Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Gobble Gobble, Turkey Math!



Is November as hectic in your building as it is in mine? In Jersey, we kick off the start of the month with the NJ Teachers Convention- which means two days off of school. This is followed by Veterans Day which then leads into a set of four half days for Parent-Teacher Conferences and closes out the month with Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Tons of days off coupled with tons of extra responsibilities! When I feel like I'm getting a bit overwhelmed at the thought, I try to find the fun I can infuse into the classroom.

One of my students favorite November activities over the years has been this Gobble Gobble Turkey Count Math activity!




I love the hands on nature of the activity and the kiddos love the sweet little turkeys! I adore Math because you can show answers and methods in more than one way. This is particularly useful in Kindergarten as we are constantly working on number sense.

The feathers show numbers in numeral, tally mark, number word, fingers, and ten frames. With greater practice, the kiddos develop stronger subatizing skills.


Colors are vibrant, learning is happening, and it's ENGAGING! Snag your copy of this fun Thanksgiving Math Center here!



I like to use them first in Math Centers with a paraprofessional. Then I transition them to Independent Math Centers and finally I place them in Morning Tubs. 

How will you use these darling little turkeys in your classroom?



Keep you head in the clouds!





Monday, November 11, 2019

Veterans are the Heart of America

Does your school do anything special to celebrate Veterans Day? Annually, my school has held an incredible Veterans Day assembly. Students and Staff invite any veterans that are in their family to be honored. It is so humbling to hear the stories of our veterans. My own dad is a Navy veteran (though he doesn't like to be recognized for it, no matter how much I try!)

Part of the assembly responsibilities is decor by students. Admittedly, one year, I forgot to have my class make something and we needed a craft- STAT. Thus came, this now staple of my Veterans Day lessons!



The beauty of this is it's no prep! All you need is to print the sheet and offer some green, brown, and black construction paper!

I've also seen these done with red, white and blue construction paper for a more American flag look!


Students gain huge fine motor skills by building hand strength through ripping and tearing. I love crafts that have the same directions but can look their own unique way. We always discuss ripping Goldilocks sized pieces- not too big, not too small, but just right!





 Snag your copy here to get a simple,  NO PREP Veterans Day craft!



Keep your head in the clouds!