Valentine's Day Classroom Door

 Create a Valentine's Day Classroom Door with your learners by having them contribute to a collaborative art project. I added some printable pages to our Valentine's Day card pack for you to quickly print and make one. Just trim and glue 4 page together and you're set. You could also draw one on large paper. 

Students will tear a piece of colored paper to add to the heart. 

You could also:

• let them punch paper hearts using a paper hole puncher
• get them to fingerprint on the heart
• draw lines across and down the heart and have them paint or color a section
• trim little pieces of pretty fabric and glue them to create a messy patchwork effect

Talk to them about covering a large area to integrate some math language. 

You could:

• talk about how the area to be covered is flat, not curved
• count how many pieces were used to cover the heart
• talk about how some pieces were more suitable to use than others - and why
• go outside and let students trace each others' shadow - then cover with plastic lids or other equipment you have available - discuss why covering curved shapes leaves gaps

Some language you may model using: 

gaps, no gaps, between, cover, fits, doesn't fit, on top, smooth, flat, edges, points, sides, surface, next to each other, on top of each other, pointy, straight, inside, outside, line, bigger, smaller, side by side, edge to edge, overhang, overlap, on top of, like a rectangle, like a square, like a triangle,  

I hope your students love helping to create their classroom door display or poster! Find more ideas and resources for Valentine's Day HERE

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Door Displays, Measurement, Valentines Day

Groundhog Day Art and Writing Activities

Brighten your classroom and engage students in a creative writing activity by first having them draw for Groundhog Day! Follow along with the steps in our new pack - also added to the fun bundle - or have students add some additional features and detail. 

After drawing, painting or coloring they can write using one of the pages provided. I also share free writing paper for drawing projects in my TPT store too! 

Between drawing and writing, you could:

• sit with your students and talk about their drawings - the words and language you model will help them in writing - e.g. Tell me something you see on your picture. The sun. Oh yes, I see your big, yellow, warm sun beaming down on groundhog. 
• scribe some words on your board or chart paper for students to refer to as they write
• for beginning-writers, write a collaborative sentence together as a class and have them copy it

Find it ready to print HERE

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Directed Drawing, Spring

Penguin Weaving Craft and Math Game

Help your learners practice paper weaving with our cute little penguin from the Pond Coloring Club today! Weaving paper through slits provides an opportunity for you to help your students develop fine motor coordination and also model some mathematical language - up, over, down, back, front, through, in, out etc. 

For this one I cut 5 strips of black paper 1 inch thick to weave. Prepare for this to be challenging for students, it always is - but worth the patience. Allow plenty of opportunities for your students to develop this skill over the year and get better at it over time. 

Always print extras or have clear sticky tape ready for repairs as there will be a few students who tear their penguin as they try to work the paper through the slits. If you can organize some additional helpers in your classroom for weaving activities it is highly recommended! 

Observe your students and note the ones who can persist, problem solve, ask for help, demonstrate patience and of course weave. This will give you some ideas for planning social skill lessons in the following weeks. Perhaps too, some gross motor activities for PE involving up/down, over/under, in/out etc. 


Here is a little math warm up game you can implement with one of the crafts when complete. 

Penguin's Iceberg

• tell students that penguin likes to go behind/in front of his favorite little iceberg
• as he does today, 2 is going to be added to his chosen number (addition strategy, 2 more than)
• select a number tile to position on a mini whiteboard (iceberg) and write +2 on it or 2 more
• slide penguin from the side, and behind the iceberg (whiteboard)
• as he slides, students can say 5 and clap 2 more times to model the 2 being added to penguin's chosen number
• choose a child to find the number tile to match the new total and replace the one on the iceberg
• repeat, having students take on various roles to support
• make it more challenging with larger numbers or subtraction
• make it more challenging with other addition strategies - double, bridge to 10, bridge to 20 etc

I hope your students love playing with penguin and reviewing the '2 more than' addition strategy. 

I'd love to have you with me in the Pond Coloring Club if you're not already!

You may also like:

• number tiles for games, activities, lessons and warm ups in math
• more ideas for penguin themed activities
• beginning addition-strategies in math

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Tracing and Place Value

Here is a tracing page from our Pond Coloring Club that also has an interactive math component available to you. Provide a standard 6 sided die and let your students roll and trace as they practice recognizing dot patterns and counting. As they trace they can count and develop 1:1 correspondence also. 

