3 Simple Ways to Make Your Math Block Hands On, Engaging, and Interactive!

When I was in elementary school I absolutely dreaded math. It did not come naturally to me and mental math was a struggle. I absolutely dreaded timed quizzes and playing Around the World with math facts. These types of games and activities gave me anxiety because I never had a strong conceptual understanding of what I was learning. Because of this I really struggled with math throughout my years in school. These experiences with math have impacted me as a teacher. They have made me aware of the anxiety timed quizzes and games where students are put on the spot can have on a student. They have also taught me the importance of building a strong conceptual understanding within my students. I strive to build that strong conceptual understanding within my students by providing them with hands on, engaging, interactive, and memorable math activities. 

Here are 3 SIMPLE ways to make math ENGAGING and MEMORABLE for your students!

1. Change Up the Math Manipulatives Students Use

The use of math manipulatives helps make math concrete for students. So providing them with manipulatives that they can manipulate will not only make the lesson more engaging but it will also help them to better understand/remember the concept being learned. Of course you have your everyday manipulatives like snap cubes, two sided counters, ten rods, etc... But those can become over used and lose their magic. So below are items that can be used in place of those everyday manipulatives.

Math Manipulatives

Mini Erasers (Found in the Target Dollar Spot or at Dollar Tree)

Q-Tips

 

Did you know Q-Tips are also perfect for practicing showing numbers using TALLY MARKS!

Pom Poms

Candy

Students practiced adding tens using sticks of gum as ten rods & gumballs as ones cubes. 

2. Use Games and Inflatable Objects to Teach/Review Math Concepts

Students practiced ways to make 6 using an inflatable bowling set. As students came up to bowl the class wrote how to make 6 on their recording sheet inside of their number bond. 

For example: If a student knocked down 2 bowling pins they would show 2 and 4 as the two parts 

to make 6.  Click to check out my EDITABLE inflatable games pack!

Balloons are an inexpensive way to step up student engagement during math. For this activity students walked around the balloons to music. When the music stopped each student picked a balloon and then found 10 more and 10 less than their number using a 100's chart. 

You can also put math equations on the balloons and have students sort or solve them!

Jenga is another game perfect for math reviews. I purchased this colored Jenga set from Amazon. I love that the blocks are different colors. This allows me to create review activities for my students and assign problems to a block color. My kids absolutely love when I break out the Jenga game and have it at my small group table or in our math center. 

You can grab my NO PREP Tumbling Tower math games by clicking the links below!

Addition and Subtraction Game: Tumbling Tower Within 5, 10, and 20

Number Sense Game: Tumbling Tower Numbers 0-10

3. Making Ordinary Manipulatives Extraordinary

Turning your ordinary math manipulatives into extraordinary ones will up your student's engagement during math lessons. 

Check out how @APlusFirsties created a life size ten frame on her floor using floor tape. 

She also had her students use red and yellow paper plates instead of two sided counters. This floor ten frame would also be perfect for students to stand in to represent/model math problems. 

Students can also create human number lines by each holding a number or two! 

Or you can lay the numbers on the floor like @lifeas_missmichael and have your students walk 

or hop alongside the number line to solve addition and subtraction problems.

I hope you were able to find some SIMPLE ways to make your math block more hands on, engaging, interactive, and memorable for your students! 

I'd love to hear what other ways you make your math block engaging and hands on for your students. Share in the comment section below!

Celebrating Grinch Day in the Primary Classroom

As the month of December approaches I can't help but get excited thinking about one of my favorite days of the school year... GRINCH DAY! The last week before winter break is a hectic and exciting one in our first grade classroom. We celebrate Grinch Day and have our winter holiday party! 

Here is a little about Grinch Day. The Friday before Grinch Day I send home a letter to my families telling them that we will be celebrating Grinch Day. I explain that students can dress up as their favorite How the Grinch Stole Christmas character or BE GRINCHY and wear green. I work in a Title One school so not many kids dress up as their favorite character but many students do come to school wearing GREEN! 

         

The Start of Grinch Day

This past year one of my students came dressed up as the GRINCH himself and it was absolutely precious. Who better to be our morning greeter for Grinch Day?!?
      

