Missing Sign Math Game

My oldest son's mastery of most of his multiplication facts and his understanding of division make it the perfect time to mix all types of math sentences together for a fun game.

To download the game I made, click here. The 6-page PDF includes a 2-page game board and four pages of missing sign math problem cards.

Print, trim the game board, and tape together. Cut and shuffle the cards.

Find a few game pieces to use. My son chose his mini football players. Anything will work such as two different coins, buttons, or poker chips.

As I was shuffling the cards, a neighbor boy rang the doorbell to play. I explained we were playing a math game and his eyes lit up. I invited him in and my son and his buddy played on a team against me. 

(I have a pretty strict policy against posting pictures of other children on my blog without a parent's permission, so you'll just have to trust me that this was a riot!)

Our two game pieces were placed on the board before the first square (in the upper left corner). The boys drew a card from the deck and determined which math sign was missing (plus, minus, division, or times sign). If their answer was right, they moved their game piece to that sign on the board. The game card was placed in a discard pile.

Now it was my turn to do the same.  The boys and I took turns until we both neared the finish.

In order to win, I had to draw an addition problem (the last sign on the board). As soon as I did, I was the victor. The boys had so much fun playing, they didn't even care that they'd lost.

Nothing like practicing good sportsmanship AND your math skills at the same time! 

After School Linky Party (9/16)

Welcome to the After School Linky!

Last week's party was full of creativity and fun!

If you missed it, here are just a few highlights.

Flubber Fun - Check out this amazing polymer! at Gift of Curiosity.

(Science and play combine with this hands-on activity.)

{Read.Explore.Learn.} Countdown to Kindergarten Activities at JDANIEL4's MOM.

(Paired with Alison McGhee's book Countdown to Kindergarten, Deirdre invented this great way to practice math [and letters] while lacing!)

Measurement Man at Playdough to Plato.

(Measurement conversions for gallon, quarts, pints, and cups are a mystery no more. Have kids make a measurement man to keep the equivalents straight!)

"A" is for Ambulance at There's Just One Mommy.

(Write letters on post-it notes and have your child drive an ambulance through every letter "a" to get to the hospital. Great kinesthetic activity and easily adaptable for older kids practicing any number of skills!)

Human Body - Week 9 - Digestive System Activity at Highhill Homeschool.

(JMommyMom's hands-on way to learn the digestive system is so clever! A pair of pantyhose forms the esophagus and stomach. Kids will have fun squishing the food through!)

Finding Symmetry in Nature (Outdoor Activity for Kids) at Buggy and Buddy.

(This hunt uses kids' observation skills to find rotational and reflection symmetry. This takes a nature hike to a whole new level!) 

Cohosted By

The Educators' Spin On It 

Afterschool for Smarty Pants 

Boy Mama Teacher Mama

Coffee Cups and Crayons 

Little Wonders' Days 

Mama Smiles 

Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational

The Measured Mom 

This Reading Mama

What Do We Do All Day

We would love to have you link up your School-Age Post (Ages 5 and up) about your learning week after school including Crafts, Activities, Playtime and Adventures that you are doing to enrich your children's lives after their day at school, homeschool, or on the weekend! When linking up, please take a moment to comment on at least one post linked up before yours and grab our after school button to include a link on your post or site! By linking up you're giving permission for us to share on our After School Pinterest Board or Feature on our After School Party next week! Don't forget to follow along and join our After School Enrichment Community.

Link up your After School Activities, Crafts and Adventures! We'd love to see them!

Fill the Bushel Spelling (or Sight Word) Game

This week was my first time volunteering in my son's 3rd grade class. The teacher had me work one-on-one with a few students helping them learn their spelling words. It reminded me of just how boring studying spelling words can be. In brainstorming new ways to practice with my own oldest son, I came up with this idea.

This little game focuses on learning five words.

Quiz your child or look at their pretest to see which words on the list they are struggling with. Those are the five.

For this game you need to print five bushels and a special die. Download the 6-page PDF I made here. Print onto heavyweight cardstock. Cut, fold, and glue the die together.

Either laminate the five bushel pages or slip them into plastic sheet protectors. Label each on the line at the top of the page with one challenging spelling word (or use sight words if that's what you're working on). Use a fine tip-dry erase marker.

Now grab your kiddo and tell them it's time to "Fill the Bushel."

How to Play

The player rolls the die. If they roll a four, for example, they find the page with that number on it, look at the word at the top of the page, and copy it onto one of the apples in the bushel with the dry-erase marker.

If the player rolls the worm, they roll again until the die shows a number. That number tells them what bushel to erase a word from; that was a bad apple and it must be thrown out. If they roll the number that has no words yet, he/she moves on without any erasing (rolling again to see what bushel to add a word to).

Kids can either stop rolling when one of the bushels is full or keep going until ALL the bushels are full, keeping track of which were filled 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.

The repetition of writing the five words again and again is sure to help him remember them when it's test time.

