Mini Number Poster FREEBIE!

Grab these FREE mini numbers posters from my TpT store. Covers numbers 0-30!

My Kindergarten Calendar: Number Writing Practice

I have just put up a new product on TpT. It is a quick and easy monthly calendar that gives students number writing practice. You can pull this out at the beginning of the month, practice increasingly challenging number writing activities, and talk about the month ahead. My Kindergarten Calendars are a fun way to practice number writing skills in a meaningful way.

First Week of Kindergarten

Our first week is over. True, it was short and sweet, and most of the hard stuff is out of the way. My class is amazing! They are kind, fun, and have already begin their learning. Here are a few things we did this week:

 We had our first try at the dice. Students worked in partners to roll and match their dice to the pictures.

 

Our shape this week was circle. In addition to making Mr. Circle, we colored circles based on size. Great job!

 

Our number this week was 0. We wrote zero, counted to zero (which isn't easy!) and learned about Zero the Hero. Our fun food this week was making Zero the Hero from a donut (he is often mistaken by the other numbers as a donut...), a fruit roll-up for the mask, and M&M eyes! Yum!

Number Monsters!

It's a classic! And very, very rare. The Number Monsters by Shirley Ross and Cindy McCord are so fun for Kinders. I have been lucky to inherit my number monsters from teachers who came before me, and I thought I would share my Number Monster Clapping Book that I use every year.

I use this the first week of school. It's simply: read the book, clap the correct amount of claps. Kinders and PreKs LOVE it! It is always a hit for the entire year.

You can make this book yourself, for free! Click here.

Kindergarten Counting

I have FINALLY finished my Counting Sets pack. I think it has been about 4 months in the making, due to the craziness of my schedule. But, it's done and I am excited to share it.

 Cut and Paste Number Order

Have your students cut apart the numbers and glue them in order on a separate piece of paper.

 Count and Cirle

 (You count......and circle)

 Count and Write

(You count......and, you get it.)

 Base Ten Cut and Paste

I am excited about this page. Not only do students get handwriting practice, but they will be practicing base ten on a weekly basis. 

 Ten Frames

Count the dots and write, or draw the dots.

(Keeps those little minds busy.)

 Number Posters

I usually add one poster a week. I am a very visual person and too much visual is distracting for me. However, teachers I work with put them all up at once as a reference. Your choice!

Just a little added bonus, for those of you who do not already have number play-doh mats. Kinders LOVE play-doh and this is a fun way to work on ten frames and number association. You can also put them in sheet protectors for dry erase fun. 

Kindergarten Counting is a system I have been using for years and it really builds on previous number knowledge throughout the year. It is all Common Core aligned and give students a firm understanding of number sense when combined with Rote Counting. 

I hope you enjoy!

February

It's almost here! The most dreaded of Kindergarten holidays.......that's right......Valentine's Day!!!!! There is more candy on Valentine's Day than on Halloween. The entire day is a wash because the kids are too excited to actually do anything productive. I face this dreaded day each year and think "How can I make Valentine's Day worth while?" Here is my first activity:

My students will cut the numbers apart and glue them in order. Grab it here.

Another activity we do is graphing candy hearts. A lot of Kindergarten classes do this, but I teach Transitional Kindergarten and wanted an activity even more lowest kid could be successful at. I mean, it's Valentine's Day. Share the love!

Candy Heart Graphing

Valentine Heart Size Activity
Just have your student color and put out the hearts and glue them in order, biggest to smallest....or smallest to biggest! They are a nice decoration in the classroom as well.

I like to make the Twinkie heart for a fun snack on this day. Cut a Twinkie at a diagonal, flip one side around and it makes a heart. Top with strawberries, cherries, or anything else you want!

Here is a picture of our Valentine Bulletin Board out in the hallway:

Happy Valentines!

Mickey Mouse Math

Mickey Mouse Math!

Every kid knows his face! Mickey can help you teach addition!

When I begin addition with equations I always start with Mickey Mouse Math. I give students small cubes. (They look like cheese, right? I tell the kids not to eat it.) I ask them to put 3 in one of Mickey's ears and 2 in the other ear. Then we swoop them down into his head and count how many all together. Once I have done this a few times, we get out the dry erase markers and start writing the numbes (as seen above). If you would like to try Mickey Mouse Math you can grab it here.

 

 

 

 

Here is a  couple of shots of my math focus board. We are using dice to add numbers together as a whole group. I want my students to see the dice patterns and match them to the numeral.

