Chutes and Ladders

 Do you remember Chutes and Ladders?

 I loved it when I was a kid! 

Well....I loved the ladders, but the chutes....not so much! 

Anyways, one day while browsing   

http://www.gudli.com/ ,

 

I came across Snakes and Ladders. 

http://www.gudli.com/preschool/games/snake-ladder.html

My kids LOVE this game!! 

If we have a few extra minutes at the end of the day,

I pull it up on the SmartBoard, and VOILA,

the kids are excited and talking about numbers--

and where the frog is going to end up --everyone is happy!

We are currently studying addition and counting on,

so I decided to take the concept of Chutes and Ladders,

and turn it into "Race to 100". 

I had my kids play with their table groups (3-4 kids).

Each child needs a 100s chart and a game piece.

The group shares one die.

Each child starts with their game piece on 1.

The first player rolls the die and moves their game piece

that many spaces on their board.

All players watch their friends to make sure they are not cheating

 moving the correct number of spaces. 

The goal is the be the first one at your table to reach 100,

or be closest to 100 when time is up.

You could also add a few of your own rules

to make the game more interesting, such as:

~You get an extra turn when you roll a 6.

~If the die rolls off the table, move back to 1.

(I added this rule after some dice went flying across the room!)

You could also make it a little more difficult by using 2 dice,

so the kids would have to add the two numbers

before moving their game piece.

On your mark,

get set,

GO!!

Winning Worms

My kids are doing great with recognizing, writing and counting numbers, but......... Oh....My.....Goodness!!!!  They are having such a hard time with knowing where numbers fall on a number line!   So, I have been pulling out the "Winning Worms"  (from The Mailbox) every week to help them practice. 

Here's how it works:

Each student has the numbers 1-50 in a bag.  Player #1 pulls a number out of the bag  and places in on the correct square on their worm.  Then player #2 does the same.  If they pull out a number, and the square is already covered, the number goes back in the bag, and their turn is over.  The goal is to be the first player to cover every square correctly.

Shape Rocket Game

After studying 2D shapes, we reviewed with this Shape Rocket game from abcteach.com .  It is played just like Candyland.  It really got the kids talking to each other-- about the names of the shapes, and for some, explaining how they knew that based on the number of sides.

Even and Odd Numbers

We review even and odd numbers every day during calendar.  We talk about how the only digit that can tell you if the number is even or odd is the one in the one's place.  The song we sing goes a little something like this:

Even or odd....odd or even,
these are two kinds of numbers in the world.
Odd or even....even or odd,
these are two kinds of numbers in the world.
0, 2, 4, 6, 8....is even!
1, 3, 5, 7, 9....is odd!
0, 2, 4, 6, 8....is even!
1, 3, 5, 7, 9....is odd!
However your number ends, you can tell if it's
Even or odd....odd or even,
Even or odd!!!!!!!!!!

The song was saved on my computer when I got assigned to my classroom, so I have no idea who it is or where it came from!

First Grade Connections has another even/odd song.  Go check it out!

Shape Monsters

We have been studying 2D shapes and their attributes (faces, edges, and vertices) for about two weeks.  Now it's time to let the monsters out!

Students used 2D shapes to create a "Shape Monster".  Then they had to write a story about their monster. 

These pictures are from a colleague's class....hopefully my kiddos will get to finish theirs soon!   I think they look GREAT!!

It's PIGometry, baby!

We are in the middle of a 2D shape unit, and PIGometry is one of fun activities I like to do. 

The students have to make a pig by following these directions:
1.  Choose black, pink, or gray paper.
2.  Cut 7 similar circles for the head, body, eyes, snout, and nostrils.
3.  Cut 2 congruent triangles for ears.
4.  Cut 4 congruent rectangles for legs.
5.  Glue all pieces together to assemble one pig.
6.  Twirl and attach a pipe cleaner for the tail.
7.  Write about your pig.

I helped my kiddos with #7.  I gave them this frame to use:

I used __  ___ for the head, body, eyes, snout, and nostrils.
I used __  ___ for the ears.
I used __  ___ for the legs.

I absolutely LOVE how the pigs look so different, even though they all got the same directions.  Take a look!

Math Lesson

Teen Numbers

The teen numbers can be a tricky concept for students to understand.  Here is a song that a friend from school shared with me that I have been using to help my kids understand the "teens".  Maybe you will be able to use it with your kids too!



There's A Number (Teen Number Song)

Domino Parking Lot-- An Addition Game

I'm already hearing from the 2nd grade teachers that the kids they have (mine from last year) do not know their Math facts, and I know that we practiced them!  So...I am trying to give my new group lots of practice time to work on their facts.  One of the activities they do is called "Domino Parking Lot"  The rules are very simple:  Each student has their own parking lot.  Students take turns selecting a domino.  Add up the pips (dots), and place the domino in the matching parking space.  If the parking space is already filled, the domino goes back in the container, and the turn is over.  The goal is to be the first person to fill their parking lot.  Have fun!

Math Domino Parking Lot