My son got caught up in the game and forgot we were practicing spelling. That totally fills MY bucket.

UPDATE: A blog follower came up with a great adaptation for her kiddo. She plans to use this little game to help her kindergartener practice writing certain letters. (What a good idea!!) I modified the PDF so the apples have ruled guidelines to help kids. Download this variation here.

Rainbow Fish Paper Windsock

It is scorching hot here. Summer's hanging on with all her might and we're praying for rain and cooler temps. And a breeze. Oh, how amazing a cool breeze would feel on these 90+ degree days!

Thankfully, this weather won't hold and we're bound to get the crisp mornings and leaf-shaking breezes that are inevitable with fall. Hopefully our windsocks usher them in.

This simple paper craft is easy enough for preschoolers and yet still enjoyable for elementary-school-aged kiddos. My boys were surprised by how easy it was to turn a bunch of paper rectangles and circles into a phenomenal fish!

Supply List

1 piece of colored 12- x 18-inch construction paper, cut down to roughly 12 x 14

black construction paper

Assortment of ribbons

Stapler

White school glue

Circle punch

Tissue paper, heavy duty aluminum foil, tissue paper, etc. punched into small circles

Hot glue gun (optional)

Instructions

Trust me when I say that the hardest part of this project is step one.

Step 1

Roll your large piece of construction paper into a tube and glue it. Let me assure you, this is trickier than one would think. For my oldest son's windsock, we used the glue gun. For my youngest son's, I used school glue, holding it in place while it dried by gently-applied clear tape and at the ends, paperclips. When it was dry, we moved on to Step 2.

Step 2

Cut lengths of ribbon (ours were roughly 16 inches long) and staple along the bottom of the tube. Cut a shorter length of ribbon (approximately 8 inches long) and staple each side to the opposite end of the construction paper tube to create a handle.

Step 3

Punch lots of circles out of your decorative papers. My oldest son used tissue paper, while my youngest opted for brightly colored office papers and heavy duty kitchen foil (to make shiny scales).

Step 4

Run a bead of school glue around the tube (at the end where the ribbons dangle) about an inch up from the bottom. Begin adding the brightly colored circles. This first layer will cover the staples. Repeat this step until you have five or six layers of circles, overlapping each row slightly.

Step 5

Cut a 1-inch-wide strip of black construction paper and glue it around the windsock slightly overlapping the top of the last row of scales applied. If necessary, use a piece of clear tape to hold it in place while the glue dries.

Step 6

Punch (or cut) two circles from black paper for eyes. Add these to the fish on opposite sides of the windsock toward the top.

Step 7

Let it dry and hang it inside near a window. When the temperature cools down and the windows are open, you'll be able to see the beautiful tail (aka ribbons) of the fish blowing in the breeze.

Want a book to pair with this? Why not read The Rainbow Fish, the delightful tale of a fish with brightly colored scales.

After School Linky Party (9/9)

Welcome to the After School Linky!

We had LOADS of new bloggers linking up last week. The number of phenomenal ideas shared just keeps on growing!

Here are a few of my favorites posted at the 9/2 linky party.

Junior Engineer from Doodles and Jots.

(This is a great STEM activity and the printable is free! I love the idea of sending kids on an I Spy hunt to search for items based on how they're made!)

Grid Drawing with Kids: Portraits at ArtChoo!

(Increase a child's confidence in their drawing abilities by making a grid on a photograph to reference.)

Children's Books about Autism from Growing Book by Book.

(This is a phenomenal list of books to help children understand autism!)

Stick Toys: A Stick is an Excellent Thing by Pragmatic Mom.

(If you have stick-collecting kids like me, this is a must read ... and a must DO! Mia shows how to make a bow and arrow from a stick, rubber bands, and duct tape.)

Ancient China: Making a "Bamboo" Scroll at Marie's Pastiche.

(Fine tip markers, thread, and popsicle sticks are transformed into an ancient chinese scroll with this extraordinary craft.)

MaTH activity Thursday: Closet Edition by Kids Math Teacher.

(This is everyday math at its best. Kids solve all kinds of math problems using their closet and its contents!)

Cohosted By

The Educators' Spin On It 

Afterschool for Smarty Pants 

Boy Mama Teacher Mama

Coffee Cups and Crayons 

Little Wonders' Days 

Mama Smiles 

Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational

The Measured Mom 

This Reading Mama

What Do We Do All Day

We would love to have you link up your School-Age Post (Ages 5 and up) about your learning week after school including Crafts, Activities, Playtime and Adventures that you are doing to enrich your children's lives after their day at school, homeschool, or on the weekend! When linking up, please take a moment to comment on at least one post linked up before yours and grab our after school button to include a link on your post or site! By linking up you're giving permission for us to share on our After School Pinterest Board or Feature on our After School Party next week! Don't forget to follow along and join our After School Enrichment Community.

Link up your After School Activities, Crafts and Adventures! We'd love to see them!