up the pitched ceiling. And we have hot water heat– our house is now over 120 years old– which in this new addition of the house means baseboard heat, and we couldn't block that. In the previous picture you'll see that the bottom shelf is up rather high to allow for the heat to come out. The trunk under the window is only temporary until we build in a bench seat with storage. I simply could not stand the idea of even one more day of indoor sawdust, so the window seat is going to have to wait until the spring weather allows outside construction.
I'll post better pictures that show the coat hook idea later. We are very happy with it and love the look in the hall. We are also happy that it is finally operational and the construction is gone... though the dust remains and is a major item on this weekend's to-do list, right after report cards. We have loads more books, but we too pooped this week to sort and move any more. What do you think? I might get the credit for the idea that prompted all this, but Jonathan did the design and construction almost single handidly. I was sick with a humongous cold for weeks of this project and did hardly more than raise a paintbrush a couple of times. Thank the Lord above for this sweet, accommodating and "handy" man. Love.
I'm dashing quick to give you a freebie. I made copies today for my own students and as I did, it occurred to me that some of you might like this as a simple freebie.
It's a Count the Days of Winter Break "calendar" that your kids can use at home to count the days until they GET to come back to school... yes, one of the things I love about kindergarten is that some of my little buddies love to come to school so much they happily mark off each day so they see they are getting closer to school time again!
I have my kiddos simply number the days off, not reflecting the numbers on the December and January calendar. I of the kids write "Bye" on the last day before break, and "Hi" on the first day we'll be back. If you prefer, you can have kids begin counting on the first day that break starts (Friday) with a one, and then count all the way until the day they start back (Monday). The downloadable freebie comes empty, without any numbers or words in the squares. Kids color in the sledding picture when they are finished, and yes, DH Jonathan did the little illustration.
Our district takes all our weeklong breaks as whole Monday thru Friday weeks. We are no longer allowed to take off from a Wednesday to a Wednesday, for instance. Because of this my calendar is set up to reflect two whole calendar weeks. I'm sorry I don't have versions that show the break starting and ending on other days of the week, but with good old white out and a ruler, you could make lines that reflect any days of the week you might have off.
The calendar is kind of amazing as it can work in two completely opposite ways– it helps the kiddos be patient through the loooong wait to go back, and it helps us teachers appreciate every day of break that WE STILL HAVE– snort! So whether you download it to share with your students, or simply keep it for yourself, I think it is a gotta-have. Hope you enjoy it and may it bring a purposeful fifteen minutes of peace and quiet to your class in an otherwise crazy last week. Click on the picture below to download.
I don't know about you, but I am WAAAAYYY busy this week. We have lots of special activities and craft projects, a party or two, and even a field trip... yes, sometimes I am a little nuts. I think I do it so I enjoy the well deserved vacation even a little more. Off I dash again– thanks for stopping by.
Well, hello there on this Friday when I have Five Favs to share. Thanks to Doodle Bugs for the weekly linky.
1. I am just finishing a week of break, and what did I do? I went into school for some spring cleaning. Here is the before pic... well, actually, the during pic.
And yes, that fuzzy creature in the midst of the mess is Popeye. See her? She loves to come to school to "help." No matter where I moved a bin, there she was. I didn't even know she was there until I went to take the picture. sigh. At least I wasn't lonely.
There are four sections to this stretch of shelf where I keep math and science materials. These items are mostly those that go with a particular unit, so I only need to get something out every two or three weeks. I keep these shelves covered with a cloth curtain which I love because it cuts down on visual clutter and provides a backdrop for student art display. Here is a pic from a few months ago. The blog post about how I attached the display strip can be found by clicking on the photo.
Problem is, when I lift the curtain to get things out or put them away, I can see only one little section. Over time, I forget what goes where and because I never have enough minutes in the day I shove don't take the care I should in putting things where they belong... stop judging. You know you'd do that, too. Anyhow, pretty soon pet supplies are with a set of magnifiers, measuring tools are with a box of magnifiers, human body parts are with a few random magnifiers, and planting supplies are with a bin of, you guessed it, more magnifiers. And when I need magnifiers, none are to be found. ugh.
So I took everything off the shelves. Then I sorted and regrouped and rebagged and rebinned and matched one kind of item with the space that they needed, keeping in mind which items need easier access than others. And now it looks like this. Ta-da.
In my mind's eye these shelves were going to be full of matching bins all labeled with cute color coded stickers. What really happened was that so much of this stuff was of odd shapes and sizes it would have been really difficult to find matching bins to hold it all. To say nothing of the expense of all the lovely matching bins if I could have found them. And sometimes it will just be handier to pull an item off the shelf without taking out a bin to rummage through. The curtain is there to hide mix-matched stuff anyway, right? I won't win any classroom decor awards for these shelves, but they will do the trick.
