Ten Ways to Learn with Cardboard Boxes

Posted in Common Core, Free, Math, Reading by teachingeveryday

If you can learn with cans, why not boxes? We collected empty cardboard boxes for a few weeks to make “box blocks.” For boxes that didn’t close on their own, I taped them shut. The kids really got excited about adding to our box collection. And we were able to see just how many boxes our family uses…and have a talk about the importance of recycling! That is a learning experience in itself, but here are some other things you can teach with boxes…

Common Core Standards appear in italics. They correlate with specific standards in different grade levels. These standards are used in almost every school in the country. Click the Common Core tab above to learn more.)

Colors- Talk about the different colors on the boxes, then divide them into groups or make a rainbow.
Size- Compare sizes of boxes. Put them in order from smallest to biggest.
Counting– How many boxes in all? Count how many you can stack in a tower.
Addition and Subtraction– How many cereal boxes plus fruit snack boxes do we have? (first grade- Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction)
Geometry- Talk about 2D vs 3D. Use the word rectangular prism. How many rectangles make up a box? (kindergarten- Identify shapes as two-dimensional or three-dimensional)
Measurement- Use a ruler to measure boxes length, width, and depth. (second grade- Measure and estimate lengths in standard units)
Classification- Sort the boxes into groups based on color, size, or type of food. (kindergarten- Classify objects into given categories; count the numbers of objects in each category and sort the categories by count)
Reading– Beginning readers might be able to read some of the labels using the picture as a clue. If they know it is a pizza box, see if they can pick out the word “pizza.”
Letters- Try to make letters or even words out of the small boxes.
Creative building– Design your own sculpture with box blocks!

Or combine all the above into a scavenger hunt. Scatter the boxes around the room and then shout out things to find. “Find a green box and bring it to me. Which box would we use to eat breakfast? Find the largest box. Can you find the letter T on a box?” This is great way to get kids moving and learning at the same time.

21Apr2014

Balloon Number Line

Posted in Common Core, Free, Math, Numbers, Outside by teachingeveryday

What can you do with leftover birthday balloons? How about make a number line? This is an easy game that gets kids moving and works on math skills, too.

Write numbers 1-10 on ten balloons with a sharpie. (I also wrote some letters to see if my three-year-old knew the difference between numbers and letters.)
Scatter the balloons around your backyard or around your house.
Ready, set, RUN and get a balloon!
Bring it back to a central location to make a number line. Ask questions to help little kids figure out where to place their balloon. Should 10 be on the left or right? Is 3 before or after 4? Should 8 be closer to 1 or 10?

Variations for older kids:

Write numbers 1-20
Skip count by 2’s, 5’s, or 10’s
Write random numbers 1-100

Common Core Standard

(kindergarten- Know number names and count sequence)

17Apr2014

Rooster’s Off to See the World- Activities

Posted in Book Activity, Common Core, Math, Reading, Writing by teachingeveryday

Rooster’s Off to See the World by Eric Carle is a second-grade reading level book. It is a wonderful read aloud to younger kids, especially when read with other Eric Carle favorites. It tells the story of a rooster who wants to travel and asks several animals to come along with him.

(Common Core Standards appear in italics. They correlate with specific standards in different grade levels. These standards are used in almost every school in the country. Click the Common Core tab above to learn more.)

Practice math- Do verbal or written story problems following along with the story. 1 rooster + 2 cats+ 2 frogs+ 4 turtles+ 5 fish = how many animals in all? When the animals leave, write the subtraction problems. (first grade- Solve word problems that call for addition of three whole numbers whose sum is less than or equal to 20)
Read with voice- This book makes a great read aloud. Try out different voices for each of the animals. Pay attention to words the author uses such as purred, snapped, or complained. (second grade-Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.)
Alternatives to said– This activity goes along with reading with voice. Make a list of all the words used instead of “said.” Talk about why the author used these different words. See if your child can use some of the new words in her writing.
Act it out- Use puppets or yourself to act out the story. Maybe you could be the rooster and your child play the part of the other animals.
Write the sequel– The story ends with rooster dreaming about a trip around the world. Where would he go? What would he do? Have your child make up the rest of the story and you can write it down.
Text to self connection- Ask your child to explain when he has felt like the characters in the story- excited for a trip, lonely, or homesick. (first grade- Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly)

14Apr2014

Number Memory Game

Posted in Common Core, Free, Math, Numbers by teachingeveryday

I loved playing Memory (or Concentration) when I was growing up. If you are unfamiliar with the game, all of the cards are face down on a table and you take turns turning over a two at a time to get a match. It’s a great game for improving (you guessed it) memory. We have a few different versions, but I thought it would be fun to make our number game to work on math skills.

