Want to provide some hands on practice with making ten and composing the number ten? This adorable set of St. Patrick's Day Make Ten mats is low-prep & fun! Incorporating ten frames into your math learning is an easy way to help kids develop number sense in our base ten system. Ten frames can help students "see" numbers to compose and decompose within 10, or easily visualize ways to make ten, an important foundational skill. If your kids Keep Reading...
St. Patrick’s Day Counting: Hands On Games {FREE}
Want some fun, hands on math games this St. Patrick's Day? Grab a box of cereal and you've got everything you need for this engaging St. Patrick's Day counting set. Engaging multiple senses is always helpful when learning and practicing new math skills. By combining visuals with hands on cereal pieces (and smelling and tasting the cereal!), your kids are sure to enjoy counting while increasing number sense. This St. Patrick's Day counting set Keep Reading...
Build Math Habits: Model with Math & Visual Tools
Want to encourage independent math thinking? Help your kids learn how to model with math & visual tools as they seek to solve problems. Find ideas & free resources to help below! Welcome back to my series on the Standards for Mathematical Practice! In each article I'm trying to unpack these standards in a way that makes sense so that you can help your students develop these math habits. This will help them to move beyond memorization Keep Reading...
Printable Math Manipulatives | FREE Download
Looking for an easy way to provide visual, hands on math tools for your kids without spending a fortune? This FREE set of printable math manipulatives is just what you need. As we gear up for possibly the strangest, hardest back to school season any of us have ever seen, there are unique needs for teachers and students. As I discussed things with a teacher friend, I asked how I could help her prepare and meet the needs of students and one Keep Reading...
Understanding Data: FREE Mean Median & Mode Lesson
Looking for fun, unique, hands on way to introduce and explore measures of center? This FREE mean median & mode lesson uses pennies to analyze and compare measures of center. Gathering data and then knowing how best to analyze and summarize that data is an important mathematical skill. In this lesson, students use a handful of pennies to explore different measures of center (mean, median and mode) and discuss what might be the best for Keep Reading...
Symmetry for Kids: 20+ Ideas & Resources
Looking for fun, hands on or unique ideas to explore symmetry for kids? Look no further. I've gathered all the resources and ideas I could find and listed them here together for easy reference. You will find symmetrical drawing pages, hands on symmetry challenges and fun math art projects for kids. Whether your kids are in kindergarten or middle school, I think you'll find a fun resource or idea here! *Note: This post contains affiliate Keep Reading...
20+ Apple Math Games, Activities & STEM for Kids
Do you and your kids like hands on math? I am always quick to pull out standard materials such as base ten blocks or play money, but sometimes I want to model math with something unique. Apples provide a simple and tasty math manipulative. Apple math games or activities are perfect at the beginning of the school year, or anytime in the fall. They're also fun during an apple unit study. And what I love is that they can be used to teach and explore Keep Reading...
Hands On Adding Fractions Game for Kids
Do you dread teaching adding fractions with unlike denominators? Does the thought of working on mixed numbers make you frown? Well, it doesn't have to be hard and it doesn't have to be boring. In fact, with a little practice, your children can be adding fractions without pencil and paper. Normally, I would say that games are a great way to practice and review skills. But this adding fractions game is a little different. It is designed to allow Keep Reading...
Top 5 Essential Math Manipulatives
There are so many gadgets, toys and manipulatives out there that seem to make math more hands-on and fun, but as a homeschool mom on a tight budget it might seem overwhelming and expensive! Are all those tools necessary? There are certainly uses for many different tools out there, but here are my top 5 necessary homeschool math manipulatives. You may think this list is small, or that surely you need more than this to adequately teach math, but I Keep Reading...
Hands-On Area of a Circle Activity {FREE}
Welcome to the last day of my Math+Technology Series! I've shared a variety of free math lessons for middle and high school which incorporate graphing calculators in a meaningful way. Today I'm going to share a fun Geometry investigation, which is a combination of hands-on exploring and technology. This area of a circle activity is a great way for kids to better understand the formula. Plus, it's hands-on and can be used as a springboard for Keep Reading...