Category Archives: Math Work Stations
March Problem Solving Pack
Back by very popular demand!! I’ve had probably 100 e-mails and messages asking when and if I’ll be creating a March Problem Solving pack….so here you go! And it’s done before March! That’s because today we had a snow day, well and ice day really, but we got the day off due to the freezing rain and sleet that fell over night last night and made the roads horrible today.
I had some time to finish up this pack and get it posted.
It covers 9 different standards and focuses on some common core standards we are working on this quarter. I had a couple of requests for 2D and 3D shapes and some ten frame/base ten block work, so those are included as well. I also included an optional Math Journal cover, so that if you wanted to, you could print all the sheets out (there are 25 sheets) and use them individually with your students. I use some of these sheets on my Promethean Board and then print out some for my students to work on individually. They would also be great in a Math Work Station or Center!
You can click on the picture above to find out more and download a sample of some of the sheets that are in this pack. 🙂
I’ll be working on April’s pack soon–any requests for that? We will be working on addition and subtraction, composing/decomposing numbers, and some 3D shapes. 🙂 Let me know what else you’d like! 🙂
Kristen 🙂
Dollar Tree Finds/Target Dollar Spot
You know how I love the Dollar Store and Target’s Dollar Spot! (Who doesn’t??). I found these great table scatter hearts at the Dollar Tree along with the glittery hearts. I’m going to use them along with my I Love Math! pack to pattern and compose numbers on the ten frames.
The hearts are thick plastic and there are 60 or so in each pack, plenty enough to split them up for at least two different activities. I put them in one of my old Olive Garden plastic containers (LOVE them!!) and the kids will be able to pick out the hearts they need. 🙂
I can also use the glitter hearts with the pack and I like that they can use either type of hearts. 🙂
I also found these cute conversation hearts in the Dollar Spot at Target. Sorry that the picture is sideways. 🙂
I put a patterning activity in my I Love Math pack as well and these will be great! They are stickers, so I think I might just not say anything to my kids about that and see what happens, but I might also mount them on paper and cut them out. 🙂 100 hearts are PLENTY for a few kiddos to pattern with and to work on my “How Many More to 10?” game. I might go get some more of these so we can decorate our Valentine’s Day bags. 🙂
What else could you use these cute hearts for?
Kristen 🙂
New Math Work Stations
Here is a look at some of our newest Math Work Stations:
These are my Winter Themed Addition Mats. The children roll two dice to determine the two numbers they need to write in the first two spaces. They then add that many cubes to each of the first two pictures. They then add them together and write the answer in the third space. I’ve laminated them, so we just keep reusing them. 🙂
Shake the Beans…one of my favorite addition games! I’d share it with you, but it’s copyrighted by someone else, although, I did make this one for use in my classroom because the one I had wasn’t looking so good! The kids shake beans (4 in this case) and record their answers as math sentences. The biggest rule they have to remember is that red always comes first. The red beans are always recorded as the first number. I use lima beans that I’ve spray painted red on one side. 
This game is called Dunk It Dominoes. I found it on Pinterest and made some labels for the cups. The kids pick a domino and count up the dots and place it in the correct cup. 
This domino mat was part of my Math swaps I received this summer (speaking of swaps, be looking for a special e-mail about an upcoming swap later this week!). The kids again pick a domino, count the dots, add them together, and place it in the correct column. 
This is a new Ten Frame do-a-dot game I made to help some of my kiddos work on recognizing numbers quickly. They stamp the corresponding number with the right do-a-dot stamper.
Kristen 🙂
Valentine’s Day Math Work Stations
Sorry that I’ve been a little absent lately…I worked really hard during at least 5 days of my winter break so that I could come home from school for a few weeks and just relax! I have some pictures that I’ve been taking and will get those posted later this week, but today, while watching the Inauguration, I worked on this set for Valentine’s Day/February Math Work Stations.
It’s a set of 5 activities that are quick and easy to set up and get going! I’ve included all the manipulatives you might need, but you can add your own if you want to. I found pink and red heart shaped table scatter at the Dollar Tree this weekend and some foam Conversation hearts from the Dollar Tree and in the Target Dollar Spot. I plan on using them with these activities in my classroom, but I will let the kiddos have the real Conversation hearts when we sort and graph them on the sheets included in this pack.