The simple circle shapes are perfect for early-writers and you can discuss size with some mathematical language of comparison as they are working: match, almost matches, does not match, large, small, curved, round, circle, same as, not the same as, almost the same as, trace, outline, edge, big, bigger, biggest, small, smaller, smallest

After tracing students can color their own page.



I'd also love to share with you an idea for extending the activity into place value and teen numbers. 

• 2 players
• each have a color assigned (here pink and orange)
• the goal is to work towards tracing 10 circles to claim a fishing rod (craft stick)
• the craft stick represents 10
• stduents take turns to roll and trace in their color
• when ten is reached they take their stick
• with the remaining circles, they must roll and trace again but this time place a counter down, each representing a single unit 'one'

• once all the leftover circles are traced, each students must find their own total by adding the ones they claimed to their ten
• below we can see that the pink player scored 16 and the orange player 11

I hope you love these easy ways to incorporate essential skills in number with the tracing page! 

You may also like:

• more fun for place value
• a fish craft
• more math with craft sticks

Find this page available in our Pond Coloring Club!

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Place Value, Tracing

Math Warm Ups with Craft Sticks

Do you have a tub of craft sticks (popsicle sticks) ready for math games and activities? They're a versatile and practical resource that you can use for a range of activities, especially counting. Bundle some in groups of ten and loop them with an elastic band to help teach the concept of base ten and place value. 

Here are 5 no-prep warm up games to play when you have a small group with you at the table.  

Bundle and Ones

• ask students to call the number you make
• encourage them to try to say the number without counting
• remind them that the bundle is a ten, and we count-on the ones to make a teen number
• present a range of numbers to your students by quickly placing them down and having them call to you
• e.g. place a bundle and 5 sticks down, they call 15
• keep it fast paced and fun

Show Me

• give student access to sticks
• call a number
• they make the number with sticks
• extension: keep the current number and then change it to make the next, working on early addition and subtraction

Cover and Tell

• play to rules of Bundle and Ones, but conceal the number quickly with a screen (piece of paper or card) so students are encouraged to create a quick mental picture of the number

Tell a Story

• give students access to the sticks
• tell an addition or subtraction story
• students model the story by taking sticks and putting them down or removing them
• e.g. I went into the garden and picked 2 flowers. I picked another 3 in the afternoon. How many flowers did I pick?

Number Track

• use a number track or large teacher-ruler
• the track that is placed down on the table, show students how to match a stick to each number
• ask students to tell you 2 less than and 2 more than questions
• they use the number track to locate the number, build it by matching sticks adjacent to each number and then take 2 away or add 2
• e.g. if you ask them to show you 2 more than 5, they will put 5 sticks down, one next to each number on the ruler and then add another 2, giving you the answer 7

I hope your students love these fun and hands-on math warm ups that build essential early number skills. Over in my TPT store I also have a game for you - Pig Pen Ten that is free today!

Students will build sets of 10 and then trade them for a bundle to make 100 to win. 

You may also like:

• more ideas for place value
• our math shape cards for use with craft sticks

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math warm up, Place Value

Yes or No

Get your students ready for math with this no-prep warm up! Students can simply do a thumbs up/ thumbs down to indicate yes/no or true/false. Alternatively they can use their happy/sad face from the free craft in the Pond Coloring Club today! 

The aim is for students to identify a sequence that is correct (counting by 1s).

They will be working on:

• attentive listening
• ordering numbers
• forward or backward counting

To play simply call out a sequence of 3 numbers and have students give you a thumbs-up (or happy face) if correct or a thumbs-down (sad face) if not.

If using the faces, students can simply hold it under their chin and flip it as appropriate depending on the sequence you call.

Variation: 

• write the numbers on a board as you say them
• have a student call the numbers 

It is tempting to flip through a series of slides on your electronic board for warm-ups like this but save the screen time for a more comprehensive activity. The students need to hear your voice, listen to numbers spoken and see them written by hand. 

If you would like your students to make a happy/sad face - I'm sharing it with you today in the club - you're very welcome to join.

The craft can be used after a reading or discussion on feelings and emotions. Brainstorm some practical ways students can feel better quickly at school if they're glum. Talking to a friend, choosing a different activity or having some quiet-time may be examples. 