Use notecards or cut cardstock to make twenty cards.
Have your child write the numbers 1-10 on ten cards.
Have your child put stickers on the other ten cards. One sticker on the first card, two on the next, and so on.
Play Memory by matching up numerals with the correct number of stickers.

Common Core Standards

(kindergarten- Write numbers from 0-20)

(kindergarten- Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities; connect counting to cardinality)

(kindergarten- Understand that the last number name said tells the number of objects counted. The number of objects is the same regardless of their arrangement or the order in which they were counted)

12Mar2014

Bowling Math

Posted in Common Core, Field Trip, Math by teachingeveryday

Bowling is a fun indoor activity when it is too cold or hot outside. We found a local bowling alley with a weekly special for preschoolers ($3 that includes one game, shoes, and a drink). Though, even the smallest bowling balls are pretty heavy for little ones, so I recommend it for kids over 3. Big Sis has a great time bowling, and it is educational, too! Playing a sport is always a learning experience in my book. But the bowling alley is also a wonderful place to practice math in the real world. Old school bowling provided lots of math practice when you kept score with a pen and paper. Yet, even with today’s bowling alley computers keeping score, you can still ask your kiddo some math questions. Then just look up at the screen to check the answer!

You can ask about…

Counting- Count how many pins are still standing. (kindergarten- Count to tell the number of objects)
Make a ten- You started with 10 pins. Now there are 6 pins standing. How many did you knock down? What number plus 6 makes 10? (kindergarten- For any number from 1 to 9, find the number that makes 10 when added to the given number)
Simple addition- You knocked down 2 pins last turn and 3 pins this time. How many did you get in all?
Two-digit plus one-digit addition– Your score was 33, then you knocked 5 more down this turn. What is your score now? (first grade- Add within 100, including adding a two-digit number and a one-digit number…)
Subtraction– There were 10 pins and you knocked down 5. What is 10-5? (kindergarten- Add and subtract within 10)
Relationship between addition and subtraction- There were ten pins and I see 2 still standing. How many did you knock down? You can think about it as “what number plus 2 equals 10?” Or you can think “10-2=?” (first grade- Understand subtraction as an unknown-addend problem)

And if you can’t go to a real bowling alley, maybe try some bowling on the computer with Starfall.com or bowl at home using this print out from whattheteacherwants.blogspot.com

10Mar2014

Great Day for Up- Activities

Posted in Book Activity, Common Core, Reading by teachingeveryday

Great Day for Up by Dr. Seuss has a kindergarten reading level. It has short sentences with lots of repeated words and picture cues. Reading it to babies and toddlers will introduce lots of new vocabulary. Preschoolers, kindergartners, and first-graders will appreciate the humor at the end of the book. Here are some activities that go along with Great Day for Up…