Two different kinds of patterning cards are included and a recording sheet is included so the children can record their patterns. I’ve also added a Valentine’s Day “Make ____ on the Ten Frame” that is very similar to the winter and fall themed ones I have created before. I also put in a “How Many to 10?” game where children look at a Ten Frame with hearts in it and figure out how many more they need to make 10. There is a spot on the bottom of each sheet for children to write the corresponding math sentence. I’ve added a recording sheet for that activity as well, so using 2 different colors, students record combinations to 10.
I’m giving one pack away, so hop on over to my Kristen’s Kindergarten Facebook page and leave me a comment telling me what your favorite Valentine’s Day Math activity is! 😉
Click on the picture above to get your own pack> 🙂
Kristen 🙂
January Problem Solving
I’m on a roll creating things for my classroom (and posting them for sale in my TPT store!). I’m trying to get as many things made as I can during winter break so that I can have some free evenings to train for the Mini-Marathon in May. 🙂
This time, I created a 30 page pack of sheets that can be used during math for your students (and mine) to reinforce the Math Common Core Standards K.OA.1-5. There are at least 5 activities for each of the 5 standards and these would be great as morning work, as a math journal, or as independent/small group work. They would also work on an interactive white board (SMART Board or Promethean Board).
These are the 5 standards I’ll be focusing on the most this next 9 weeks, as that’s what my data indicated I needed to teach more about. 🙂 I’ll be using these in conjunction with other mini-lessons and then these will be used for reinforcement. 🙂 I’ve even included an optional cover page if you wanted to make these into a January Math Journal. 🙂
You can click the picture to go to my TPT store and check out the preview and the whole pack. 🙂
I’m trying to decide if a February Pack would be in the future. 🙂
Kristen 🙂
Gingerbread Addition Workmats
I’ve just created some gingerbread addition workmats to use during the gingerbread season! 🙂 Included are 14 pages of manipulatives, a gingerbread house workmat, and 40 addition problem cards that your children can use to act addition problems on their workmat. These would be awesome in a Math Work Station or for use in whole, small, or individual groups. 🙂
Click the picture above to learn more. 🙂
Kristen 🙂
3D Shapes
We have moved on to learning about 3D Shapes! I was planning out my activities and lessons for next week and was trying to find just the right thing to help me teach 3D shapes and I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted! You know how you get a picture in your head of what you’re looking for and you won’t settle for anything but that picture–yeah that’s what kind of mood my brain appeared to be in today!
I created a quick and simple pack of 2 activities that can be used to help my kiddos (and yours!) learn the 3D shapes!
You can click the picture above to go to my Teachers Pay Teachers store for more details and for a listing of the games included. 🙂
Kristen 🙂
P.S. Check out the previous post and don’t forget to enter the TT Kinderland giveaway that started today! 🙂
Math Work Stations-a new approach
Over Fall Break, I decided that at each Math Work Station, my kids were going to have to show their work after completing each activity so that instead of me constantly walking around watching for mastery, they will show me their work and their level of understanding. I know some of you might be saying, “Well Duh!” of course they should be showing their work (and when it hit me, that’s what I said!), but I needed to get comfortable with using the Math Work Station tubs first before adding this element in. As many of you might remember, I spent all last year figuring out what would work and not work in them for 5 and 6 year olds and what would and would not keep their attention.
I feel comfortable now adding these recording sheets so that the kids can explain their understanding as they work. Here are some of the activities that have gone into our Math Work Stations so far (there will be more to come!)
This activity came from Marsha McGuire’s I-Spy a Scarecrow pack on Teacher’s Pay Teachers. The kiddos use a magnifying glass to locate tiny numbers hidden in the scarecrow picture and then represent those numbers on the ten frame sheet included.
This activity is from my Target Table Scatter freebie sheet. The kids use the leaves and pumpkins to complete the patterns (yes I know patterning is gone from the CCSS). I am letting the kids explore the shapes for a few days and then I will add in a ten frame composing activity.
I have three more activities I need to take pictures of this week, so I’ll be back to share them soon!
Kristen 🙂
Math Work Stations
We finally started our Math Work Stations this week. It takes me about 2 weeks (10-12 days) to introduce all the activities the kids will be doing during our MWS times. Here is what we looked like on day 2 of MWS:
Kristen 🙂
Counting Plates
This is a picture of another swap that I received this summer:
I am going to use it as one of my Math Work Stations. The plates have dots on them and the children take the correct number of color bears and place them on the dots. There are also number cards that the children match to each plate. I like this because it really works on the Counting and Cardinality standards for Kindergarten.
Kristen 🙂
Kristen's Kindergarten 