Number Construction Fun {Teacher Tool}

It’s been a while since I’ve had a Teacher Tool Tuesday, but Learning Resources recently contacted me asking me to take a peek at some of their new products for 2014.  I’ve got some fun new goodies to share with you!

Tonight, I want to tell you about their new Number Construction kit.

This fun kit comes with 55 pieces that your kiddos can put together to build numbers.  Combining play and construction with learning? YES, please!!

 

I love the idea of using these for free play at the beginning of the year, and moving into more structured activities as the year progresses. These will definitely be in my morning baskets and math centers!

It did take us a *minute* to figure out how to put them together, but as soon as I took a quick scan over the directions, we figured it out quickly.  It really is easy – just took my brain a second ;).

How can you use these?

• Give the children all of the pieces and the direction cards and let them build on their own.
• Have them follow oral directions step by step.  Intervention groups, maybe? Focus on direction following and features of the number.
• Build a number, and then put the corresponding number of bolts on the number.
• Free play! Let them explore!
• Graph the number of pieces it takes to build each number.
• Discuss the attributes of each number – how many curved pieces, short pieces, long pieces, bolts?
• Sort numbers by their attributes
• Adding – call out two numbers and have the child build the number.

In each kit, you’ll receive:

• 4 long straight lines
• 8 short straight lines
• 6 curves
• 12 C-curves
• 20 bolts
• 5 double sided activity cards

We have kindergarten round-up coming up next week and I can’t wait to put these our for our incoming Kindergarten students to explore with! I know they’ll love them!

Would you like to win a set of Number Construction pieces?!

Yay! Now’s your chance! Just like my Facebook page to enter!

How about a little sale on my All About the Number books too?  I love these packs for teaching about numbers, reviewing numbers and number intervention too. Take a peek – I’ll have them on sale for 20% off until Wednesday at midnight!

 

Enter in the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NOTE: If you have won a Learning Resources giveaway on any BLOG during the past 6 months, you are ineligible to win this giveaway! Once 6 months have passed, you can enter again. Thanks!

You can connect with Learning Reources on Facebook, Twitter, and on Instagram! 

Barnyard Buzzers!

Yes, barnyard.  Sometimes our classrooms do sound like a barnyard so why not add a few more sound effects?!

My kinders love these little buzzers from Learning Resources!

I will use them for attention getters, in games, and just for fun!

I recently used them in one of my reading groups.

The children had to build a CVC word in their little “pocket”, then show it to me.  If they got it right they could hit their barnyard buzzer!

They had SO much fun!

Novelty items like this is what keeps teaching fun and exciting for both me and my students!  They love hearing the sound of the barnyard animals over and over and over and over and over…..again!

There are 4 buzzers in the box: a dog, a horse, a rooster, and a cow.  You do need to supply the battery for them, but mine have lasted quite a while now.

I bet you can think of all sorts of games that you can use these barnyard buzzers with!

Would you like to win a set?!  YES!! I know you do!

Learning Resources is giving away one set to a lucky reader to try out in their classroom!

Here is how you could win!

Leave me a comment telling me how you will use these fun tools in your classroom!

(Please be honest and actually leave a comment before you enter!!) a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

You can find Learning Resources on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Youtube.

Good luck! Happy Buzzing!! :)

Pocket Dice {Teacher Tool}

 

I get a LOT of e-mails asking me about the pocket dice that I use so often in my games and centers.  This is one teacher tool that I could NOT live without!

I think I have 6 or 7 of these dice! I use them for both math and literacy centers.  I like to have enough so that I can use them for whole group activities as well – so each table can have one. 

There are two places that I have found that you can order these dice from.

Amazon:

and Resources for Reading

I also found these cool dry erase dice – I don’t own them, but they might be fun to switch it up a bit!  I only wonder how easily the dry erase marker would wipe off.  Maybe using dry erase crayons would work better?  They are a little harder to wipe off.

Do you use these dice? Do you LOVE them? Any fun ideas that you use them for?