A New Year is Here~TIME TO GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW

It’s official! The New Year has arrived. Across the country and around the world, January 1st signals the official end of the holiday season and a return to a noses to the grindstone time of year—in the workplace and in the classroom. The start of a new year, fresh with energy, is the perfect time to conduct a mini unit utilizing the new calendar.

Below you will find some of the many ways that a calendar can be used to teach, reinforce, and review essential skills. Many of these suggestions can be easily modified to meet age and ability levels. They can be used as center activities, small group review, or as a homework activity that involves the entire family.

Activities:

1. Begin the unit with a quick review of the months of the year in order. Enlarge and print the monthly calendar to use for this activity

2. Provide each child a copy of the calendar to use for the following activities.

• Guide the children in finding and coloring the block on the calendar that corresponds with their birthday.
• Play the “Standing Up for my Birthday” counting game where the children orally point and count each day of each month. When the month and date match the child’s birthday, they are to stand up and shout. “Hey! That’s my birthday!”
• Take turns reading the months of the year and having each child with a birthday that falls in the month stand up. Record those numbers on a page printed with the months listed in order.
• Use the bar graph template (provided) to create a bar graph based on the number of birthdays that occur each month.
• Practice left-to-right tracking and the concept of rows by pointing and reading the days of the week or dates for a particular week of each month.
• Practice the concept of columns verses rows by finding and reading the column in each month that begins with 7. This is great to provide a foundation for multiplication and skip counting.
• Locate and color the dates for important holidays.
• As a homework assignment, use the calendars to locate and color the block that corresponds to each family member. Remind children to use a different color for each one.
• Create a bar graph with the number of months that have the EXACT number of days—28, 29*, 30, 31. (See silly duck joke)
• Cut the calendars out and laminate to use in a learning center. Create task cards to place in chronological order, sort by season, sort by total number of days, etc.

 

 

*The calendars are also great additions to the morning warm-up folder for your children. They can be used to mark each day that has passed, identify weekend days, record the daily high/low temperatures, or provide sticker incentives and rewards. The possibilities are endless.

MINTY MATH FOR KINDERGARTEN & FIRST GRADE

Welcome to December—the eternally busy month where it seems as if there are never enough hours in the day, enough hands to do the work, and enough dollars to do it with.

As refreshing as a peppermint, the posts this month will provide activities and ideas for those that are somewhat busy, those that are very busy, and those that are—Are you kidding? When will I ever find the time to do that?! busy. If you are too busy to read this blog, don’t worry— these posts will still be here in January when the whirlwind of December is behind all of us.

If, however, you fit into the first category, take the time to drop a peppermint into your cup of cocoa and check out these ideas to use that winter-fresh candy with the little ones in your life.

Whether they are the real starlight mints and candy canes or the printable versions, these sweet treats provide wonderful opportunities to practice many math skills.

Included below are printables and suggestions for practicing math skills that include counting, single-digit addition, identifying shapes, sorting, non-standard measurement, comparing numbers of objects, sequencing, and more. Created by Rainbows to Snowflakes, this candy cane and starlight mint themed resource will provide ideas and materials to use in math centers, as warm-up activities, and small group practice for kindergarten and first grade.

 

 

 

 

This post has been shared on the following blogs. Please check them out:

Something 2 Offer dot Com

ABC Creative Learning dot Com

Enchanted Homeschooling dot Org

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIFE IS JUST DUCKY WHEN YOU MAKE ADDITION FUN

October is finally here. That means we have reached the month of learning, fun, and giveaways on my blog.

Today’s post is a simple way to use October-themed objects to create story problems. In fact, the term problem is not entirely accurate. When your little ones use these cute little ducks to practice the concepts of counting and addition, they will be creating and solving story fun. No problems here!

So grab your rubber ducks and a handful of candy corn to have some fun with addition.

LIFE IS JUST DUCKY WHEN YOU MAKE ADDITION FUN

Grade Range: K – 1

Time to complete: 15-20 minutes

VA STANDARDS of LEARNING: Math K.6

COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS: CCSS.Math.K.OA.A.1

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION: Students will count up to 10 objects with correct one-to-one correspondence. They will use those concrete objects to create and solve addition problems.

MATERIALS:

Set of October-themed objects (rubber ducks used for demonstration)

Candy corn and pumpkins
Pencil
Worksheet (provided)

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Prior to beginning the math portion of the activity, discuss the types of rubber ducks, giving each duck a simple name based on the costume (ex: Vampire Duck).

2. Each student will count out 10 of each type of candy to use for the addition sentences.

3. Read the first story problem to the students. Students will use their ducks and candy to create the story problem that was read to them.

4. Students will solve the addition problem and write the correct answer in the space provided.

5. Repeat steps 3-4 to solve the problems on the worksheet.

6. To check for understanding of the concept of addition of parts into a whole, students will use their candy to create their own flower, writing a number sentence to represent their creation.

MORE DUCKY FUN: Use the images on the worksheet to compare the amount of candy each duck has. For each of the 3 images shown, circle the duck that has more candy.

