Get-To-Know-You Math Activity

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

I recently saw this idea and thought it was really cool! At the beginning of the year, students make a poster introducing themselves using numbers! Shoot, you could do this activity at any point in the year, not just the start of the year. For example they might use shoe size, weight, height, number of siblings, birthday, class number, number of pets they’ve owned, etc. Here comes the challenge (for upper grades): then students use sticky tabs to cover the actual numbers (written in standard form) and instead write an equation. See the examples below:

Then display the posters and see if kids can figure out who is who. This is especially fun if kids have completed the poster as a homework assignment (so kids don’t see them making it). Either way, it’s a great way to build number sense and reinforce the idea that a number can be written many, many ways. Enjoy!

Paint Partners (Student Mixer)

Posted on December 28, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I LOVE the paint section at Lowes! All the colors are just way too fun. Also, there are times when I need students partnered randomly and I need a clever way to do it. So here’s my paint swatch student mixer idea:

Grab 2 of each of your favorite paint swatches. (Make sure the names aren’t anything that’ll be distracting. I didn’t notice that one of the pinks was called “Tuti Fruiti” and it was a major distraction the first time we used these. I ended up taking that pair out of the stack in the future.)
Glue each swatch onto a piece of white card stock.
Laminate the cards so they will last.
When it’s time go partner students, mix up the stack and hand out the cards. Give your kids a set amount of time (I used 1 minute) to find and sit next to their paint partner (the other student who has the same paint swatch as them).

Note: this idea requires time to let kids find their partner. I found this was a quick, effective break before introducing the new assignment.

Q-Tip Letter Painting (Preschool, Kindergarten Activity)

Posted on December 27, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

I recently saw this photo on a blog and thought I’d make you a printable to go with it!

Here’s my free printable PDF: Q tip painting letters Use this letters page for your kids to trace with q-tips and paint, crayons or markers. To make things smoother for an entire class doing this activity, have kids write their name on the back before they start. If you’re doing this with a small group or single child, you can also help them practice fine motor skills by having them line up beads along the lines of the letters. After your tracing activity is complete, cut up the letters and place them around the room on objects that start with that letter/sound. Enjoy!

Dinotrux (Awesome Kids Book) to Become a Movie!)

Posted on December 26, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

Author/illustrator, Chris Gall, is my neighbor’s brother. Since I first met him and learned about his books, I’ve been impressed.

My favorite book, Dinotrux, has been a huge hit with our second graders. Dinotrux is a 32-page book that takes place in a fictional prehistoric age, when the world was ruled by Dinotrux, creatures that were part trucks, part dinosaurs (with species like the Craneosauraus, Garbageadon and Tyrannosaurus Trux) plowing and bulldozing their way across the terrain. I recently learned that it’s going to be made into a DreamWorks CG movie (potentially as early as 2018)!!

So if you haven’t had a chance to read it to your class, snag it from the library! You can use it to teach the value of writing, i.e. movies, TV shows, songs, and most ideas start out as writing!

Hand Print Paper Wreath Craft

Posted on December 25, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

This idea was submitted by a second grade teacher (Thank you!). She’s been making them with her class for years, and says it’s one of her favorite holiday crafts for kids. You’ll need:

lots of green construction paper
some red construction paper
1 paper plate per child
scissors
glue

The paper plate is the base for the craft. Cut out the center of the plate (have students write their name on the back of the paper plate at this point). Then have students trace their hands on green paper and cut the hand prints out. Glue these on the paper plate, curling the fingers in a bit by rolling them. After you’ve layered the green hands to your preference, use the red construction paper to make berries and a bow (click here for the bows & berries template). There you have it!

This craft can be fun at family parties and other gatherings where you have guests of varying ages. Having different sized-hands on the wreath adds some variety. This can also be a fun craft for grandparents to do with their grandkids, etc. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Addition & Subtraction Worksheet

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

This worksheet deals with simple addition and subtraction. Based on the answer (even/odd), kids either color the light bulb red or green. Too cute! Click here for the worksheet.

12 Days of Christmas Math (Multiplication)

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

I saw this idea and thought it was a genius way to incorporate the holiday season into math practice (multiplication facts specifically). This worksheet has kids total up the cost of everything in the song “12 Days of Christmas.” Here‘s the worksheet, and here‘s the full lesson plan. This would be great for any class 3rd grade and up (with varied amounts of scaffolding), or for practice with your kids at home. Merry Christmas!!

Even More Christmas Crafts for Kids!

Posted on December 22, 2013 by Squarehead Teachers

Some of these are just too cute not to share! They’re pretty simple, so with the right scaffolding, a wide variety of ages can do these crafts. Enjoy!