As the students enter the classroom they find our class tree wrapped in green streamers and the Grinch's reindeer dog TRAPPED and STUCK to our tree. I wonder who could've done that?! 

And our desks and tables COVERED in GREEN (wrapping paper)! 

Here is a glimpse at our GRINCH filled Day. 

Reading Block

We start our reading block by reading How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

After reading the story we do a directed drawing of the GRINCH himself. I found this FREE directed drawing activity over at Art Projects for Kids TPT store. You can grab this awesome freebie here!

During our writing block we write about how we can make the Grinch grin! Grab my 

How Would You Make the Grinch Grin? writing FREEBIE by clicking HERE!

A Grinchy Holiday Activity

After lunch we decorate  ice cream sugar cones and turn them into the Christmas trees that we saw all over Whoville in the story, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. In order to do this you'll need to have gathered some supplies ahead of time. I try to get parents to volunteer to send these in so it doesn't come out of my pocket. 

Supplies Needed

Sugar Ice Cream Cones, Green Frosting or White Frosting, Green Food Coloring (if you bought white frosting), Plastic Knives, Sprinkles, Pull and Peel Twizzlers, and Mini Candies such as Skittles, M&Ms, Mini Gumballs, etc... 

How To Decorate Your Edible Christmas Tree

Step 1: Students will  turn their sugar cone upside down so that the circular part is face down. 

Step 2: Cover the sugar cone in green icing using the plastic knife. 

Step 3: Decorate your tree using the candies and edible items available. 

A Special Visit ... 

During our specials time when the kids are NOT in the room the GRINCH himself pays our classroom a little visit. He knocks over our desks/tables (this can be very therapeutic, TRY IT! haha), he sprinkles green streamers everywhere, TRAPS our classroom elf, and licks our red and white candy canes turning them all GREEN! He even puts his picture on our ActivBoard screen and plays his 
How the Grinch Stole Christmas soundtrack. (You can play the soundtrack on Youtube) 

When the kids come in they are in total shock to see our classroom in such dismay. As soon as they see the Grinch's face on the Activboard they know who was responsible for the mess in our classroom. They then help to clean up after that naughty GRINCH and get to take one of his green candy canes in return. 

Movie Time: How the Grinch Stole Christmas & a Special Treat

We then spend the rest of our afternoon enjoying the cartoon version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas while we drink GRINCH juice (Green Hawaiian Punch) out of our green cups. If you're all about being a little EXTRA you can glue mini red hearts onto the green Grinch juice cups to represent the Grinch's heart. 

Grab my FREE Grinch Day family letter & Supplies Needed Letters Below!

 Click the link below to grab my Grinch Day family letter 

& Supplies Needed FREEBIE

https://drive.google.com/open?id=12kQhwvw_mEgpWyB9Zv0-rWaakCmufbZB

Do you celebrate GRINCH day in your classroom? 

If so, comment below and let me know how YOUR class celebrates this GRINCHY day. 

10+ Useful Dollar Tree Finds that Can be Used in the Elementary Classroom

All over Instagram and Facebook we see the amazing finds that people are finding in the Target Dollar Spot. Don't get me wrong I am one of Target's BIGGEST fans and love a good Dollar Spot find. However, those Dollar Spots are mostly "seasonal"  and only found during the Back to School craze. Aside from those that they have now included on their online site under Bullseye's Playground. Today I wanted to share some of my FAVORITE classroom finds from the DOLLAR TREE!

#1 Snack Box Containers 

Okay I have to admit whenever I find these containers I snatch them up because let's be real they can be hard to find. That's probably because they have so many things that they can be used for both in and outside of the classroom. I personally use them to neatly hold crayons in my table supply caddies. I also use them to store center game pieces such as dice, snap cubes, timers, etc... I also have used these snack containers for mini eraser storage. 

#2 Acrylic Picture Frames

These frames are perfect for stations. In my classroom I use them during Meet the Teacher & Open House to house my station signs. During the school year I also use them in my centers to show/remind students of the center expectations. You could even use them for table numbers, student of the week recognition, and table check ins. 

#3 Facial Scrub Circles

You've probably seen these all over the GRAM. They are great for erasing dry erase pockets or white boards. I believe they come 4 to a pack and come in a variety of colors. When they get dirty you can wash them with soap and water or put them in a lingerie bag in the washing machine.