The best detail of all might be that I made a little map for myself. It shows the four sections of shelves and what things are on each. I'll keep it nearby for easy reference. NOW things will stay neat and tidy forever for a while.
2. I hope you didn't miss my Monday Made It!
These are DIY math manipulatives that I posted earlier this week. They are great for lots of kindergarten math, and they also have a very satisfying feel when you slide the beads with just the right amount of pressure. They can also be used as a fidget for kids who need to keep their fingers busy to keep their mind engaged. They are easy and inexpensive to make and you can read all about them by clicking on the photo. Oh, and there is a freebie to go with it :)
3. I spent a good bit of break working on various school projects. One of the projects was searching for new center activities. Not just new kinds of resources on TPT (though I found some of those, too), but new activities that can be done repeatedly and which we haven't done before. And. I. found. one. I am most excited about this– the Message Center.
This idea comes from Kristin at A Teeny Tiny Teacher. She has kids rig up clothesline between two chairs, then gives each one paper and a clothespin. The kids write messages to each other, clip them to the rope, then pull the rope across. Talk about incentive to WRITE!
My guys are gonna LOVE this. I can hardly wait! Kristin gives all the details on how she does the activity on her post, actually several posts. You can find all when you click on her button below. THANKS, Kristin. It's just the kind of thing I was looking for.
4. I gotta share... new FitFlops for me, again. Whoot, whoot! I don't usually post about clothes, but these shoes are less about fashion and more about comfort. I have bum knees that give me periodic issues... but not if I wear FitFlops. I wore FitFlop boots all winter, but as it started to warm up I needed a transitional pair of FitFlops before I could slip into their sandales. I chose the Shuv clogs.
No, Silly, they don't come two colors to a pair, and I don't wear them this way... though I suppose I could... I teach kindergarten, after all, and it's not like I haven't seen mixed up shoes before. While shopping for the black patent pair, which I found on sale, I also found the red patent ones, on an even better sale, so both went into the cart. I've been wearing them for about a month now and it is LOVE! I can wear them with socks, or without.
They have the same feel and support as any of my other FitFlops. Click on the pic of the boots to read about them in an earlier post.
I highly recommend checking them out. They have TONS of cute styles for summer. I'm contemplating the sneakers next... hmmm.
5. Pop quiz! What are these?
They are the most adorable little shovel spoons I've ever seen! They come from Orange Leaf– and I'm not talking about autumn foliage. Orange Leaf is a frozen yogurt spot. Really good frozen yogurt! Really low cal, low fat, good for you, good frozen yogurt. The entire place is done in ORANGE. Like, you could never think you were in any place other than an Orange Leaf when you're inside. It is orange to the nth degree– ours even has an orange Christmas tree inside... where did they find an orange Christmas tree?? I just discovered them, but they have been around for a little while.
And the BONUS for teachers are their little spoons. SO CUTE. I have no idea WHAT fantastic project I'm going to think up yet, but I'm definitely taking them to school. They'd be great fun in the sandbox for working small, or for digging something out of a sensory bin at a center, or for making finger puppets, or... or... I'll let you know when I figure it out. For right now, building my collection is the reason I'm going into Orange Leaf on a regular basis... okay, the spoons are another reason. If there is one near you, I suggest you check out the fro yo AND the spoons!
AND I'm not the only one who loves the spoons... I tell you, this place was made for teachers. They have a whole special page on their site about the SPOONS! You can submit pics and projects and stuff. Great fun. Click on the photo below to go there!
Whew. That seemed like a lotta stuff today. Hope you found some useful tidbits. Head on over now for more Five for Friday. Thanks, Kacey!
Whoot! It's Monday Made It. Thanks so much Fourth Grade Frolics for this month's linky.
Bead Sliders Math Manipulative
My kids love these! We call them bead sliders. They are great to use in math to provide concrete practice of counting, number combinations, and composing/decomposing. You slide the beads over to separate them into two groups, like you do on a rekenrek. However, these bead sliders have an added bonus– they feel really great to manipulate. When you pull the bead to slide it along, it gives not-too-hard, not-too-loose pressure for smooth movement.
Here's how you make them. You'll need plastic gimp stringing lace– the flat kind. It comes on spools of 100 yards for about $3... you'll be able to supply your whole school with gimp :) You can find it in craft stores like JoAnn's or Michael's, and it comes in many colors. Click on photo below to see.
I use a different color lace for each bead slider of a particular number to make it easy to grab the slider I want. However, to save money, you can buy just one roll of one color. You'll also need wooden beads of about an inch diameter with a small hole.
Take two pieces of lace. The exact length depends on the size beads you use and the number of beads you want to put on. Use two long strands to start with and adjust as you do more. Knot the lace securely. I keep the lace smooth when knotting and use needle nose pliers to pull it tight. I haven't had any trouble with them coming undone. This is the knot I use.
