One of our favorite things to do as a family each fall is to head to a local farm and pick out pumpkins. Since fall is my favorite time of year, I get so excited to use the pumpkins to decorate our home along with some apple crisp scented hand soap from Target. But as much as I love picking out and setting out the pumpkins, I always have this nagging feeling that we need to do more than simply decorate with them. And this inevitably leads Keep Reading...
{FREE} Simple Fact Family Games for Kids
If you teach kindergarten through second grade, chances are you have explored fact families with your students. But why do fact families matter? How does working with fact families help student understanding? Today I'm going to explain what fact families are and provide some super simple, one page fact family games so you can practice with your kids. There are a variety of options, allowing you to differentiate easily. There are also small group Keep Reading...
Number Bonds with Apple Slices {FREE Printables!}
Understanding how to compose and decompose numbers is a very important skill in the early grades. This means understanding how to break numbers apart or combine numbers in different ways. For example, 3 and 4 make 7, but 2 and 5 also make seven. A great introduction and visual for kids is to create rainbows to show different combinations. But I also love the visual of number bonds. So this simple apple math lesson combines a fun, hands on tool Keep Reading...
Pumpkin Number Bonds to Ten Cut and Paste {FREE}
One of the tools used in Singapore math is a number bond. This handy visual helps kids learn to decompose numbers, understand a part-part-whole model and makes learning subtraction easier. Because this is the curriculum I use with my kids, I create a variety of resources to use with them, which I can then share with you. One of my kids' favorites is this set of apple-themed number bond pages. So now that we're into full pumpkin mode around here, Keep Reading...
Fun Fall Addition and Subtraction Puzzles {FREE}
Recently, I printed some simple puzzles for my daughter (Kindergarten) to practice putting the numbers 1-10 in order (similar to the ones in this printable pack). We're been practicing counting, recognizing numerals and understanding number order, so it was a fun project for her. My son, however, wanted to try some puzzles too. The problem is, he's in first grade, and well beyond placing the numbers from 1-10 in order. But he really wanted Keep Reading...
Apple Ten Frame Games for Kindergarten {FREE}
Getting back in the school groove has me ready for fall and all my favorite things that come with it: changing leaves, cooler weather and freshly picked apples! To go along with the apple theme and give my kids some fun new ways to practice making ten, I created some apple ten frame games! Learning to make ten is an important skill for young kids. It will help kids develop their number sense and prepare them for more difficult math problems. Keep Reading...
Weekly Math Freebie Round Up
Welcome to the weekly collection of free math teaching resources here at Math Geek Mama! Each week I share the best free resources from around the web for grades K-12. Do you have a FREE math teaching resource to share with other educators? Send me a link so I can share it here! Kindergarten-2nd Grade: These simple number bond cards are a great way for kids to practice finding the missing part! There are lots of other fun ideas in this Keep Reading...
Weekly Math Freebie Round Up!
Welcome to the weekly round up of fun and FREE math teaching resources here at Math Geek Mama! Check out all the great activities, lessons and games for grades K-12! Do you have a FREE teaching resource to share with others? Send me a link so I can share it here! Kindergarten-2nd Grade: I love this cute donut themed math pack from Honest Homeschool! What a great way to review as you finish up the school year! And if you're looking for Keep Reading...
Ten Apples Up On Top Math Game {FREE}
My kids are SO excited to celebrate Dr.Seuss's birthday (March 2)! We've enjoyed reading many of his books this week, and over the weekend enjoyed the latest, What Pet Should I Get, at story time at Barnes and Noble. After reading one of their favorites, Ten Apples Up on Top, I simply had to put together this printable board game. It's easy to prep and easy to play, and has provided lots of Dr. Seuss math fun this week! I hope you and your kids Keep Reading...
Number Sentence Roll and Write {FREE!}
After spending a considerable amount of time on addition and number bonds, we're moving on to subtraction. The transition has been incredibly smooth, and I believe that is due in large part to our focus on number bonds and understanding the part-part-whole model. So rather than jumping into subtraction as a completely new concept (disconnected from anything we've previously done), we're simply rearranging our number bonds. While we started with Keep Reading...