#4 Game Spinners

I found these game spinners in the "teacher" school supply section. These spinners are great for math center games. Students can spin the spinner and show the number on a ten frame or build it using snap cubes. They can also be used in an addition or subtraction center. On a non math related note when students are working in pairs they can spin the spinner to decide who is going to go first. The person who spins the smallest number could go first or vice versa.

#5 Plastic Craft Organizer

These plastic organizers are typically found near the craft supplies at Dollar Tree. I love using these containers because they are a great way to organize and keep all of my Dollar Spot mini erasers. These containers can also be great for holding art supplies or game pieces. 

#6 Snack Containers

These circle/square snack containers are great for containing game dice. They 

keep the dice from flying across the room during math games and other activities. I personally like to use foam dice in my classroom because they are quiet and allow me to not have to listen to the rattling and clanking sound of dice. 

#7 Mini Tumbling Tower Blocks

These mini tumbling tower blocks are so versatile. I use them in my classroom as a morning tub activity. I also have sets with review concepts on them such as math facts, numbers, sight words, cvc words, and more! Before purchasing the colored tumbling tower from amazon I colored the ends of the blocks with sharpies. That allowed me to use the blocks for multiple review games without having to put the review concepts physically on the blocks. You can check out my tumbling tower review games that I use with my students. 

#8 Activity Trays

I absolutely love how 1, 2, 3 Teach uses these activity trays from the dollar tree. I've seen them in the four colors pictured. The options are really endless for these trays. They are perfect for any time of sorting activity. You could sort math facts to show their sum/difference, sort by color, shapes, sizes, and even use them to sort word patterns. 

#9 Water Bottles

Around back to school season and summer you can find colorful and bright water bottles. These water bottles are great for end of the year gifts, athletic clubs, or even beginning of the year gifts. I customized my students water bottle gifts using my Silhouette Cameo. The kids were so excited to have a personalized water bottle. 

#10 Recess/Chaperone Kit Supplies

Last year, I was scrolling through the Gram and came across a teacher who created recess kits for her team. I thought this was genius and had to do it for my team. Dollar Tree had everything I needed to put inside their recess pouch. The tissues came in a 4 pack, mini hand sanitizer, and fun Emojii bandaids. We all know the tiniest scrape needs a bandaid especially out on the playground. And then I thought WOW! This would be a great idea for field trips. Chaperones can always use these essentials while on a field trip and what an easy way to tote them around.


#11 Hair Rollers for Word Work

When I came across this idea on Planet Happy Smiles Instagram I thought it was genius!!! I love how she has her students use the hair rollers to build their word work words. What kid wouldn't want to practice spelling using these fun hair rollers?!? 

I hope through this blog post you were able to get some inexpensive ideas for activities that you can incorporate into your classroom. 

Do you have a favorite item from the Dollar Tree that you use in YOUR classroom? If so, I'd love for you to share it below in the comments and let me know how/what you use it for! 

Organizing Your Meet the Teacher Night to be Stress Free with Stations

Just the thought of the back to school craze + meet the teacher used to send me into a whirlwind of stress. Parents/families coming and going, younger siblings running chaotically and destroying my perfectly organized classroom that I’ve worked so hard to set up, and stressing over the thought of families NOT showing up at all and having to try and get a hold of them to see how their child would be getting home from school on the first day of school as well as the rest of the school year. Does this sound like you when you hear “Meet the Teacher?”

The Solution to My Stress

Thankfully I came across a system a few years ago that helped me to ease my meet the teacher stress/anxiety. And that involved creating stations within my room so that parents/families could self sufficiently get the information both they and I needed in case I had to help/assist another family.

Before Meet the Teacher Preparation

The week before our meet the teacher event I begin to brainstorm… What information do I need to gather from parents at the event? What information may they need from me?  This helps me to think about if there are certain stations that I may need to include during the event, what handouts or items I need to have filled out/ready for them to take, and what items I may need to purchase for the event. This helps me to begin creating my to do and to plan list.