Then string one lace through the bead in one direction and the other lace through the hole in the other direction. Pull the laces through so they are even and the bead is square to the knot. Then string the two laces through the next bead, in opposite directions again.
It is important that you keep the lace flat and not twisted when you string the beads. The beads won't slide as well if you don't. It's not difficult, just something to be aware of.
Put on as many beads as you want that slider to have. Then to end the slider leave about the length of a bead before knotting it off. You want there to be room to make a gap between beads so kids see two groups as they slide beads over. Knot securely again, and cut it off.
Students slide the beads over as they count/compose/decompose the same way they do on any rekenrek or counting stick.
Now for the Freebie! You can use these bead sliders for many math activities that you already have, but I put together two new sheets just for composing number families. Kids choose a bead slider, write the number of beads on the top of the list, then write the number sentences that match the bead groups as they slide the beads over one at a time.
You see the short list version in the photos, but I have a longer list if you want your students to find all the ways to decompose larger numbers. Both sheets are in the freebie. Click on the photo below to get it.
You can find another type of bead stick in last week's post. This chenille stem style is easier to make, but doesn't have the same tactile input when kids move the beads. I use both kinds for variety. Click on the photo to see post.
Hope your kiddos have fun while learning, and you do, too! If you liked these ideas and freebies, please PIN! Thanks.
Head on back to find more great DIYs for the classroom and life by clicking below. Thanks Tara!
Whew! Five posts in four days– how did that happen? And a freebie or two on almost every one. It's either feast or famine with me, I guess. If you've missed any of the last six posts it might be worth your while to cruise back and grab some easy activities. Thanks for stopping by! See you next time for Five for Friday.
Happy Friday! Here's five things you'll want to know. Thanks to Kacey at Doodle Bugs for the weekly Five For Friday linky. I love it as a blogger and a teacher.
1. Do you participate in the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures Educational Oral Care Program? It's terrific and available to Pre-K and Kindergarten teachers for Free.
Lots of stuff comes in the free kindergarten kit
The kit includes a teacher activity book, a class book with small student copies, posters on toothbrushing and toothbrush recycling, a well done cartoon DVD that stars Dr. Rabbit and some super heroes, and a toothbrush and toothpaste for each child to take home. I use it as part of our science unit on the human body. Your kiddos will enjoy learning about oral hygiene with these engaging materials.
2. A few quick snips and you have two new kinds of math card games. I chopped off the corner numbers of dollar store playing cards and turned them into subitizing cards. Kids can play Top It or any other game that uses cards to practice their subitizing skills.
Two new things to do with playing cards
After I cut off the numbers I had a pile of corners and was about to throw them away when- duh- I realized I was looking at another game. I put the corner numbers in a little monster cup (see below) and let the kids pull them out to play addition/subtraction, place value (by pulling two numbers), or any game at all that requires numbers. Just one more twist on the math game theme. I did round the cut corners as they were rather pokey.
3. Speaking of chopping, I would be remiss not to mention one of my favorite crafty tools. This little six inch mini paper cutter is SO useful. It made the playing card cutting project fast and easy. I just lined up the same spot on each card and the cards were all uniform with smooth, straight edges. It's also particularly handy for chopping photos.
I use this all the time
And when I went searching for it for you, I found it is on sale half price at Jo-Ann's RIGHT NOW. It's only $9.99 with shipping at $1.99. You can have it next week! Click on the photo to go to Jo-Ann's.
4. Lookee-lookee. One of my student's parents knows me well. It's not every parent that buys a toddler snack cup as a teacher gift, but I'm so glad she did. This little holiday gift has been useful in the classroom for math in lots of ways.
He holds all sorts of small pieces for monster math
Sometimes he holds our little monster game pieces, or dice, or the number corners I just mentioned above. His teeth are soft rubbery plastic so little hands can go in and take out the piece. He's cute as can be and if you have a monster theme, or a monster math theme as I do, you need one, too. Check him out. He's neat and cheap.
5. It's Funny Kid Friday– Yay!
For many of us it is assessment time. I was doing a running record with one little guy and he struggled to read the word "draw" in "draw pictures." He stayed with it, though, using various strategies, and finally got it. "Draw pictures! Whew! That was hard." he said, looking up at me. Then he shook his head and said, "Why didn't they just say make pictures? That would have been a lot easier!" I had to laugh and agree. Maybe he has a life as an editor ahead of him.
Now it's your turn. If you have a funny kid story to post, link up below. Grab my button so readers find more stories, too. I do the link-up on the first Friday of every month during the school year and it's open all month. It's easy to include a funny tale as one of your five for Five for Friday and then link up with both parties. And if you are not a blogger just leave your story in the comments. I love to hear kid stories and I'm not alone.
You can head right on back to Five for Friday by clicking below. See you next time.
