From the Pond

28 April 2023

Paper Fish Craft

Have fun and help your students be creative while developing essential fine motor skills with paper craft activities.

Today they can make a fish from a square of paper!

How to make a paper craft fish:

Gather the supplies:

square of paper
scissors
glue stick
scraps of pink and white paper
black marker

For more fun fish activities, have a peek over on our website page!

fine motor, Paper Folding Craft

25 April 2023

Frog Plop

Our counting and number order cards - Frog Hoppin' recently got an update and now your students can practice with numbers to 120.

They can:

take a card and verbally count the numbers, identifying the missing numbers
write the numerals with a dry erase marker
put number tiles down (from a 120 plastic math board)
locate and color the matching missing numbers on a 120 chart worksheet

These cards help you review and assess content you've taught in your math lessons and provide opportunity for much-needed numeral writing practice.

Here is a lesson introduction or movement focused brain break you can play too:

Math Warm Up - Frog Hop

Warm up for math with an active, listening number game - Frog Plop or Hop!

Students will listen to sequences of numbers and determine if they're correct.

if your sequence is correct, students ‘hop’ up (jump to their feet)
if your sequence is incorrect, they will ‘plop’ down to their lily pad (sit)

Count for students in sequences of four numbers from various starting positions and have students listen - e.g. 3-4-5-6, 12-13,14-15, 19-21-22-23, 16-4-18-19.

Find Frog Hoppin' over in our store, ready to print and prep!

frogs, math warm up, Numbers

24 April 2023

Draw More + Add More

After your children have traced and drawn more on their robot page (in the Pond Coloring Club) you can use their work in a math or spelling warm up or mini lesson!

While they're tracing and drawing, talk about:

the straight and curved lines
what shapes they can see on the robot already
what ideas they have for how their robot looks when completed or what it does

Display your collection of robots along with any writing they do!

Robot Makes Words

suggest that this robot is making words
give your students a selection or letters to use (use letter tiles or write them on the board)
challenge your students to write (around their robot or on a whiteboard) words that robot can make with the letters
have this on display in your main teaching area after your activity or warm up and when you need a lesson transition or to fill a few minutes, students can find more words

Robot Rules

create a puppet by cutting a window opening on teh robot
attach to a craft stick
write a rule for numbers - e.g. +10, +1, double, x2, +12
ask students to pass a number tile or dice through the robot
'the robot' must calculate the answer (the student) and record it (optional)
use this as an engaging math warm up and let students make a math puppet too

I hope your students love the robot page!

18 April 2023

Spinning Trees and Cloud Breathing

Your children can make a spinning tree paper craft with our page in the Premium Coloring Club today!

They can:

paint or color the 3 branches of leaves
paint or color the trunk
layer the leaves from biggest to smallest, securing with a split-pin

They can extend their craft with some creative choices:

draw a different crayon pattern on each branch
fringe snip the edge for a 3D effect
draw some leaves

I hope you love this new craft!

In the last newsletter I shared with you a koala cloud screen wallpaper and gave you some steps to become more mindful of breathing with Cloud Breathing.

Don't miss the next wallpaper and brain break idea - join our list!

If you don't have the wallpaper, you can still do cloud breathing - use 6 of our free printable clouds and put them on display!

Cloud Breathing

As you run your finger along the line of 4 clouds, have students:

inhale in for 4 counts
then hold for 2 counts (you may want to tap your finger)
exhale for 4 counts, as you run your finger back along the 4

As well as becoming more mindful of their breathing, this is a good counting warm up for making ten too, (4-2-4 making 10 altogether).

Craft for Kids, Earth Day, Transition Activities

17 April 2023

Ordering Numbers to 120

I just added more snake puzzle cards to the printable pack over in our store for you! Your students can now order numbers to 120!

A game mat is provided to work on, or you may choose to provide the number cards for students to sequence directly.

It's a practical game to include in your plans as the rectangle cards are fast to cut and prepare and it's easily differentiated.

There are a lot of cards included (119 puzzles) so I recommend selecting just a few for each group at your math table.

You can let students free-play with the cards, building the snakes independently or set up a game in your math workshop or rotation (instructions included).

For your emergent learners, I recommend printing 2 sets and using one snake as a matching-mat. These students can work towards being able to identify each number by matching it with a puzzle piece.

Added to the resource is also a digital activity - you can use Easel by TPT to project it onto your electronic board. Use it as a daily math warm-up for the week! Here is a suggestion of a math-talk you can lead with each slide.

Number Snake Math Warm Up

Monday - Slide 1

What numbers are missing? How do you know?
Encourage students to tell you and explain how they know - e.g. 3 is missing, it comes after 2. 5 is missing, you say it after 4.

