Monthly Archives: January 2013
We had so much fun last week on our 100th day of Kindergarten. We have 5 Kindergarten teachers in my building and each one of use planned an activity for the kids to rotate through.
In the first room, the kids played 100’s day BINGO and practiced recognizing numbers to 100. They were so excited to know that they knew “big” numbers!
Second, they each got a popsicle and tried to figure out how many licks it would take to get eat the whole thing. Each time they licked, they colored one more number on a 100’s chart. (It takes more than 100 licks to finish a popsicle. 🙂 )
In the next room, the kids stamped 100 stamps (two ten frames were copied on each of 5 pages and stapled together).
In my room, the kids made 100’s day trail mix. I have these mats that I’ve used for a couple of years:
I need to re-copy some new ones and laminate them so they will hold up well in the future. Remember in December when we made gingerbread houses? We had so many candies and cereals donated by our families, that we kept them to use on 100’s day to make our trail mix:
Here is about 1/2 of it ready to go! I put 10 plates on each table along with 4 mats and the kids just cover up each number with 10 pieces of each food until they’ve covered up the whole mat. Then we pick up the mat and pour everything into a baggie.
In the last room, the kids were in groups of 3-4 and they had 100 drinking cups (dixie cups and the bigger Red Solo Cups) and they could stack them anyway they wanted to. 😉
The kids had lots of fun for our 100th day!
What did you do or what will you do for your 100th day?
It’s here! I had lots of requests for a February Problem Solving pack after I shared the one I created in January. You can click the picture below to get yours. 🙂
This pack contains 25 problem solving activities that cover subtraction, measurement (length/comparing lengths), and decomposing numbers…the three big standard strands I’ll be covering in February! 🙂
The specific CCSS that are covered for Math are: K.OA.1, K.OA.2, K.OA.3, K.OA.4, K.OA.5, K.NBT.1, K.MD.1, and K.MD.2.
There are three basic sheets that are included in this pack and you can see them on the picture above. This pack does require cutting, so make sure you have scissors available. 🙂
You know how I love the Dollar Store and Target’s Dollar Spot! (Who doesn’t??). I found these great table scatter hearts at the Dollar Tree along with the glittery hearts. I’m going to use them along with my I Love Math! pack to pattern and compose numbers on the ten frames.
The hearts are thick plastic and there are 60 or so in each pack, plenty enough to split them up for at least two different activities. I put them in one of my old Olive Garden plastic containers (LOVE them!!) and the kids will be able to pick out the hearts they need. 🙂
I can also use the glitter hearts with the pack and I like that they can use either type of hearts. 🙂
I also found these cute conversation hearts in the Dollar Spot at Target. Sorry that the picture is sideways. 🙂
I put a patterning activity in my I Love Math pack as well and these will be great! They are stickers, so I think I might just not say anything to my kids about that and see what happens, but I might also mount them on paper and cut them out. 🙂 100 hearts are PLENTY for a few kiddos to pattern with and to work on my “How Many More to 10?” game. I might go get some more of these so we can decorate our Valentine’s Day bags. 🙂
What else could you use these cute hearts for?
I’ve been finding activities the last few months that will help my kiddos with hearing middle vowel sounds. They really like (and are pretty good at) sorting picture cards, so I wanted to make an activity that we could practice in our small reading groups with and then move into a Literacy Work Station for independent practice. I also wanted to make something they could take home and practice, so I created a pack of vowel cards and pictures that we can do that with. We are in the process of getting ready to take IREAD K here in Indiana, and medial sounds is a big task that we need to work on. I’m going to work on ending sounds next–my data from last year shows that I need to work on that a bit more. 🙂
Here are some pictures from the pack. 🙂 You can click on any of the pictures to go to my TpT store. 🙂 All you have to do to use this pack is print the pictures (color and black and white are included), laminate them, and cut them apart. Just copy the recording sheet and you’re ready to go!
Let me know if you have any questions. 🙂 Anything else you need me to make for you to use in your classrooms? Let me know that too! 🙂
There is still time to sign up for my latest math swaps. I have several spots left open in each swap, so if you want to get your name on the list, let me know. I’ll email everyone this weekend who let me know with details.
The sign ups will stay open until Friday evening. (1/25/13) at midnight eastern time.
If you have already mailed me, you are on the list. :). I will be in touch soon! 🙂
I’ve decided I’m going to host two SMALL swaps this month. Each swap group will only be open to TEN people and you need to be willing to get your packages to me on time, or you will not be able to participate. You may NOT sign up for both swaps, one or the other. Also, unlike during my last swap, I will not provide any ideas via Pinterest, you will have to come up with or send us your favorite activity based on the group you are in. You are welcome to use Pinterest for inspiration, but I will not create a board this time. 🙂
Please make sure your swap is of HIGH quality, and ready to use in a classroom with little preparation for the receiving teacher.
The first swap is about Addition and Subtraction (pick one or the other, not both to create an activity for). You will create an activity to teach children either addition or subtraction. It is okay if the activity teaches both, but it does not have to. Please align it to the new Common Core Standards for Math (the standards that apply to addition and subtraction)
The second swap is about Measurement (short/tall, long/short, heavy/light, etc.). You will create one swap to help students learn about one idea of measurement as listed in the new Common Core Math Standards.
ALL swaps must fit in a FLAT RATE shipping box from the US Post Office upon shipping them to me and you MUST include at least $15.00 to cover the cost of return shipping (if it costs more than that to ship it to me, add in what you need to to cover that amount for return shipping). If you do not send return shipping money, I will not return any swaps to you.
Include 11 copies of your swap and directions in your Flat Rate box. I will send one copy of your swap back to you and 10 out to the other swappers. I will participate in both swaps, but will not take up one of the ten spaces. I will also make 11 copies of each activity.
