More January Math Stations

January is starting to feel like a very long month! I just recently switched out our math stations from earlier this month for a new round of stations. Still lots of winter themed games and also a few fun Chinese New Year math games too! The best part about these math games....nearly every one is a freebie!

Station 1: Race to 100

(Students roll the die to see how many squares they can color in on their hundred chart. First player to get to 100 wins. A fun game and great for a week when we are celebrating the 100th day of school. Any old 100 chart you have lying around will work for this game.)

Station 2: Tic-Tac-Teen

(Students spin the spinner and cover up the teen number they spun on their little game board. First player to get three in a row (tic-tac-toe) on their game board wins. My students are using some cute X and O plastic table scatter pieces I found at Target to mark their game boards-and I am storing the pieces in a play-doh can. We are really hitting the teen numbers hard this month! This game can be found here.)

Station 3: Lantern Cover-up

(Students roll 2 dice and cover up the sum on their game board. First player to cover-up all their lanterns wins. This freebie of mine can be downloaded here.)

Station 4: Polar Pals Roll and Cover

(Students roll 3 dice and cover up the sum on their game board. First player to cover-up all their numbers wins. Using 3 dice is a great challenge! My higher kids are adding up the numbers in their head while my lower kids are pointing to each dot on the dice and counting up their total. This freebie from Mrs. Lirette's Learning Detective's can be downloaded here.)

Station 5: Spin a Character In The Mitten

(Students spin an animal on this darling spinner and then color in the graph with the appropriate color to record what animal they spun. This super cute game goes with the book The Mitten, and can be dowloaded for free here from Fran at Kindergarten Crayons.)

Station 6: Race to Trace

(Students roll the die and trace the number they rolled on their sheet. First player to trace all the numbers on their sheet wins. Super cute little polar bears on this game sheet too! I wrote the numbers 15-20 on a foam cube to make my dice. This fun freebie from Ketchen's Kindergarten can be downloaded here along with some other great winter math games!)

Station 7: Chinese New Year Counting Game

(Students pick a red envelope with a number word on it, and then match it to the corresponding picture and number cards. All of the picture cards are Chinese New Year themed. The free picture and number cards I made for this game can be found here.)

Station 8: Count Your Change

(Students pick a change purse, count the change inside, and record the amount on their sheet. Each little purse has a sticker with a letter on it for recording purposes. To give this game a little Chinese New Year flair, we are using little Chinese purses. Sorry I don't have a link to a recording sheet for you-I copied this sheet from a book of math games I have-but students could easily record the purse's letter and amount of money on a piece of scrap paper.)

Station 9: Snowman Button Counting

(Students look at the number on the snowman's hat and count out that many buttons to put on the snowman. This game was a hit! Kinders love anything with fun buttons. This cute game from Creating and Teaching can be downloaded for free here.)

Station 10: Snowflake Counting

(Students count our the the correct number of pom-pom balls to match the number written on their snowflake. I happened to find these foam snowflake cut-outs in the dollar spot at Target a few weeks ago.) 

Let me know how your math stations are going-I'm on the look out for any cute February stations I can use next month!

Celebrating Chinese New Year

This week my students and I are celebrating Chinese New Year! This is such a fun topic to teach about. Several of my students come from Asian countries that celebrate the lunar new year so they are teaching us about how their families celebrate (China is not the only country to celebrate this holiday).

I have decorated the room with some decorations I picked up in Chinatown. I have also had my students help me make some decorations. Today we made paper lanterns to hang from the ceiling (directions can be found here). Tomorrow we plan to make strings of red paper firecrackers (directions can be found here).

My students love the new additions to our dramatic play center. I've added a bowl of oranges for luck, and of course all of the plates and bowls are red for good luck too. I've also added some felt dumplings, spring rolls, and broccoli that I made and some yarn noodles (I do not sew-you can totally make this felt food with hot glue-directions can be found here).

Later this week we will have a chopstick lesson and I will pass out red envelopes with a little treat inside. We will also try rice candy, fortune cookies, and almond cookies. Some years I get particularly ambitious and we cook up fried rice and drink tea for our little New Year's feast.