I also added a little reader for feelings to the growing bundle of emergent readers over in our TPT store, along with a digital text. 

I hope your students love getting warmed up for math, I'm sharing more ideas like this one on the Super Fan newsletter email, so be sure to sign up or ask for help if you need!

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math warm up, social skills

Newsletter Goodies

 

Let me share some goodies like these ones with you this year! Become a newsletter super fan! Each week I send a few different email newsletters and they're all free! 

Just so you know, as well as sending you activity ideas, teaching tips and news of updates and revisions to my new designs and creations I will let you know about new resources for purchase in my store. 

To join and choose the newsletters that are right for you - simply 

• sign up HERE
• check all your folders etc for the welcome email
• add my name and email to your trusted contacts list so you never miss one
• let me know if you need any help 

Have a great weekend and I'll see you in your inbox soon!

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Little Bird Drawing

Your children may like to draw and paint a little bird today! I have some steps they can follow for a whimsical bird free in the Pond Coloring Club!

They can:

• draw on the page supplied
• draw in a sketch book
• add extra detail and elements to make it different
• draw in their own style
• paint or crayon after drawing
• write a sentence or short story to accompany their drawing

Find the printable steps on the page in the club, or follow along with this video:

You may also like:

• a rainbow bird math craft
• make a paper plate bird
• learn a rainbow ducks action rhyme

Have fun being creative today!

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Directed Drawing

Penguin Banner

We have a new classroom banner for you to create a fun winter learning space! Line the penguins up by clipping them to a string or use them as picture accents on a bulletin board, walls or doors! 

The banner features whimsical hand sketched funny penguins, some holding pencils and rulers.



Included are colred penguins as well as blackline - students could paint or color them for you once printed on white paper. 





They will easily coordinate with other pennants from our collection if you love to mix and match!

Find more penguin activity and teaching ideas over on our website page! 

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Banner, Penguins

Penguin Math Cards

If you have our Penguin Stick Shape cards, you now have an extra 16 cards in the set!

I've also added a bonus digital activity. The digital activity can be used with the free Easel by TPT tool and would make a great math warm up or introduction to your lesson with the hands-on cards. Just open it on your electronic board!

These activity cards are perfect for:

• morning bins
• fine motor
• exploring line, angles and shape
• creating shapes with straight lines
• visual discrimination
• independent/quiet-time activities

Use them with craft sticks and have students copy each design onto a mat or the desk. 

You can also use mini craft sticks and arrange them directly on the cards.

Incorporate numbers along with order and sequencing too. Simply number the sticks on the card along with a set of craft sticks to match. Choose from numerals, number words, tally marks or dots.

We hope your little learners love the new penguin shape puzzles to make! 

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fine motor, Math Center, Penguins

Learning Goals for the New Year

Help your students select and write a learning goal for this month or year. 

They can color or paint a penguin and then write their goal to display with the class. 

This page is ready for you in the craft library page of our Pond Coloring Club!

You may like to first talk with your children about perseverance, persistence and working towards goals. Share a story and talk about how the character set a goal and worked towards it. 

Here are some of my favorites:

• The Koala Who Could
• Jabari Jumps
• The Curious Garden
• Evonne Goolagong
• How to Catch a Star
• The Little Engine That Could
• The Very Busy Spider

Follow your reading with a short, collaborative minimal-prep game:

Penguin Puzzle

• tell the class you are challenging them to complete a puzzle (if you have a penguin one that would be perfect)
• put a simple jigsaw puzzle in the center of your seated circle of students
• choose one child to be the penguin
• penguin goes to the puzzle and finds as many pieces as possible to add to the puzzle
• the rest of the class counts to 10/20/50 (change this number to match the complexity of your puzzle and age of students)
• if you have a set of fish counters, drop them into a bucket as they count, reminding them to listen for the sounds (this can be fish jumping from the cold water up onto the iceberg where penguin is playing the puzzle)
• once the class finished counting the penguin runs around the circle of students and chooses a new penguin
• play starts again
• once completed, discuss how the puzzle was completed one piece at a time and how everyone helped etc

You may also like to:

• have your students color a penguin banner
• help your children research and writ about penguins
• have a penguin screen wallpaper on your electronic board
• review addition and subtraction facts to 20 with penguin

I hope your little learners have fun setting goals this year and learning all about penguins!

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social skills, Winter