ALL swaps are due to me NO LATER than February 8th to be mailed back to you beginning on February 15th. If you cannot get your package to me by the 8th, please do not sign up to participate in the swap. If you sign up and become unable to complete your swap, please let me know ASAP, so we can replace your spot.
To sign up, you need to send me an e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.org with the name of the group you would like to swap in (Addition/Subtraction or Measurement). I will take the first ten e-mails for each group and then create a waiting list of 5 names after that for each group (in the event that someone needs to drop out).
Please, do not sign up if you do not intend to follow through with sending your swaps. I will send out completed swaps even if I do not receive your swaps in time and you will not receive any in return, so PLEASE make sure they are on time. It is not fair to other swappers if you do not follow through when they have.
If you have ANY questions, please let me know BEFORE you sign up. Please read this post CAREFULLY so you know exactly what you are to do.
In your box:
-swap activity with directions for use
-at least $15.00 for return shipping (checks made out to me: Kristen Poindexter) or paypal is accepted (email@example.com), but do not send it via pay-pal until you have been confirmed as a participant.
I will confirm via e-mail if you are a participant and will send you my shipping address at that time. Do not create anything for this swap until I have confirmed your participation. I received over 150 e-mails requesting swap spots for my last swap, so early e-mailers will get in on the swap! 🙂
Here is a look at some of our newest Math Work Stations:
These are my Winter Themed Addition Mats. The children roll two dice to determine the two numbers they need to write in the first two spaces. They then add that many cubes to each of the first two pictures. They then add them together and write the answer in the third space. I’ve laminated them, so we just keep reusing them. 🙂
Shake the Beans…one of my favorite addition games! I’d share it with you, but it’s copyrighted by someone else, although, I did make this one for use in my classroom because the one I had wasn’t looking so good! The kids shake beans (4 in this case) and record their answers as math sentences. The biggest rule they have to remember is that red always comes first. The red beans are always recorded as the first number. I use lima beans that I’ve spray painted red on one side.
This game is called Dunk It Dominoes. I found it on Pinterest and made some labels for the cups. The kids pick a domino and count up the dots and place it in the correct cup.
This domino mat was part of my Math swaps I received this summer (speaking of swaps, be looking for a special e-mail about an upcoming swap later this week!). The kids again pick a domino, count the dots, add them together, and place it in the correct column.
This is a new Ten Frame do-a-dot game I made to help some of my kiddos work on recognizing numbers quickly. They stamp the corresponding number with the right do-a-dot stamper.
Sorry that I’ve been a little absent lately…I worked really hard during at least 5 days of my winter break so that I could come home from school for a few weeks and just relax! I have some pictures that I’ve been taking and will get those posted later this week, but today, while watching the Inauguration, I worked on this set for Valentine’s Day/February Math Work Stations.
It’s a set of 5 activities that are quick and easy to set up and get going! I’ve included all the manipulatives you might need, but you can add your own if you want to. I found pink and red heart shaped table scatter at the Dollar Tree this weekend and some foam Conversation hearts from the Dollar Tree and in the Target Dollar Spot. I plan on using them with these activities in my classroom, but I will let the kiddos have the real Conversation hearts when we sort and graph them on the sheets included in this pack.
Two different kinds of patterning cards are included and a recording sheet is included so the children can record their patterns. I’ve also added a Valentine’s Day “Make ____ on the Ten Frame” that is very similar to the winter and fall themed ones I have created before. I also put in a “How Many to 10?” game where children look at a Ten Frame with hearts in it and figure out how many more they need to make 10. There is a spot on the bottom of each sheet for children to write the corresponding math sentence. I’ve added a recording sheet for that activity as well, so using 2 different colors, students record combinations to 10.
I’m giving one pack away, so hop on over to my Kristen’s Kindergarten Facebook page and leave me a comment telling me what your favorite Valentine’s Day Math activity is! 😉
Click on the picture above to get your own pack> 🙂
I came across this great website sponsored by Pearson Education a few months ago and I thought I would share it with you. It’s a great resource if you don’t have enough copies of a book for your students or if you want to read a book on an interactive white board with your students.
These are some of the first titles that popped up when I log in. You will need to create an account to use the site, and you have the option to donate money on the site to Pearson so that they can give books to other children. Every once in awhile, I will donate some money after we’ve read a particularly fun book.
There are a WIDE variety of books on here, both fiction and non-fiction. Almost every DK reader or book they have written is available, and all the other Pearson imprints.
When you want to read a book, just click on the word, “READ” at the top of the page.
If you want to make the book full screen, you just click on the button with the four arrows on it above the book:
You then click on the left/right button to turn the pages. I like using these books on my Promethean Board when I do not have a big book copy for us to use and to make sure everyone can see. If you know how to drop out the ActiveInspire software, you can use your pen and write on or highlight pages in the books. My kids love it!! The only downside is that the site will not read the books to you, you have to be the one who reads them. It’s great for practicing fluency!!
You can also search for books for different ages, genres, and by author:
There are also books written in Spanish on this site. I am usually able to find a fiction and a non-fiction book that I can pair together and we read them over several days.
Let me know what you think!
Also, be sure to check out these sites for more online books:
Tumblebooks (you will need to sign up to use this one, although our local library has it for free if the kids know their library card number)
I’ve been using the Mr. Sketch scented markers for a few years now to write on my chart paper. They were fine for awhile, but they dried out quickly from too much use on the paper. I found these Crayola Poster markers at Jo-Ann’s a few weeks ago and I’ve been using them ever since!
They have a wide tip, but if you turn it around, you also have a small tip you can use. The colors are really bright and the kids can see them all; even the yellow. They are more of the “Brights” colors than the primary colors, but I really like using them so far and they haven’t started to wear out yet–and I use them a lot! 🙂