I've made two Chinese New Year games for my math centers. One is a count and match game and the other is an addition cover-up game. They practice numbers 1-12 and addition to 12. If you're interested in these freebies, you can download them here.

I hope you will consider celebrating Chinese New Year with your students. Even though the new year officially started today, the celebration traditionally lasts for 15 days, so you have plenty of time! I'll be back later this week with more pictures and some great book recommendations for studying Chinese New Year!



Mitten Activities

This week we read the book  The Mitten by Jan Brett. We also did some fun mitten themed activities to go along with the book. I think the students' favorite mitten activity was sewing up their own paper mittens with yarn.

Beware: this can be very challenging for kindergarteners! I had the mittens precut, with one staple in the corner to hold the two pieces of paper together. I also had all of the holes already punched in the mitten and a piece of yarn tied to the first hole.

One little tip that will make this activity SO much easier for the kids is using very thin yarn so it fits easily through the holes. Also, putting a little piece of masking tape around the end of the yarn, so that the end of the yarn doesn't unravel and goes through each hole easily, is definitely recommended.

Something new I tried this year, was doing this activity in small groups-and it was a lot more successful that way. I really can't believe that I used to just let the whole class loose to do this independently all at once. By doing it with one table at a time, I could model for the kids how to thread the yarn through the top of the hole only, pull all  of the yarn through the hole, and then move onto the next hole. I could also keep an eye on everyone to make sure they were doing it correctly since I only had 5 kids to watch at a time. Everyone's mittens turned out really well!

While I was sewing up mittens with one table at a time, the rest of the kids were kept occupied with coloring and cutting out all of the animals from the story (you can get this page of animals from Jan Brett's website). Then, once all of the mittens and animals were done, we reread The Mitten, and the kids put their animals into the mitten as it happened in the story. Very fun! They loved the idea of taking their mittens and animals home to retell the story to their families.

We also had a mitten themed activity going in the pocket chart this week. On sentence strips I wrote: "The _____ went in the mitten." Then I printed out the animal pictures and word cards (from the blog 1+1+1=1) and students put them into the pocket chart and practiced reading the chart. (Sorry the photo is so blurry-that's what I get for taking the pic with my phone instead of my camera!).

We also did some mitten activities during math. I gave each student a mitten cut-out and we practiced measuring it with lots of different manipulatives (pennies, paperclips, links, cubes, etc.). Great measuring practice and lots of hands-on fun!

I know there are tons of great mitten ideas out there. I have seen them popping up all over blogs and Pinterest these last few days. I'd love to hear about any fun things you do with the book The Mitten.

Winter Art Projects

My class has recently done two cute winter art projects I thought I'd share. I found the first one through Pinterest (it was originally posted here). It is a darling little penguin wearing earmuffs and a scarf.

The craft didn't come with directions so I had to make my own template first. We made this TLC art style, so everything pretty much started out as a rectangle and the kids got lots of cutting practice. I precut large black and white rectangles which the kids cut the top corners off and rounded to make the penguin's body. They folded a white rectangle in half to make two squares and then cut off all 4 corners and rounded it out to make the 2 eyes (similar process for the earmuff circles). We folded an orange rectangle in half and cut a v-shape to make the beak, and used the same process to make the wings. I precut some extra ribbon I had for the scarves which the kids then glued on. They used a black crayon to finish the eyes and earmuffs. I think the fun colors for the background paper and the earmuffs make them super cute!

We also made snowglobes with a snowman inside. I found this craft a few years ago on a teacher's website and cannot seem to remember now which website. For this craft, the kids basically look at my sample and assemble it themselves. I have several of the pieces precut for them (if your school has different sized circle di-cuts then this is very quick and easy to get ready!). I let the kids pick out ribbon for the snowman's scarf, and any buttons they want to glue onto their snowman. We use mini popsicle sticks for the snowman's arms. The kids LOVE to use a glitter pen to smear glitter glue ALL over the snowglobe.

I'm not sure if you can see them in the photo very well, but we also cut snowflakes out of coffee filters and hung them up on the wall with our snowglobes. My favorite part about these crafts...they aren't holiday themed, but rather just winter themed and can stay up all month!