Go on a sight word hunt– Of course this book is a great way to introduce and practice the word “up,” but there are other sight words repeated in the book. Find the words and, for, on, great, and day. (kindergarten- Read common high-frequency words by sight)
Count the “up”s– Every time you read “up”, make a tally mark. Then count them up by practicing skip counting by 5’s.
Make flashcards- Pick out the more difficult words in the story and make quick flashcards. Go over these words before you read and hopefully, they will be able to read them in the story. I wrote a word and a picture to illustrate it on a small piece of typing paper. If I did this for my classroom, I would use cardstock and clipart.
Sort the words- Using the word flashcards, ask your kiddo to put them into groups. What things go together? Maybe there is a group of animals, sports, or people. You’ll be surprised at kids’ creativity.
Explain exclamation points- This book would be a good introduction to exclamation points since there is at least one on each page. Point them out and talk about why the author would use them in this book. Practice writing them. (kindergarten- Recognize and name end punctuation)
Make plurals- Show how adding -s or -es to the end of a word means more than one. Make a list of plurals in the book. Make plurals out of singular words in the story like “wire” or “pup.”(kindergarten- Form regular plural nouns orally by adding /s/ or /es/)
Find the rhymes- Can they identify the rhyming words on each page? Take a close look at words that rhyme, but have different spellings like “wire” and “higher” or “waiters” and “alligators.” (kindergarten- Recognize and produce rhyming words)
Make your own “up” book– Brainstorm things that go up. Make a book together by writing a word on each page and illustrating it. Depending on the age of your child, she can color the pictures, come up with the “up” words, or even write it all herself!

21Feb2014

Egg Carton Ten Frame

Posted in Common Core, Free, Math, Numbers by teachingeveryday

A ten frame is a math tool to help kids visualize numbers and math facts. It is usually drawn with squares on paper, but I thought it would be neat to make it 3D with an egg carton. It is much more fun to drop items in a little hole than place them on a paper, right? Are they even called holes? Okay, I looked it up. Wikipedia says they are called dimples. That’s funny. 🙂

How to make it:

Cut off the lid of an egg carton and two of the dimples. Yep, it is still making me smile .
Number them 1-10. Usually ten frames aren’t numbered, so if this is for an older kid feel free to leave it blank.
Find small objects to count. For a reluctant little mathematician, use food. Snacks will motivate anyone to do math!

Now use it to teach:

one-to-one correspondence– Toddlers might be able to count to ten, but they might not understand what the numbers actually mean. Touching objects as they count teaches one-to-one correspondence. Show them how to pick up an object, say the number, and place it in the egg carton. For more of a challenge, try to pick up objects using a spoon or chopsticks! (kindergarten- When counting objects, say the number names in the standard order, pairing each object with one and only one number name and each number name with one and only one object)
number recognition- If you number your egg carton, then they will be able to SEE the number as they SAY the number and drop in the item.
addition facts to ten– Using the egg carton, it will be easy to “see” the facts. There are seven items in the egg carton and three empty spaces. See if your child can write the addition fact 7+3=10. (kindergarten- For any number from 1 to 9, find the number that makes 10 when added to the given number, e.g., by using objects or drawings, and record the answer with a drawing or equation)
relationship between addition and subtraction- The egg carton is a good visual to show how fact families work. Place six objects in the carton and then write all the facts. Another way to think about 10-6 is to find the number that makes 10 when added to 6. Say “Six plus what equals ten?” and write 6+__=10. (first grade- Understand subtraction as an unknown-addend problem)
place value- Make some more egg carton ten frames to count larger numbers. Each carton is a “ten.” (first grade- Understand that the two digits of a two-digit number represent amounts of tens and ones)
estimation- Practice guessing how many objects and then checking by counting them in the egg carton.
even and odd– Explain that a number is even if it can be divided into two equal groups. I talked about “even means it is fair” with my students. Kids always have a concept of what is “fair and even” when dividing up goodies. The egg carton is divided into two rows, so it is easy to see if a number is even (split equally and fairly) or odd. This works even better if you are using food in your egg carton and actually split it up between two kids! (second grade- Determine whether a group of objects (up to 20) has an odd or even number of members)

We used our egg carton to do some math with our morning snack (goldfish and blueberries). Little Sis worked on counting and one-to-one correspondence and Big Sis practiced some addition problems.

20Feb2014

Basic Sight Word Game

Posted in Common Core, Free, Reading, Sight Words by teachingeveryday

Some kids don’t like practicing sight words. Maybe they think it is boring. Or maybe they just learn words better in context. If they hate it, don’t push it. There are lots of ways to learn words. Sight word flashcards are just one way to help your child read. If they are willing, I think looking at flashcards is great for beginning readers to memorize words and feel more confident about reading. Flashcards are also a good pre-reading activity for any reader with a difficult book. Pick out words you think your child might not know in the book plus some that they DO know, make some flashcards, and then do this activity. (Psst: here’s how I made my own sight words, but you could also buy some flashcards or just write words on notecards.)