After creating this list I then begin prepping and buy everything I need to do leading up to the event. Having all of the prep work done helps me to ensure that the day of Meet the Teacher I will be able to relaxingly welcome my students into my classroom and not look like a chicken with my head cut off in front of them and their families. Click HERE to to grab the Meet the Teacher To Do List for FREE!

The Day of Meet the Teacher

Because I was able to prep my stations and get organized for this event prior it actually taking place I am able to spend the event feeling relaxed and enjoy beginning to create relationships with my new students and their families.

Meet the Teacher Stations

Station: Welcome/Sign In

At my school families are given a two hour window in which they can fluidly visit their student’s teachers. So My first station is a desk set up outside my classroom room where I welcome my families to our classroom, have them sign in for our school’s records, and quickly inform them of the stations inside of our classroom. I let parents know it is imperative that they head to all of the stations and provide them with a checklist so they don’t miss anything!

Station: Transportation

The MOST important thing as a teacher during the meet the teacher event is to find out how your students will be going home on the first day of school as well as the rest of the year. Sometimes families will have students ride home a different way on the first day of school due to early dismissal, daycares not picking up, or just to provide their student a level of comfort. Because of this I have families tell me both how they will go home on the first day AND the rest of the year.

Station: School Supplies

I am at a school where some students bring their school supplies to meet the teacher night. In the past this ended up meaning that supplies were scattered all over my classroom and it was chaotic. But now I set up labeled school supply bins and offer a place for my families to sort their students supplies. This is a complete game changer because it allows me to not have to collect and organize supplies during the first day/week of school. For those families who DO NOT bring school supplies during this event I leave our classroom supply list with visuals. Having visuals on this list is amazing because families can SEE exactly what their child needs. It also helps those who do not speak English.

Station: Try Out Our Classroom Seats

In my first grade class I use flexible seating. So during meet the teacher I like for students to try out various seating options to see what seat they think they might like to work in best! When I did not do flexible seating in my classroom I had students find their desk and left a little surprise treat/note for them.

Station: Student Folders

At my school families are given a packet of paperwork that must be filled out and returned. This could be very time consuming to do during the event so I label these folders with student names and ask families to take THEIR student’s folder and return it by the END of our first week of school. A little bribery goes a long way. I tell them if they bring it back by _____ day I’ll have a special treat for them. This treat is nothing big. It is usually just a sticker, skittle, mini eraser, or ”special” pencil. Whatever gets those student folders returned is a #TEACHERWIN in my book!

Station: Classroom Wish List

One of the last stations families go to is our class wishlist. This station is perfect for those families that want to know what EXTRA items they can send in for the class. I left little stars out with school supply items and families could take as many as they'd like and send those items in for my class. Some different items I've added over the years to my wishlist are.... classroom snacks, Astrobrights paper, scholastic books, and cardstock. The best part is you can add ANYTHING your class may need.

Station: Student Gifts

Right by my classroom door where students and their families exit I will normally have a treat for them to grab. This is in place of the treat/surprise that would be left at their desk since we do not have individual desks. In the past, I have done popcorn, starburst, and jitter glitter. However, last year I began giving my students a poem with a magic wand that they are told to wave over their pillow the night before the first day of school.

I made these wands using left over cake pop sticks. However, in the past I have used paper straws from the Target Dollar Spot. Costing me less than $3 to make. If you ask me I consider this a back to school gift win! Spending less than $5 for 20 kids?!? I'll take it! I mean after all we all know we do not make enough money to be spending tons of money on gifts throughout the school year. 

Do you remember when I mentioned younger siblings running chaotically around my newly organized room destroying it??? 

Here are some tips to "TAME" those younger siblings & coordinate the chaos! 

1. Have a designated area for them to sit & play

2. Set out a simple activity for them (Stick to ONE option or TWO MAX)

Activity Ideas: Pattern Blocks, Snap Cubes, Crayons & Paper, 4/5 Books.

Creating and starting these stations has absolutely been a life saver for me year after year. Not only have I saved prep time by reusing my station signs year after year but I am also able to be more relaxed during the event itself. Ultimately allowing me to spend more time creating relationships with my new students and their families.

Have you ever used stations during your Meet the Teacher event? 

I'd love to hear what stations you incorporate into your classroom or even how you run your Meet the Teacher in the comments below!! 