January Math Stations

Now that we have been back at school for 4 days....it feels like it has been forever since the holiday break! We kicked off our week with some new math work stations for the new month. These stations cover a wide range of skills, including: number recognition, counting, comparing numbers, number order, measuring, addition, and telling time. Most of the activities have a wintry snow theme, though thankfully it was 70 and sunny in St. Louis today. I'm sure the snow will arrive eventually!

Station 1: Frosty Numbers

(Students roll a 12-sided die and trace the number they rolled on their sheet. My students love this game, and Mrs. Wills offers several different variations of it as a part of her Snowman Math Work Stations.)

Station 2: Hedgehog Cover-up

(Students roll 2 dice and cover up the sum on their hedgehog game board. First player to cover-up all their hedgehogs wins. This freebie of mine can be downloaded here.)

Station 3: Winter Friends Board Game

(Students take turns picking a number card and moving that many spaces on the gameboard. I sure wish I could make darling gameboards like the fabulous Mrs. Wills-this cute game can be found here, and even comes with addition and subtraction cards if you want to make the game more challenging.)

Station 4: Mitten Cover-up

(Students take turns rolling the die and covering up that many mittens on their gameboard. This game was perfect since we read The Mitten this week and were doing lots of mitten themed activities. You can find this free mitten math mat from Marcia's Lesson Links here)

Station 5: What Time is it Mr. Snowman?

(Students take turns picking a snowman card and seeing what time it says on the snowman. Students then cover-up the corresponding clock on their game board. Students can either play until their whole game board is filled or until they cover-up a complete row (like Bingo). This game is from my Winter Math Stations Pack.)

Station 6: Measuring Hedgehogs

(Students measure different sized hedgehogs with a math manipulative of their choice (I let them pick from links, unifix cubes, and square tiles) and then record each hedgehog's length on the recording sheet. This freebie of mine can be downloaded here.)

Station 7: Hot Cocoa Missing Number Game, 0-10

(Students spin the spinner and then record the number they spun on one of the marshmallows on the game board using a dry erase marker. This game was tricky for my kinders since they had to think about number order, and if the number they spun would belong on any of the blank marshmallows. I loved the challenge it gave them! This game from Growing Kinders can be found here, and she also offers a teen number version.)

Station 8: Snow-themed Compare Numbers Game

(Students each pick a card and then spin the spinner to see if the player with more or less gets to keep the cards. I love how Mrs. Wills included game cards with numbers, number words, sets of objects, ten frames, and even tally marks to get students thinking about numbers and counting in lots of different ways. You can find this game in her Snowman Math Work Stations.)

Station 9: Winter Number Match

(Students take turn spinning a number on the spinner and then covering up the corresponding square on their game board that shows that number of objects. I have my students use the appropriate magnetic number to cover up the squares on their game board, but you could really use any manipulative or a bingo chip. This game is from my Winter Math Stations Pack.)

Station 10: Hot Chocolate Number Game

(Oh no! How did I not get a picture of this station? Oh well, maybe I can add one into this post on Monday. Students matched up cute hot chocolate mug cards that had number words, numerals, and ten frames. Great number practice! This fun freebie from Growing Kinders can be found here and she offers suggestions for several different games that can be played using her darling number cards.)

I'd love to hear what your students are up to during math time this month. I know these stations will not last me all month and I'll need some fresh ideas for the end of January!

More Hedgehog Fun!

I survived my first day back at school after winter break! I'm exhausted, but it actually went well. My kinders were unusually quiet and well behaved...although I'm sure they'll be back to their regular rowdy selves tomorrow. I also lucked out because, even though I got a new student today, turns out she knows her alphabet and sight words and so far is very quiet and sweet.

  

Since I'm in such a good mood...despite vacation being over...I made another hedgehog themed math game (check out my other freebies here). This game is called "Measuring Hedgehogs" and it comes with 8 different sized hedgehogs for students to measure. Students write at the top of the recording sheet what they used to measure the hedgehogs (unifix cubes, links, pennies, etc.) and then record the length of each hedgehog on the sheet. They can even do this activity several different times using a different measurement tool and recording sheet each time.

I'll definitely be putting this activity in my math stations this week. My kids are smitten with hedgehogs ever since we saw one in the book The Mitten today...more on mitten activities coming later this week!

Happy Monday!