Interested in adding these cute Halloween ducks to your counting bin? Register here to win a set.*

OR...

POST A COMMENT ON THIS BLOG**

*This giveaway will include a free set of rubber ducks for parents and teachers of children over the age of 3. The registration will last from the posting of this blog post until midnight, October 8, 2013. One winner will be randomly selected from the entries. The ducks will be shipped from Amazon within approximately 2 weeks following the close of the giveaway. The giveaway is open to residents of the United States with a United State’s mailing address. The winner’s name will be posted on the blog, unless the winner chooses not to have his/her name posted.

**To be considered for entry into this giveaway, the entrant’s email address must be submitted to the blog administrator.

THIS POST HAS BEEN SHARED ON THE FOLLOWING BLOG. PLEASE CHECK THEM OUT.

Coffee Cups and Crayons dot Com

Kids Activities Blog dot Com

I Can Teach My Child dot Com

What Do We Do All Day dot Com

 

GIVEAWAY UPDATE 10-10-13:

 

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 3 WINNERS OF THE HALLOWEEN DUCKS:

Berdine, April, and Erica  are winners of the Halloween ducks.

Erica, from What Do We Do All Day has generously donated the value of the ducks to an upcoming giveaway that will take place in November. Thank you, Erica, for paying it forward to this VERY special giveaway.

Thank you to all that have entered this giveaway.

Sand Pail, Shovels, and Sunglasses

Four things to do with sand pails, shovels, and sunglasses—none of them at the beach.

 

It’s July and your home is overflowing with summer gear. The kids are begging for something to do. If a trek to the beach is out of the question, check out the list of activities that puts the summer gear to good use. Not only will your little ones have lots of fun, they will also practice some of those much-needed skills they learned in school. These activities reinforce rote counting, color recognition, fine and gross motor skills, the ability to compare sizes, and categorizing skills.

1. Sorting Fun—Can you sort the sand bricks?

2. Sand Pail Relay— Who can fill their sand pail first?

3. Water Play—How many scoops does it take to fill your sand pail?

4. Scavenger Hunt—My sand pail is red. What color is yours?

Activity 1—Can you sort the sand bricks?

This activity is a quick way to assess your child’s knowledge of colors.

Ages: 3-6

Time to complete: 20-30 minutes

MATERIALS:

Matching sets of sand pails and shovels, in several different colors

Matching sunglasses (optional)

Assortment of building blocks in various colors*

*Depending upon manufacturer, several different combinations of building brick colors are available. I used the colors that matched the sand pails from our local dollar store.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Prior to the activity, arrange the sand pails, the shovels, and sunglasses, as shown. Place a pile of building bricks in front of the sets of sand pails.

 

2. Tell the children that they are going to be color detectives. They will wear their detective glasses to find which colors go into each of the sand pails.
3. Children then sort the items by color, creating a set for each color, as shown.

4. Take it further by ‘accidentally’ dropping the wrong color into the sand pail and ask the children to find the incorrectly sorted block. Children will love catching your mistakes when they discover the wrong color inside the sand pail.

Hint: Some of the sunglasses have several colors on them. When the children sort the sunglasses, ask them which part of the sunglasses match the sand pail and shovel.

Activity 2—wHO CAN FILL THEIR PAIL FIRST?

 

A great way to for the kids to exercise as well as practice their balancing skills, this summer relay is easy, inexpensive, and fun.

Ages: 4-7
Time to complete: 20-30 minutes

MATERIALS:

Matching sets of sand pails and shovels.

Assortment of building blocks in various colors

INSTRUCTIONS:

**This activity can be completed by 1 or more children. Adapt the instructions to meet the needs of your group.

1. Divide the children into two groups. Have them sit in a line behind a pile of building blocks with a matching colored shovel beside the pile of blocks. Make sure that each pile has the same number of blocks.

2. When you signal go, the first child in the line stands and places a building block on the shovel. He then walks with that block to the end of the room and drops the block into the sand pail. He returns to the line, handing the shovel to the next child in line.

3. Repeat step 2 until all of the blocks are in the sand pails. The first team to finish wins.

Add to the challenge:

Instead of conducting the activity with the colors already sorted, place the pile of building bricks in the middle and have the children sort on their own as they complete the relay. If you choose this option, be prepared for a bit of chaos—and more laughter, too.

ACTIVITY 3—HOW MANY SCOOPS DOES IT TAKE TO FILL YOUR SAND PAIL?

This fun outdoor activity is a good way for your child to review rote counting, as well as have some splashy fun on hot summer days.

Ages: 3-6

Time to complete: 20-30 minutes

MATERIALS:

Several sand pails of different sizes

Hose

Small outdoor pool (optional)

*Variation: Sand can be used as a substitution for water.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Before heading outdoors, have your child select at least three different sizes of sand pails from the beach gear. This provides a great springboard discussion about how shapes affect how much water or sand will actually fit into the pail.

 

2. Take the pails and shovels outside.

3. Fill the largest pail with water.

Ask: How many of the small pails of water do you think it will take to fill the medium pail? *If you are using your outdoor pool, use that as the water source and conduct the activity with the medium and large sand pails.