1. Pick out 9 or 12 sight word flashcards and lay them face up on a table.

2. Ask your child to pick up any word they know and say it aloud. If they are right, they keep it in a pile. If not, say the word for them and they try again.

3. Replace the missing flashcard with a new one (or not if you want a shorter game).

4. Repeat until your child has found all the words she can name.

5. Then say, “Pick up the word ________” and you name the word. It is easier for kids to recognize words than naming the word themselves, so they should be able to pick up a few more this way. If they can identify the word, it goes in the pile. If not, say the word and ask for it again later.

6. When all of the cards in the pile, count them up and celebrate their success! Now those words will be fresh in their mind when they read the story.

Click on “Sight Words” on the right to see more games and activities.

(Common Core kindergarten standard: Read common high-frequency words by sight )

10Feb2014

Sight Word Game- I’m Thinking of a Word

Posted in Common Core, Free, Reading, Sight Words, While You Wait by teachingeveryday

I call this game “I’m Thinking of a Word.” It’s a quick sight word game to play while you are waiting at a restaurant or office.

Write some words on a piece of paper. (Of course you could also use homemade sight words or flashcards.)
Give a clue about one of the words. For example: “My word ends with the letter D.”
See if your child can guess (and read) the word you chose.
Now it is her turn to think of a word and give you a clue!

Some ideas for clues:

My word has the letter ‘b’ in it.
My word rhymes with…
I use my word when I talk about…
My word is in the title of….
My word has 3 letters.
My word means….
My word is the opposite of…
My word ends with the /t/ sound.
My word has 2 tall letters. (tall letters are h, t, k, b, d, l)
My word has two vowels.
My word has 3 syllables.

It is easy to make this game fit your child’s ability level. You can vary the amount of words you write, the level of difficulty of the words, and the clues you give. You might play that they have to identify all the words that fit a given clue. Or just give clues that only fit one word. Have fun!

Common Core Standards:

kindergarten- first grade: Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes)

kindergarten- fifth grade: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

30Jan2014

Sheep in a Jeep Activities

Posted in Book Activity, Common Core, Reading by teachingeveryday

Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw is an easy read (beginning of first grade reading level). It is also a great read aloud for younger kids with lots of rhyming and funny pictures.

Here are some ideas try when you read it:

Practice sight words– Pick out one word that is repeated throughout the book (sheep, jeep, in) and see if your kiddo can point it out on the page. Then practice putting the word together with letter blocks or writing it.
Rhyming– There are lots of rhymes in this book! After you read, go back and a list of all the rhyming words. See if you can add more rhyming words to add to the list. (kindergarten- Recognize and produce rhyming words)
Making words– Use magnetic letters of blocks to spell out a rhyming word in the story such as sheep. Then take away the “sh” and see if your child can make the word jeep. Ask them to replace the “j” and make the word beep. Making words is a wonderful activity for beginning readers to work on letter sounds and spelling. (kindergarten- Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ)
Long vowel /e/– Talk about /ee/ and /ea/ make the same long e sound. Go on a “word hunt” for /ee/ and /ea/ words in the story and make a chart listing them. (kindergarten- Associate the long and short sounds with the common spellings for the five major vowels)
Retell the story– After reading the book, ask your kiddo to retell the story. This is always a good comprehension strategy to teach even with books with few words. (first grade- Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson)
Ask questions– This is another comprehension strategy that works with any book. Ask your child questions about the story. If they can’t remember, ask them to look back in the book to find the answer. Who helped the sheep get their jeep out of the mud? Why did the jeep break? What do the sheep do when the jeep breaks? (second grade- Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text)
Extend the story– What do you think happened next? Who will buy the jeep? What will the sheep drive now? Make up a new story together…maybe even write it down and have your child draw the illustrations!
Act it out– Kids learn best by doing, so acting out the story is another comprehension strategy. If you have a small toy sheep, jeep, and pigs, use those. If not, your kiddo can pretend to drive a jeep (box) and act while you read the book.