Mondays aren't usually my favorite day, but today I am thankful for one last day of vacation before heading back to school tomorrow. This week we'll be having fun in kindergarten learning about winter animals.

Here's a fun little freebie for you to review numbers 1-30. I have a feeling my kiddos will need a little number practice after 2 weeks off from school....and I have a feeling I will need a fun game to pass the time tomorrow after 2 weeks off from teaching!

To play the game "Where's Hedgie?" you cut out the snowmen number cards, put them in a pocket chart, and hide the hedgehog behind one of the snowmen. Students then take turns guessing which number Hedgie is hiding behind. Great for whole class review and then toss it into a math center.

Hope you enjoy your Monday!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I hope 2012 brings you all much happiness - both in the classroom and out. I had a great time celebrating last night-and so did my pup (yes-he was rewarded with treats for taking this photo).

Here's a little freebie for you to start the year out. Students each take a Hedgehog Cover-up number strip, roll 2 dice, and cover-up the hedgehog with the corresponding sum. First one to cover-up all their hedgehogs wins.

I'll be adding this game to my math stations on Tuesday...only 1 day of vacation left. Enjoy what you have left of your winter break!

December Math Stations

We are sooo ready for December in my classroom! Here's what we're up to during math work station time this week. These stations should keep us busy until winter break starts in a little over 2 weeks (so soon!).

Our current math chapter focuses on geometry concepts (2D shapes, 3D shapes, symmetry, etc.). so I decided to have half of our stations focus on geometry skills so they would reinforce our new learning. The rest of the stations review other skills like number recognition, counting, graphing, and simple addition.

Station 1: Roll a Christmas Tree

(Students roll a 12-sided die and use a mini pom-pom to cover up that number on their Christmas tree. Students could also roll 2 regular dice and cover up the sum. This super cute and free game is from First Grader...at Last!)

Station 2: Spin a 3D Shape

(Students spin a 3D shape on the spinner, name the shape, and then move to the next square on the game board that shows an object with that 3D shape. This game was actually a page in our kindergarten Harcourt math workbook-and I just tore it out, mounted it on a piece of tagboard, and laminated it.)

Station 3: Penguin Cover-up

(Students roll 2 dice and cover up the sum on their penguin game board. First player to cover-up all their penguins wins. This game can be downloaded for free from my TPT store.)

Station 4: Sorting 3D Shapes

(Student sort the photos by 3D shape. I bought this game from Montessori for Everyone, but then I recently found a similar but free game at Kindergarten Rhode. Both games give great sorting practice with geometric solids.)

Station 5: Gingerbread 10 Frames

(Students match up ten frames to their corresponding numbers on these cute gingerbread cards. The game also has a recording sheet, which I copied back-to-back with the ten frames 1-5 on the front and 6-10 on the back. This fabulous free game is from Live Love Laugh Everyday in Kindergarten.)

Station 6: Pattern Blocks

(Students use one of the pattern block templates I have to build a picture. Then they use the recording sheet to write down how many of each shape they used to build their picture. This great recording sheet is a freebie from Mrs. Wills Kindergarten.)

Station 7: Christmas Cookies! Numbers 0-9, Addition, and Subtraction Board Game

(Students take turns picking a game card and moving their game peice that many spots on the game board. Oh my- this game board is beyond cute-such darling little gumdrops and candies! This game is from Mrs. Wills Kindergarten. Game cards are also included for addition and subtraction facts, so this game can be easily differentiated too!)

Station 8: Spin a Snow Bird

(Students take turns spinning the spinner and recording on their graph what color bird they spun. This game is from my Winter Math Game Pack.)

Station 9: Mitten Shapes

(Students take turns spinning the spinner, telling their partner what shape they spun, and covering up the mitten on their game board that shows that shape. First student to cover up all their mittens with "snowballs" (cotton balls) wins. This game is from my Winter Math Game Pack.)

Station 10: Sorting Attrilinks (2D Shapes)

(Students sorted attrilinks by different attributes-like shape, size, and color. Attrilinks are definitely one of my favorite math manipulatives! The sorting cards you see in the photo are a freebie from Froggy Friends Fun.)

I'd love to hear how math stations are going in your classroom. Any fun ideas to keep the kids focused as the holidays approach?