A Bit of SNOWY Catch Up!!

Hi there!  This is Karen from Mrs. Stamp's Kindergarten.

Right now we are in SNOWY catch up mode... since our SNOW day totals keep adding up (8 closings and 9 delays, plus we are already closed for Friday!).  

Now, please know I.Am.Not.Complaining!!  I have a 5 year old and a 9 month old at home... and I am enjoying EVERY minute.  But, it does put somewhat of a crunch on your lesson plans.  

So, this week (on 1 of the 2 days we were actually at school) we did an awesome science experiment that usually happens during Dental Health month--but got bumped into March.  Luckily it fit in nicely with our planned week of a certain author's birthday celebration and tons of other great books about TEETH!

We grew plaque! Trust me... if you're trying to teach your kiddos to remember to brush their teeth--this is the way to do it!  You'll have kids grossed out for days... but seriously, isn't that why science is so much FUN!?

Here's how:

Your students will be promising to always brush their teeth after this one.  It's easy to tell which cup had the sugar in it!

Here's a little sheet for recording the results. Just click on the picture to snag it!

Have FUN--whether you're catching up like we are (or planning ahead for next year)!

Pssst... I can't give any hints but you may want to hop by sometime soon...

Easter Bunny Craft {free download}

Hi! This is Kacey from Doodle Bugs.

Is it too early to think about Easter? 
It's so early this year that you might be thinking about Easter Bunnies and eggs right?! As soon as St. Patrick's Day is over we will jump straight in to our Easter fun! 

I am here to share a free {super easy!} bunny craftivity that you might be interested in using. 

Grab your free patterns below:

Easter Bunny Craft {free download}

Making Math Meaningful AND WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!!

Sometimes I find myself racking my brain to get my students to "buy into" what we are learning about.  This is fairly easy to do in reading because they LOVE to read, but some of the skills we have to cover in math seem to get repetitive and boring.  I've made it my mission in the 5 years that I have taught 2nd grade to make math meaningful and FUN for my students.  No two years ever look alike.  I'm constantly changing and revamping my lesson plans.  I believe that is SO important because our students do not look the same from year to year, PLUS it's so important to keep up with best practices and new strategies.

Well, that brings me to regrouping.  I've mentioned this on my blog, but in Texas we still teach with the algorithms.  I realize this isn't the case for every state, but in Texas we do both algorithms and number sense strategies.  And, let me just say that we have been focusing on addition and subtraction with regrouping for SEVEN weeks now!  Seriously, it seems like the longest unit ever, but I really feel like my kids "get it" for the most part.  Needless to say, it's difficult to make regrouping fun for seven whole weeks.  

I was at the grocery store and ran by the band aid aisle.  At first I was going to get them for the ever-so-popular contraction surgery that many people do.  Then I thought...hmmmm, could I use them for subtraction with regrouping??  After about 15 minutes (literally) I finally picked out the band aids that I thought my students would like the best... and that would give me most bang for my buck!  And, let me just say... they LOVED it!  They were all, "Do we actually get to use these??!!"  We talked about how we have to tear these poor numbers apart so it only makes sense to give them a fun band aid for a change!

I quickly wrote a subtraction equation on a colored piece of paper (simply because colored paper makes everything more attractive!) for each set of partners.  The reason I didn't have my students write the equations is I needed the numbers to be large and spaced out. 

 Then, I clipped three band aids to the card.  This helped me pass things out in a jiffy!  My students had to work together and discuss every step of the problem before solving it.  The communication was key because they need to understand why they are doing what they are doing!

 Here's a few other things I've done to help get my students excited about regrouping...

Letting students who discuss and work well together be the teachers for a problem:

 Flapbook Sorts (just allowing them to color these however they want ups the interest level!)

Pocketbooks!  My students worked with their partners to solve all of their problems before sorting!

 And, who doesn't love an ice cream sundae??!!  We made these on Friday to review addition with regrouping.  My students had to total up their purchase before they were able to put the sundaes together.  This was a bit tricky for some, but each student was able to add up 6 3-digit numbers!  I actually used my "Make A Fraction Sundae" unit for this activity.  I quickly made a recording sheet, my students solved their problem on the back of heir recording sheets, and I stapled it to the paper so that you can flip it up and see their work!

I'm always thinking of new ways to increase the interest level, so if you have any other ideas please comment below!

Oh, and did you see our Instagram Hop this weekend??!!  Well, we have.....

A WINNER!!!

CONGRATS TO @KIRSTEN_JAX!  

Thank you to everyone who participated!  We plan on doing these a lot more often, so make sure to follow @bloghoppin on Instagram!

Reading Week: Printables for Mar. 2nd

Hi All! 
 It's Michelle from Fabulous in First! If you didn't already know, I love to teach reading.  There is nothing like a new book and teaching my sweet little friends to love to read as well.  While I try to celebrate reading throughout the year, we all know March 2nd brings a special celebration.  Although we aren't allowed to talk about it.  Don't get why? I just like to follow rules.  This week is one of my favorites. We have an author come each year and share their craft, ideas, etc. We also have visits from special people in our community who come to share their love of reading as well.  We even eat a little birthday cake. And this year we are going to be doing March Book Madness as well.  I'm so pumped! You may also know I make lots of literature units and was asked to make one for the famous rhyming doctor, but that is way off limits.  So instead I created some cute printable graphic organizers you can use with any book this week.  You can click below to grab them.  

Have Fun Celebrating. Happy Reading Y'all! 

March Comes in Like a Lion Instagram Loop Giveaway

Do you like Target?  Umm, who doesn't?  Would you like to win a $100 gift card?  Well, starting at 7pm Eastern Time, you can join us over at BlogHoppin' on Instagram to enter to win.  We are hosting a loop giveaway and we hope to see you there.