We are also using straw and base ten rods and units to count the days of the year. (We are almost at 100!!) We put up one unit a day and change them out for rods when we get ten. I want them to see the exchange between units and rods. We use the straws in the same way. I am introducing place value with my students now so that they can see the relationship between groups of 10s and 1s. If you want the base ten printables you can click here.

Base Ten

It is January. I have taught numbers 0-15 extensively. We can write it, count it, find it, etc. Now is the time to stop and really make sure my students hit those Common Core standards. We are going to dive into a lot of base ten work. We have done base ten over the course of the semester and my students have a very good hold on the idea. They love ten frames and understand what a rod is and what a unit it. But, can they use it to count larger numbers? Can they decompose? That is what I will be teaching this month in math. I have just added my Base Ten Number Cards to my TpT store as a request from another teacher at my school. Like me, this teacher has a limited amount of wall space and wants to use the time and space she has effectively. My Base Ten Number Cards show students the number, ten frames, and rods and units to make a number. They are great to use when teaching the numbers and when teaching Base Ten and Decomposition.

I am trying to think of a variety of activities to use for Base Ten. In My Base Ten Number Cards I have added a math mat that we use to understand the teen numbers. Here is what it looks like:

Students use the base ten manipulatives to make the given number. I also use other activities. I really like the Rainbow Base Ten sheet I got from Pinterest

I hope your class is doing well with this standard! We will work on it till we get it right!

Christmas Activities

Here are some of the Christmas activities we have done this month. We made big paper candy canes. Students had to tear the paper stripes and I helped them glitter their names. (Ugh, glitter.....I use it but once a year!)

Another activity is our Grinch activity. We read the book and did a little brainstorming on what the Grinch could do to make Christmas better. Then we completed the story. Students colored a Grinch topper. I found this activity on a blog, but I can't remember where. The kids love doing it. Then we wrapped up the day by watching the movie.You can grab this activity here or by clicking on the picture.

We also made a Christmas tree by putting our numbers in order. Students colored their tree, then glued on the number ornaments and cut the whole thing out. We put them in our classroom window because they looked so nice. You can get this activity here or by clicking on the picture.

Enjoy your last week of school! I know I am!

My Number Book

Common Core has made me a better math teacher. It gave me the direction I needed to supplement my current math curriculum in a way that develops the number sense my Kinders need. We do a lot of activities each day with numbers. I want my students to see a number in many ways. Use this chart from www.reallygoodstuff.com on my Math Focus Wall. It works well to introduce a letter, review, and preview next weeks letter.

 But, I also wanted my kids to "see" the numbers for what they are. I am sharing a project that we are working on right now. It is called My Numbers Book and we take it a page at a time.

As you can see, this is a booklet filled with blank pages. Just copy paper stapled together. I used a die cut for the numbers. It's more visually appealing to my Kinders than writing it. Students need to think about the number direction before gluing it into their book. They shouldn't glue the number in backward. Then we think about the number. I give each student a blank 10 frame. They glue the 10 frame into their book. They color the dots on the 10 frame. Then we think of ways to make the number with our fingers. We do this throughout the day, so this is nothing new. But, we do have to think about how to write that down. I model the writing and students copy it. We think of all the ways we can make the number. When we think we have them all we get to draw pictures. My student in this picture made 2 balloons. I do this in a small group setting. The student who made the book in this picture is a Transitional Kindergarten student and is only 4 years old. Amazing how critical thinking skills can happen at such a young age. :)

Here is a cute number monster book I use in my classroom. Color and cut out the monster and matching poem and glue them to a piece of cardstock. You can bind them to make a book, or not. I don't bind them because I have the kids hold them during number games. After reading these a few times your students will be able to "read" them on their own. :) Get my Number Monster Book here.

Number Writing

Number Handwriting

Teaching brand new Kinders to write is always a challenge. We go through many steps to reach the point where what their writing is legible enough to read by others. We begin with names and letters, but we are also learning how to write numbers. I have always loved using the "Number Monsters” worksheets by Shirley Ross and Cindy McCord. I am lucky enough to have these worksheets because of my mentor teachers when I first started out. Here is a quick pic of what they look like.

I have had so much success with these little guys I decided to make a book for my students. Like, I said, this book is very old and not in print. If you are lucky enough to come across it, be prepared to pay a lot for it.
I always wished the book went up to 30 because I liked the template so much. So, I made my own! You can find them at TpT: Number Handwriting 0-30.

My unit does not use monsters. I still use the monsters for 1-10, but my own for higher numbers. By that time my students are ready to move on to new things. I don't want to bore them, so I use these worksheets as an introductions.