Fun Manipulative Found at Target's Dollar Spot

If it's the end of July....It's time to check out Target's Dollar Spot for great classroom materials.  I receive no compensation for this.  I just love to share good finds with other teachers!

Today I picked up five bags... yes for a whopping five bucks... of these cool toys:

There are 28 pieces in a bag.  They are advertised as being for children four years and up. These colors were packaged for "girls" and there were primary colored ones for "boys."  I chose these ones because I like the fun colors.    

This is what five bags (140) look like in one of those large school supply boxes:

These toys are great for fine motor development.  They are not hard to snap together or to take apart.

They could be used to make patterns.

They can also be snapped together verically (sorry for the fuzzy picture).

I plan to use them for counting, color sorting, and as a construction toy during free choice centers.

Blessings,

Eilis

Monday Made It

I'm joining the Monday Made It link up at 4th Grade Frolics today.  While all my ideas are borrowed from blogs and Pinterest...

I'm still really happy that I am making them into realities!  And it is only July 21st!

     The frame for my students to hold while I take their first day photos.  I had this black plastic frame 

            on hand because it had fallen of a wall and the glass had broken.  I also purchased the letters on 

            clearance at Hobby Lobby years ago intending to use them in my classroom.  Well... I finally am.

      Pails for sharp and dull pencils.  The buckets and stickers are all from the Dollar Spot at Target.

            My classroom is going to be a little bit beach this year.  

                     Paper plates with colored dots for subitizing practice.

Hugs,
Eilis

Dollar Store Day

If it's July, it must be time to start haunting the dollar store for classroom bargains....

Here's what I found at the Dollar Tree today.  (Target, if you are listening....please load up my local Dollar Spot with classroom goodies soon....)

A pack of 20 foam circles (about 6 inches).  I wrote the numbers 1-20 on them in Sharpie marker.  I will pass them out to students to put the numbers in order (as a whole group activity).  I will also have the kids put the specified number of manipulatives on each circle in a math center.

Five (one dollar each) frog bath mitts for acting out Five Green Speckled Frogs at the beginning of the school year. Who can resist those grins?

I have walked by these foam puzzles before, but plan to put the letters in a bag and have kids pull them out of the bag and place them in the frame as a beginning of the year ABC center.  The kids could color this oldie but goodie printable from GrowinginPreK.com for accountability (and fine motor skills).  Click HERE for the free printable:

The original post is HERE

And... happy dance to find lots of the primary lined journals with room for pictures for a dollar each!

Last but not least... These plastic flip top jars were two for a dollar.  I think they will do double duty.  I will use them to hold smelly items for science during a Five Senses unit.  The kids will also count items in them for a beginning of the year math activity.  I need to stop thinking about it or I will go back for more than I have already bought!

Have you found any great bargains yet this summer?

Hugs,

Eilis

Student Rekenreks

Happy dance.....I have been looking for a frame to make my student rekenreks on. I wanted something sturdy, that I wouldn't have to drill, without sharp corners, kid proof, etc.

Target came through again!  I found these sand toys in the summer section for 99 cents each. They stack. They have handles. They come in fun colors (blue, green, orange, and pink).  Does it get any better? Well, I guess if they'd been on sale that would have been better. But I'm still as happy as a teacher on summer vacation!

Hugs,

Eilis

I'm Joining the Rekenrek Fan Club

Last week, I went to professional development class on developing number sense in K-2. Before the class I had a vague familiarity with what a rekenrek was.   After the class, I knew I wanted to use them in my classroom next year.  I spent some time on Pinterest searching for ways teachers made them.  I thought THIS IDEA (free on TeachersPayTeachers) was great. Debi Goodman used two magnetic curtain rods (Walmart) for a demonstration rekenrek.

I tweaked her version a little putting mine on a cookie sheet and using wooden pieces from Hobby Lobby. The bag of 20 was around $3. (Sorry about the fuzzy photo.)

 I also plan to make a student set using pony beads.  I am still deciding whether to put them on foam bases or use something else as a frame.

Here are some more interesting links:
K-5 Math Teaching Resources
Mrs. Kurtas on YouTube

Hope you're enjoying your summer!

Eilis

Come Along on my Search for Free Math Centers and Activities

I have a large block of time for math each day and I am on the look out for new activities to add that will help my students develop number basics.  Here are some great freebies:

I found this colorful printable  1-20 Number Train at Kidsparkz.com

These Woodland Animal trains start at different numbers.  There are several sets free at  Karen Hill's TeachersPayTeachers shop.

This free I Have, Who Has Numbers 1-30  game can be found at  Thinking Out Loud on TPT.  I love that the kids have to figure out the number they have by looking at ten rods and units.

There is also a free printable 1-30 Number Bingo at Allison Covington's TPT shop.

I love Kinder-craze's free printable interactive number line.  I have it in my classroom twice.  Once as a reference on the wall for the kids to look at, and again on my metal desk as an interactive center.  (I don't have a white board in this classroom to use it on the way Maria does...).  Here's the link to her free printable,  but be sure to visit her blog to see it in use!

And finally, here's an almost-free Pinterest inspired manipulative I made.  I used a 39 cent 5 gallon paint stick from Wal-mart, 25 clothespins, and a Sharpie marker.

 I'd love to hear about your math center finds!

Eilis

Tens and Ones

One of the adjustments for me in teaching kindergarten instead of Pre-K has been working with a consumable math textbook.  While there are suggestions for using manipulatives with the textbook, I am looking for more ways to reach some of my students.

At this point in the year, the students are supposed to be able recognize numbers up to thirty-one by looking at sets of ten and extra units. A few of the kids have struggled with this concept.  This magnetic dry erase board (from Wal-mart) has been wonderful.  I printed tables with ten cubes (on colored paper) and attached them to pieces of magnetic adhesive strip. I also made some individual unit squares.  I can quickly ask "how many tens?" and write the number with a dry erase marker, "how many extras?" and write that number with a dry erase marker, and get them to read the two digits as the total number.

We have also begun estimating numbers as "about 10," "about 20," or "about 30."  I wanted some plastic jars with a wide opening to use in introducing this with manipulatives.  I now have lots of scented Epsom salt from Dollar Tree....
I used them in a lesson modeling "guess and check," then I added them to the math center.

Totally unrelated but...

Since today was the first day of Catholic Schools Week, we had a crazy sock day (in addition to free dress day).  Here are my crazy alphabet socks.

I hope you are having a wonderful week!

Eilis

ABC Pretzels

I came across a fun, inexpensive, edible manipulative today in the chip aisle at H.E.B.

These were "store brand," so if you don't live near an H.E.B. grocery store, there may be other store brands of them available.  I was pretty impressed with how well the uppercase letters were shaped.

Of course, there are the usual precautions to consider if using a food as a classroom material.  I would probably only use them in small groups and I would wear disposable gloves so that I could hand children the letters to make their names, help them sort letters according to straight and curved lines, etc.  The kids would definitely want to eat some at the end of the activity!

Parents at home could have a great time with games like if you can name the letter you may eat it...

What would you do with them?

Eilis