Tuesday - Slide 2

What number is one more than 7?
How else can we describe where that number is on the number track? (e.g. one less than 9)

Wednesday - Slide 3

What number is two away from 10? How do you know this?

Thursday - Slide 4

What numbers come between 15 and 19?
How far is 16 from 19?
Is 17 closer to 15 or 20?

Friday - Slide 6

What numbers are missing?
Are they odd or even numbers? How do we know?

If you have our Number Snake cards already, you can find all this extra value ready for you over at TPT! If you'd like to discover more about Number Snake for the first time, hop over to read more!

counting, Math Center, math warm up

14 April 2023

Dice Difference

Here is another game option for using our Dice Grid game mats!

Encourage students to see quickly, numbers with a difference of 2. This will help their work in subtraction later on.

On their turn they find and remove the 2 dice they identify - e.g. 6&4, 5&3, 4&2, 3&1.

The winner is the player who can last take a set.

I hope you love this easy alternative to a game you may already have!

This game (and more) can be played with any of the 20 fun game mats in the fast-prep pack, including the panda I sent you in the newsletter recently.

If you missed out on panda, you can get him now:

Dice Grid Games, math warm up, Subtraction

13 April 2023

Another Way to Play wth Dice Grids

Engage Your Students with This Fun Kindergarten Math Game: Dice Grid Challenges!

Last month, I introduced you to our little panda friend, part of the Dice Grid Printable Game Pack. Today, I’m excited to share an extra way to use these game boards, perfect for extending your students’ math skills in an engaging, hands-on way. Whether your learners are just beginning to grasp basic addition or are ready for an extra challenge, this game provides a fun and versatile activity for your kindergarten math centers.

How to Play Dice Grid Math:

In this game, students will work to cover their entire game board, using number cards and dice. They can play independently or with a partner, and the winner is the player who covers the last two squares on their mat. Here’s how it works:

Shuffle a set of number cards (with sums from 2-12) and place them face down.
Students take turns flipping a card and finding two dice that match the total on the card. For example, if a student flips the number 11, they would cover a 6 and a 5 on the mat.
Play continues until a student can no longer place two numbers, or the board is completely covered.

How Does This Game Build Math Skills?

This activity offers excellent practice in:

Addition: Students need to add two dice together to find the sum that matches their number card.
Subitizing: By using dice with dot patterns, children strengthen their ability to quickly recognize numbers without counting individual dots, a key early math skill.
Number sense: As students play, they build confidence in working with numbers and develop their understanding of how numbers can be broken down and combined in different ways.

Challenge Extension for Advanced Learners:

If you have students ready for a higher-level challenge, try this twist:

when they place dice on the mat, ask them to find the doubles. For example, if they cover a 6 and a 5, they will mentally calculate 5+5+6+6. In their math journals, they can record: “5 + 5 = 10” and “6 + 6 = 12” and then add, writing “10 + 12 = 22.”
This introduces them to the concept of doubling and reinforces mental math strategies while still making the game fun and interactive.

Why You’ll Love This Kindergarten Math Game

This easy-to-prep game is flexible and adaptable for any math level, making it a great option for differentiation in your classroom. All you need are dice (or use our printable dot cards) and the game mats from the Dice Grid Printable Pack. With 20 fun-themed mats, like the panda I shared in our last newsletter, there’s plenty to choose from to keep your students engaged.

Don’t have the panda mat yet? Don’t worry! You can grab it when you join my newsletter (scroll to the bottom of this post).

Looking for More Ideas for Kindergarten Math Games?

The Dice Grid Printable Game Pack is packed with 20 game mats that can be used in various ways, making math time fun and interactive for your students. Keep a few sets of number cards ready on your math shelf for variations like this! Whether you’re focusing on simple addition or exploring higher-level concepts like doubling, these fast-prep games are a fantastic addition to your math centers.

Addition, Dice Grid Games

12 April 2023

Tracing the Clouds with a Math Warm Up

Here's a free cloud tracing page, perfect for students transitioning from big shape tracing to smaller shapes, patterns and line movements.

There are 20 clouds to trace. They could:

trace with their favorite markers
trace in crayon and watercolor a sky blue wash
draw patterns or faces on each cloud
add cotton for a fluffy 3D texture

Here are some math warm up ideas to use with it too:

Math Warm Up Game: Make 20 Clouds

provide a 20 sided dice and 3 counters in 3 colors
students roll and place counters on groups of clouds until a perfect 20 is made
encourage students to record their 3 number combinations in their math journal
after playing they could color or trace the clouds in a combination to show 20 made of 3 numbers

If you have students working on place value and mental addition strategies, they could play 200 on the Clouds:

200 on the Clouds

use a 20 sided dice
build sets of 10 dots on each cloud until 200 are drawn
students will need to partition some numbers across clouds - e.g. here a player has rolled 14 and is putting 10 on one cloud and the remaining 4 on the next

The player then rolls 4, adding these to the second cloud, before rolling a 7 to complete the 10 with 2 partitioned from the roll (5 to the next).

