I've mentioned the Bedtime Math book series by Laura Overdeck before, but now that I've read through the second book and tried it out with my kids, I wanted to write a full review to tell you what we thought! The purpose behind the “Bedtime Math” series is to make math cool and get kids fired up about numbers. I really love the concept behind these books, and so I’ve been reading through the second book with my kids. While I have not read the Keep Reading...
Counting Change: Money Puzzles {FREE!}
One of the most important real life math skills kids learn is how to count and handle money. That's why I was so excited to create this fun resource! These money puzzles help kids work on adding money, recognizing the correct format for denoting money, as well as writing out numbers in words. I have found that matching puzzle pieces is much more fun and engaging than a worksheet, and provides a helpful visual for students to increase Keep Reading...
Exploring Math and Science in Your Own Backyard
I often share fun and engaging math stories that can be used to teach and explore all kinds of math topics, but the truth is, you can weave math learning into virtually any book you read with your kids! {Click to tweet!} *Please Note: This post contains affiliate links that support the work of this site. Read our full disclosure here.* As an example, today I want to share a couple of new-to-us books that I (and my kids!) absolutely ADORE, Keep Reading...
Taking Math Outside: Number Line Race
To finish up our week of "Taking Math Outside," I wanted to review adding and subtracting using a number line! A number line is an important tool for solving problems and increasing number sense, and even though my daughter doesn't have much trouble adding and subtracting, I want her to understand how numbers relate to each other on a number line. It was also a good opportunity to discuss the arrows on a number line and the fact that the Keep Reading...
Taking Math Outside: Even and Odd Number Beanbag Toss
To continue our math review using games outside, I decided to review skip counting by two's and knowing the difference between even and odd numbers. Obviously, my daughter is too young to understand that a number is even if it is divisible by two, but she does understand skip counting and how to use that knowledge to determine even or odd. Rather than simply sorting flashcards into piles of even numbers and odd numbers, I thought it would be Keep Reading...
Taking Math Outside: Shape Scavenger Hunt
So we are wrapping up the school year here at our house, and since motivation is at an all time low (can any of you relate!?), we've been using this time to review some of the math topics from the year by taking it outside for some hands-on math FUN! First up: shape review! We spent a couple of minutes reviewing various shapes and talking about why we learn about shapes and how we use them in real life. Then, I explained how our scavenger hunt Keep Reading...
Math-U-See {Review!}: Primer Level
Here at our house, my sweet, precious, eldest daughter is wrapping up Kindergarten. Now that we have completed the entire Math-U-See Primer curriculum, I thought I would write a review to let you know what I think. *NOTE: This post is NOT sponsored or affiliated with Math-U-See in any way, and I am not being compensated for this review.* The basic philosophy behind Math-U-See is to build understanding of math concepts by starting from a Keep Reading...
From Caterpillar to Butterfly: Our Plans for the Week {And FREE Math Worksheets!}
This week we will be learning first hand just what takes place when a caterpillar makes the transformation into a butterfly. To say my kids are excited is a bit of an understatement! ;) Although I don't usually have a theme for the week, with all the excitement surrounding our new critters, and the excitement to get outside and explore, I decided this whole week would be butterfly themed. First, we have a wonderful stack of books from the Keep Reading...
FREE Elementary Math Worksheets and Games
Instead of my weekly round-up of assorted math freebies, this week I am sharing a new discovery of mine: Math Salamanders! As a middle and high school teacher, I know where to look for extra practice worksheets (such as Kuta Software). I have not always been aware of or familiar with, however, resources and practice for elementary math classes. But now that I'm teaching my little ones, as well as tutoring a third grader, I have been on the Keep Reading...
Expanded Numbers Puzzles {FREE!}
It's often difficult for students to make the connection between the numbers 0-9 and place value. At first, children learn to count and everything has a single value, i.e. 6 race cars. But eventually, as they build on that knowledge and begin to consider larger numbers, they must understand place value. Then, suddenly, they can have 6 tens or 6 hundreds and it's not simply the number 6, but a much larger value. One way I have begun to teach my Keep Reading...
