TALLY HO! Math Game and Freebie

I use these cute mini popsicle sticks I found at the dollar store. My neighboring teachers use Q-tips and toothpicks. Or you can find them here on Amazon.

The game is played this way:
Student shakes the Penny Cup.
Heads = 1 stick, Tails = no stick
The object is to fill up your mat correctly, so that the sticks "tally" the number in the rectangle.
First person to do so wins!

The mats are already 8.5 x 11 inches. Just click on the pictures below, save, and print! I've also included the template, in case you want to make more of your own.

Happy Thanksgiving!

How a Kindergartener Sees Australia

How'd They Do That?

My Kindergarten Dictionary - November, 2013 Edition

    gumputer

  hittups

  kingaroo

Nothing Says "I Love You" Like a Pet

Tangram Shape Up! Game Freebie

I took tangrams and traced them on a sheet of paper. I only used one of each shape. Then I numbered the shapes 1 through 6. I've included a copy of my mat below. You're welcome to click (to get the bigger size) and save to print out on your own.

There are 2 ways to play this game.

#1 - Place the actual tangrams in an empty tissue box (what would I do without those empty boxes to draw from!)
Player pulls out a tangram shape and places it on the corresponding spot.
If he already has that shape covered, put the shape back and lose that turn.
First person to completely cover their mat wins!

#2 - Roll a die. You can vary this by using a die with tally marks, or with the number words.
Cover the corresponding numbered shape.
If  that shape is already covered, player loses that turn.
First person to completely cover their mat wins!

My Math Stations for the Weeks of 11/11 and 11/18

Station #1 - Calendar Math
I ran off copies of the November calendar. The students copy the calendar on their write-on/wipe-off templates with Vis-a-Vis markers.

Station #2 - Set the Table
I ran off a table clipart onto cardstock, including the "meal". I made a chart listing each food item, and a number the children have to roll in order to put that food on the table. First child to set their table for Thanksgiving Dinner wins!

Station #3 - Penny a Pumpkin
Originally I called this game "Penny a Pompom", which I explained here. This time we're using orange pompoms and calling them pumpkins.

Station #4 - Pilgrim Roll and Cover
(You can get this freebie here.) They need this especially because it involved rolling two dice and counting.

Station #5 - Counting Thanksgiving
I made this station using clipart I found on the internet. On the picture, I put a number word. Along the side are four numbers. This week I'm giving the students a "cheat sheet" with the number and name on it, so they can put a clip on the answer. Next week, the sheet disappears.

My Language Arts Stations for the Weeks of 11/11 and 11/18

It's the last two weeks before Thanksgiving and Fall Break! So our stations this time around are Thanksgiving themed.

Station 1 - Guided Reading

Station 2 - Split computer and Listening Center
They're continuing with typing their sight words on the computer.
At the listening center, the book and CD of "Over the River and Through the Woods" by Derek Anderson. (link here)

Station 3 - Highlight-a-Letter (E this week, F next week)

Station 4 - Pumpkin Pull

This was a Pumpkin Letter Recognition freebie I found on Pinterest, but I can't find the original link. I ran off copies of the game board on orange paper, and the letters on gold. The students take turns drawing a letter from a box, then covering that letter on their board with a chip. If they draw a letter they already have covered, they lose that turn. First person to fill up their board wins. There are two sets of letters, upper and lower case. We're doing lower case this week, upper case next week.

Station 5 - Write the Room. The last two weeks, we labeled 10 objects in the classroom using yellow index cards (I've used blue and pink cards in the past). Next time I'll use green or purple. Anyway, the students use a clipboard and a sheet of regular ruled paper, number it from 1 to 10, then go about the room to find the numbered cards and write the word on that card.

Happy Veteran's Day

Special Days - November

Turkey in a Cup Math Game

I found a cute little turkey clipart on the web, and printed off 11 of them. Then I numbered the turkeys 2 through 12, and taped them to some clear plastic cups.

I also found the feathers on the web. I ran enough feathers on different colored cardstock for 5 students to play (it comes to 11 feathers per color).

To Play:

Each students gets a bag of 11 feathers, all one color.
Student rolls 2 dice.
Add up the dice, and put a feather in the cup with the turkey wearing that total.
If that cup already has one of that student's feathers, they lose that turn. (Since each set of feathers is a different color, it's very easy for the child to see if that turkey number already has one of his.)
First person to get a feather in every cup wins!

The Farmer in the Dell, as per my classroom

I'm always amazed at how children perceive words they're not familiar with. Their pronunciations are often funny and touching, and that's one of the reasons why I sometimes post those "words" as part of my Kindergarten Dictionary.

Along those same thoughts, I want to share what happened the other day, if only to make you smile and maybe give you a chuckle.

We were studying the letter F, and I gave them a coloring sheet of a farmer as part of their morning prep. Before too long, the whole class was singing.

"The farmer in the dell,
The farmer in the dell,
Hi Ho, the Cheerios,
The farmer in the dell."

My Language Arts Stations for the Weeks of 10/28 and 11/4

Station #1 - Guided Reading with me

Station #2 - Computers and Listening Center
This month I've opened the word processor, and the children get to practice typing their names and all the sight words we've already learned this year.

Station #3 - Highlight a Letter
You can get this freebie here. These next two weeks, we're working on C and D.

Station #4 - Halloween Sound and Clip It
Working on beginning sounds. You can get this freebie here.

Station #5 - Alphabet Geoboards
I have these neat little geoboards. I downloaded and printed out these freebie alphabet cards for the kids to recreate.