Graphing Balloons (K-2)

Balloons 1 previewI have an exciting announcement to make! I’ve been going nuts trying to keep it secret! I’ve been asked to blog over at the fabulous teacher site, We Are Teachers! They’ve got tons of good information for teachers and getting a hang of the teacher lifestyle. I’m still getting used to the differences between blogging platforms, but I’ve already learned a ton! My first post over there was a two page graphing activity for lower grades. It’d be perfect for K-2, depending on the students.

Click here to check out my post and get the free printable!

Valentine Fraction-Percent Equivalents

Valentines Frac-Perc Equiv STICKERWhen I taught 6th grade, my kids really struggled with finding equivalent fractions, percents and decimals. This is a topic we had to continue reviewing and working on all year long. Here’s a Valentine treat for you: a FREEBIE! (I know, I know… everything I post is free! And that’s because I’m a BROKE teacher, so I assume other teachers are broke like me and can’t always afford to buy materials!)

Click here for the FREE printable PDF: Valentines Fraction-Percent Equivalents

Dress Like 100 Years Old (100th Day of School Idea)

There are tons of ideas out there for celebrating the 100th day of school! Here’s one I recently heard about from a cousin. Her daughter’s school encouraged kids to dress up like they were 100 years old! How awesome is that?!

 

100 Years Old for 100th Day of School

Have any other awesome 100 days of school activities you love? Share them in the comments below! Thanks!

Winter Shape Fractions (Beginning Fractions)

Winter picture fractions STICKER

Ready to introduce fractions to your class? Then you’ll need lots of practice identifying the parts of a fraction (numerator and denominator). Well,then consider this freebie! This page asks students to shade in the numerator of the collection. Simple, I know, but it’s a building block in the process of being able to illustrate a complete fraction. Enjoy!

Click here for the free printable PDF: Winter Picture Fractions

Giveaway Ends Tonight!

Connectors Giveaway 2

Last call for entries to the Roylco Straws & Connectors Set giveaway! Ends tonight at midnight (PST), so hop on over to the giveaway post to enter! Merry Christmas!

Giveaway! Roylco Straws & Connectors Set

 **This Giveaway has ended. Check back for more giveaway fun!**

As promised, I have a fun treat for you! Another giveaway! I’m pleased to partner with Roylco, creators of all things fun and educational for your classroom! So here’s the part you’re waiting for… what can you win!? Drum roll please!

Connectors Giveaway

What: This Straws & Connectors set has a whopping 705 pieces (over triple what we played with) and retails for $60, available for purchase here. It’s recommended for ages 4-5+, which I think is appropriate.

How to Enter: Super easy! Here are the steps:

  1. Hop on over to the Roylco Blog. (Click here)
  2. Poke around and check out their craft ideas. (There’s so much fun stuff over there, I know!)
  3. Come back here to this blog and write me a comment telling me what Roylco craft you liked. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of this page to type your comment. If you’re not a WordPress member, please leave me your email address so I can contact you if you win! That’s it!

This giveaway ends 1 week from now, at midnight (PST) on Tuesday, December 16, 2014.  **This giveaway has ended. Check back for more giveaway fun!**

Connectors Giveaway 2

What I think about the Roylco Straws & Connectors set: Way fun!! We played with the 230-piece set. It was a great amount for two of us to use. When I opened the box, it looked like this:

Connectors 2

It wasn’t hard to separate the connectors. Once we pulled them all apart, here’s what we had to play (and learn) with:

Connectors 1

At first, we didn’t use the directions, but we soon peeked at them to see hot to make more complex connections. The directions were fairly simple, easy to read, and gave us some good inspiration. Here are some of the creations we came up with (notice they get cooler as we continued to play with them):

Connectors 6

Connectors 5

The straws are roughly 9 inches long. They’re not very hard to connect, but they’ve got enough squeeze between the straw and connector that they stay connected pretty well.Connectors 7 Connectors 9 Connectors 8This was our favorite creation: a 30 inch tall “castle” with corners and arches!Connectors 10

What can you learn: First of all, these are just plain fun. So no matter what kids learn, they’ll have a good time. Here are some ideas for incorporating learning into this activity:

  • Identifying vertices and edges in 3D shapes
  • Structural aspects of various shapes (Which shapes are strongest?)
  • Spacial intelligence (How many cubes made up this castle? How many cylinders?)
  • Volume! (What’s the volume of the cube? Of the castle?)
  • Recreating historical buildings out
  • Creating chemical compounds (H20, etc)
  • And the list goes on!

 **This giveaway has ended. Check back for more giveaway fun!**

How to Post a Comment:

A few readers have told me they struggled with finding the place to write a comment. There are a few ways readers will get to this page, so here’s how to post a comment (depending on how you got to this post).

If there are multiple posts on this page (you’re on the Squarehead Teachers home page or a search results page):
How to Comment 2

If you clicked on this post (and it’s the only one on the page), then scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page:
How to Comment

The Fine Print: Participation is optional. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase is necessary to participate. Only one entry per person. Available to US and Canada participants only. There will be one winner. Winner will be randomly selected. I will email the winner between Wednesday, Dec. 17-Thursday, Dec. 18. The winner will have 24 hours to respond and provide me with shipping information so I can mail them their prize! If the winner does not respond within 24 hours, the winner forfeits the prize and another winner will randomly be selected (in which case the new winner will be notified and the same terms apply).  The winner will be announced on this blog once eligibility has been confirmed. I cannot guarantee the winner will receive their prize before Christmas, but I’ll try my best! This giveaway is sponsored by Squarehead Teachers and Roylco, and is not affiliated with WordPress or any other sponsor. If you have additional questions, please contact me! Good luck!

Holiday Equivalent Fraction-Percent Worksheet

Holiday Fraction-Percent Match STICKER

Merry Christmas! (I love getting to say that! It’s my favorite time of the year, by far!) Anyway, my freebie for you today is a free worksheet for equivalent percents and fractions. I chose common fractions, since those are the ones it’s really helpful for students to have memorized!

Click here for the FREE printable PDF: Holiday Number Matching – Fraction Percent

Holiday Number Sequences Worksheet

Holiday Number Sequences STICKERCheck out my new Christmas/holiday number sequences worksheet for pre-K or kindergarten. The kids should write in the missing number from the sequence. No need for an answer key; all you need to do is count! And as always, it’s FREE! Merry Christmas!

Click here to download: Holiday Number Sequences – Reindeer