4. Fill the medium sand pail with water by filling and counting the number of refills needed.

SPLASHY FUN:

As you are already outdoors, take this opportunity for a mini-lesson on volume. Ask: Will the water in the big sand pail fit into the medium sand pail? Help your child pour the water from the big pail to the medium pail? Ask: Why do you think it didn’t fit?

ACTIVITY 4—MY SAND PAIL IS RED. WHAT COLOR IS YOURS?

 

This color-themed scavenger hunt will keep your kiddos busy and thinking when the afternoons are too hot to head outdoors. They will enjoy playing color detective and finding various items to fill their sand pails.

Ages: 4-7

Time to complete: 20-30 minutes

MATERIALS:

Matching sets of sand pails and shovels, in several different colors

Toys and household items that will fit into the sand pails

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Tell the children that they are going to play color detective.

2. Have the children select a matching set of sand pails and sunglasses.

3. Send the children on a scavenger hunt to find items that are the same color as their pails and sunglasses AND fit into the sand pail.

This activity not only reinforces color concepts, it also practices size estimation skills. Some children may realize that they can squish a stuffed animal to fit into the sand pail—a great way to start a discussion on density.

The Temps are in the 90s~Time to Jump into the Deep End of the Pool

Welcome to my first post on Rainbows2Snowflakes. While I definitely know what direction I intend to take with this blog, I will more than likely modify the paths I travel to reach the final destination.

Rainbows2Snowflakes is intended to be a friendly and informative online space to distribute and share ideas for activities, projects, and children’s literature. As we are all forever learners, many of the activities will appeal to a wide audience and age range. However, for the duration of this summer, the posts and ideas will be geared towards children ages four through eight.

Since summer has unofficially begun and the pools are now open, I thought I’d join in with the summer fun and jump right into the deep end of the blog pool with my first activity from The Sizzling Summer Snow Day thematic unit. Over the course of the next few weeks, I will post different ideas and activities from this summer unit. Some of them are easy to do with few materials required and some of the activities are more elaborate and require careful planning. When all activities have been added, I will add a link to the entire unit, just in time for the super sizzling days of July and August.

Activity 1—Sticky Snowman Snowball Sort—Twice the Fun

Marshmallows are such entertaining treats. They squish. They roll. They stick to just about anything. This marshmallow-themed activity will provide both a fun afternoon of learning and play as well as an educational boost for the little ones in your life.

Ages: 3-8

Time to complete: Part 1—15-20 minutes; Part 2—45-60 minutes

Hint: To make sure your children have super clean hands for this activity, instead of singing the usual Happy Birthday song while they was their hands, sing Jingle Bells while they splash in the soap and water. The kids will love singing the Christmas song in the summer and they will have squeaky clean hands when they are ready to dive into the bowl of mixed-up marshmallows.

Materials:

4 nesting bowls

3 small bowls, 1 cup sized

3 bags of marshmallows in 3 sizes (available in big box stores)

Rice Treat ingredients—1 10 oz. bag marshmallows, 3 TBSP butter, 1 tsp vanilla, 6 cups rice cereal

Embellishments: Mini M & Ms, fruit rolls, pretzels, powdered sugar (optional)

Cookie sheet coated with non-stick spray

How big is your marshmallow—Part One

Instructions:

1. Prior to the activity, place the marshmallows in the largest bowl, making sure they are mixed, as shown.

 

2. Arrange the remaining bowls by size from smallest to largest in front of the large bowl.

3. Discuss the sizes of the three types of marshmallows.

4. Sort the marshmallows by size into the corresponding bowl.

 

Make the fun count by counting your snowballs

Use three 1 cup sized bowls and have the children predict how many marshmallows of each size it would take to fill that bowl. Fill the bowls, one at a time, with each size marshmallow. Count the total number of marshmallows it takes to fill the bowl.

Ask: Why did it take more of the small marshmallows to fill the bowl than the other two sizes?

 

Create a Crispy Summer Snowman—Part Two

 

A fun follow-up activity to the marshmallow sort, this activity uses the marshmallows from Part One and continues to reinforce the concepts of comparing items by size as well as counting skills.

Instructions:

Hint: Step 1 should be completed by an adult.

 

1. Create the marshmallow treats.

            a. Melt the butter over low heat.

            b. Melt the marshmallows by stirring them in the melted butter over low heat.

            c. Remove the melted mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

            d. Stir in the rice cereal until coated with the melted marshmallow mixture.

2. To prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands, apply a coating of butter to the palms of your hands.

3. Grab three clumps of the mixture and place them on a cookie sheet coated with non-stick spray, making sure there are three different-sized clumps.

 

4. Roll the clumps into firm ball shapes and allow to stiffen slightly before proceeding to Step 5.

5. (Optional) Roll each of the balls in a layer of powered sugar, leaving a quarter-sized area that is not coated. The uncoated area will be used to help the balls stick together to form the snowman.

 

6. Assemble the snowman by placing the balls from largest to smallest, pressing them together to stick.

7. Decorate the snowman with the candy, fruit roll, and pretzels.

 

Have fun with this activity!