I hope you enjoy these ideas for using the page, available to you over in the Pond Coloring Club!

During April and when you're teaching units of work on the weather you may also like our Clouds and Rainbows Tracing Pages and classroom printable accents!

math warm up, Tracing

11 April 2023

Owl Craft Freebie

I'd love to share a fun one page craft with you and your children. All the pieces they need to assemble are on one single piece of paper! Why not have each student make one and display them altogether on a big owl branch or your classroom door?

If you're not familiar with my One Page Crafts, teachers love them because:

they are fast to prep;
they have a completed project image guide included on the page for students to look at as they make their craft (assists with assembly);
your little learners can practice cutting with our nice thick bold template lines and arrange the shapes to make their craft; and
included with each one page craft is a writing page so students can write a story to go along with their creation.

Here is a free owl craft

Join my newsletter and I'll send you the owl craft as a welcome gift!

Our newsletter keeps you informed of the new printables we are selling, teaching ideas, extra activity ideas and some exclusive free downloads and offers. You can unsubscribe at any time!

Have fun with paint, pencils, crayons and glue today!

Craft for Kids

07 April 2023

Fungi by 5

Use the mushroom paper crafts your children make for a bright and happy counting line.

Each mushroom has 5 spots and after displaying, ask your students to practice counting each day!

As well, you can secure them to a craft stick to use them interactively in your math warm ups. I'll share a few activity ideas with you for the small group table, here next week.

To make the display, you'll need:

craft template (over in the Coloring Club)
paints, crayons, pencils, or markers
scissors and glue
printable numbers (see base of this post)

Students make their mushroom, tearing and crumpling (great for fine motor) their paper scraps to become the internal-padding for a 3D effect. Once on display you can add the numbers.

Challenge students to count beyond 50 without numeral support to assess if they've internalized the counting pattern.

06 April 2023

Egg Basket Art Project

Delight your children or students over Easter with an egg basket drawing project. As well as drawing they can

write some sentences
write a short story
write a poem
draw extra details

This new project has been added to the Directed Drawing Fun Bundle - simply download the new pages if you have it already!

Directed Drawing, Easter

Difference for Subtraction

I have another math warm up for you to help your students build a conceptual understanding of difference for subtraction and counting-on for addition.

You can use the caterpillar pieces from the giant classroom number line, printed at 6-to-a-page. Alternatively you can use a set of number tiles or cards!

You'll also need some counters or math blocks and a small group table or learning space.

Caterpillar Difference

take two cards at random from a selection of number cards (e.g. cards 1-10)
challenge students to find the smallest number and put this first (comparing numbers)
ask them to put the other number down on the table, with space in between
provide counters or pattern blocks and ask students to show the difference between the numbers by counting from (or back) from one number to the other
talk about the numbers - counting forwards and backward
there is no winner just lots of counting fun!

Find more math warm ups to quickly engage your students.

04 April 2023

Teen Number Math Warm Up

Kindergarten and first grade students often need practice saying teen numbers. They can get confused in math activities between numbers that sound similar - e.g. fifteen and fifty, sixteen and sixty.

Provide plenty of opportunities to listen and say these numbers. Math warm ups are a great place to accomodate this extra practice.

Here is just one idea for having your students do the talking. It also helps support their understanding of the order and sequence of numbers.

It's minimal-prep and engaging for a brain break, lesson transition or warm-up.

Simply hold the caterpillar number cards up and have the class call to you the missing number.

before you start model how to say the teen numbers clearly and get them to practice - fourteen, seventeen
review counting from 9 to 20 several times
call a number and have students tell you the next number - to get their minds ready for forward number sequences

Find more math warm ups to quickly engage your students.

03 April 2023

Bunny Basket Craft

Make a beautiful bunny in a basket for spring or Easter and create an eye catching classroom display for your bulletin board, hallway or window!

Students will paint, color, cut and assemble their rabbit, eggs and bow behind the basket and secure with glue.

Included is the original template version. You can print these pieces on colored paper - choosing different colors for each section - or print on white paper and use crayons, paint, markers or pencils.

Included also is a one page and complete version. Both these help conserve paper, and time but result in a smaller basket.

The complete version is similar to a coloring page, with just one big outline shape to cut.

Provided also is a set of pages with plain pieces for students to draw additional unique designs. They will draw on the bunny, basket and eggs before they cut and glue.

Have fun getting your classroom ready for springtime - if they celebrate Easter you could also turn their craft into a card by stapling an additional basket to the back.

Find the Bunny Basket in our store HERE

Craft for Kids, Easter