If you're interested in using the stress free Meet the Teacher stations featured in this post you can grab them by clicking HERE! 

Not looking for a Meet the Teacher in BRIGHTS?! You can grab my other Editable Meet the Teacher Packs down below.
Meet the Teacher Editable Stations
Super Hero Meet the Teacher
Watercolor Meet the Teacher

A Fairy Tale Bowl is the Perfect Way to End a Fairy Tale Unit

The end of the school year can be a hectic time. Students become anxious and antsy and it is nearly impossible to hold their attention. Which is why we as teachers do our very best to find ways to keep their attention and our students engaged. 

For the last 3 years I have ended our school year with a fairy tale unit. During this time I teach my students about the elements of fairy tales. We talk about how they are different than our typical fiction stories. I also have my students name some fairy tales that they are familiar with. 

After discussing what makes a fairy tale different from a fiction story it is time for my royal firsties to DIVE INTO some fairy tales. I allow my firsties to partner up and read fairy tales of their choosing. In order to do this I use the app GetEpic! If you haven't heard of it it is absolutely amazing and is FREE for teachers/classroom use. On Epic I created a fairy tale collection for my students to choose fairy tales to read from. One thing I absolutely LOVE about Epic is that you can also add stories that will read the story to your students. This is absolutely perfect for ELL students and struggling readers. For those students who are reading independent they can choose to read fairy tales on Epic, grab a fairy tale rom the classroom library, or a fairy tale gathered from our school library. 

     

How to Get Ready for the Fairy Tale Bowl Competition

At the beginning of the fairy tale unit I send home a letter to my student's families informing them about our fairy tale unit and the stories that will be included in our class and grade level fairy tale bowl. This letter allows families to get involved at home and incorporate these stories into their at home reading routines. 

After about a week and a half of reading and researching different fairy tale stories I host a class Fairy Tale Bowl! My students get so excited about the Fairy Tale Bowl competition. They absolutely love the idea of getting to dress up as their favorite fairy tale character, getting to compete against each other, and of course they love the idea of possibly be crowned prince or princess of the Fairy Tale Bowl competition. 

The day before the Fairy Tale Bowl competition I randomly break students into groups of 4. 

I allow them time to collaborate to come up with a team name and provide them with poster board or large white paper so they can create their team poster. 

The day of the Fairy Tale Bowl Competition

On the day of the competition I have the teams sit together and display their group poster. I absolutely love seeing what they come up with for their team name and how they decorate their posters. They have such pride in their team name/poster. Each team is also provided a magic wand that is used for answering bonus round questions since they are answered by who "buzzes" in first after the 30 second/1 minute discussion time. 

During the Fairy Tale Bowl 

Each team will participate in 3 rounds of questions about the different fairy tale stories mentioned in the parent letter. Each team will have a chance to answer a questions before entering into the bonus round. During these bonus questions all teams are given the chance to answer on a first to buzz in basis! However, in order to make it fair I provide everyone 30 seconds-1minute to discuss which fairy tale they believe the answer is. I then have all teams place their wand on the table and will count to 3. On 3 the team who is quickest to raise their wand will get a chance to answer. I typically only give them 10 seconds to answer the question before moving on to the next team. This helps to make sure teams are only raising their wand if they KNOW the answer.

When the Fairy Tale Bowl Ends in a Tie

If by the end of the 3 rounds + bonus questions there are 2 or more teams who are tied those teams will then enter the Sudden Death Round! During the sudden death round if a question is answered incorrectly and the other team answers it correctly the team who answered incorrectly is eliminated.

Who Wins and What Do They Win?

The team with the MOST points at the end of round 3 or the sudden death round is then named the prince and princesses of the Fairy Tale Bowl. 2 years ago my team decided to join in on the fairy tale fun and we had our class winners compete in a grade level Fairy Tale Bowl. 

If you are interested in grabbing my Fairy Tale Bowl Competition pack you can do so below. 

Click to grab my TPT Fairy Tale Bowl Competition Pack

This pack will SAVE YOU THE TIME of creating your own fairy tale bowl questions and will provide you with editable parent letters, wand templates, the Fairy Tale Bowl question PPT, and more.