All Set for Valentine's Day {with a freebie!}

Hello friends! Shew, I have been busy getting everything ready for Valentine's Day! Students only have a 4 day week {only teachers go on Valentine's Day this year}AND they are calling for snow Monday and Tuesday. I guess we shall see how much Valentine's I can cram in to a few days!

To see any of these in my store, just click the picture. :) 

Here's what we have going on this week:

Of course, the Old Lady! We will be working on using sequencing to retell.

Then, one of my favorites, "Happy Valentine's Day, Mouse!". I've only been able to find the little board book. But, this book is totally adorable! With this book we will be focusing on my Mouse gave each of his friends a card.

My favorite pocket chart station! My students are working hard on building sentences. This helps them practice in a fun meaningful way. After we practice, they will read the emergent reader {to the right}. Then, I will pull them one on one to read the passage below. I mark words to work on if needed and stamp it homework. If the student does well reading it, I stamp it with "Awesome job reading! -Mrs. Lindsey". Either way they get to pick their favorite one and write it on the bottom. There they have the chance to get my "I *heart* your handwriting!" stamp. Whatever it takes to motivate! 

We will be using our Valentine's Morning Messages each morning for our journal time.

We will be using my Kindergarten Valentine Math Tubs for our beginning addition.

To practice skip counting. 

And to practice numerical order.

We will be using these to decorate our Valentine bags. In my kinder class, students will only write their name on the valentine on the "from" part. Students will have their decorated bag at their desk. Students, a few at a time, will walk around and place one valentine in each bag. PTL to the wonderful colleague who came up with this idea. This way students don't have to figure out which valentine goes where. 

For our bags, students will get to decorate a white paper lunch bag with hearts and stickers however they want to. We try to keep things simple back in the kindergarten building. ;)

I have a little Valentine's freebie for you! It is from my Kinder Valentine's Math Tubs . It will help your kiddos with numbers 1-10. Just click on the picture to snag it!

Math Tubs {All Ready to Start Teaching Numbers!}

Hello friends! I'm ready to start my math tubs! We don't do "traditional stations" anymore and whatever we do has to directly relate to the standard we are teaching that day. To be honest I'm having a hard time letting stations go, especially in math. I love seeing their hands on learning and the light bulbs that result in the hands on learning! But I do understand that everything must relate to the standard we are teaching that day and stations should have a purpose, not just busy work so you can work with a small group. All of my tubs this week directly relate to numbers 1-5.

 

So here is what I have come up with the the help of my fellow K teachers. We are doing math tubs. Right now we are teaching numbers 1-5, so everything in our tubs relate to numbers 1-5. I have split my kids into 2 groups (the high half and the low half). Half will go to a table and work with their partner on the tub while the other half is working with me on the rug. Then we will flip-flop.

 

I set my math tubs up for this week and here's what I got:

 

Using pattern blocks to make numbers.

(you can find these from makinglearningfun.com)

 

Connecting worm blocks with numbers.

 

 Close up of the cute worm blocks.

 

A coordinating number line to use as a reference. 

 

Roll the die and record your number. 

 BTW - sheet protectors work great as dry erase boards and hot glueing pom poms on dry erase markers work great as erasers!
 

Snap cubes - build it 

 

10 frames and playdoh 

 

And here is where they are all stored (I have 3 reading ones too, I'll post about them later)

 

These can all be done independently and I think they will be great extra practice but not busy work. I decided not to differentiate since that will be done when they are with me for their lessson.

 

How do you do your math stations to fit what is expected of you and to best meet the needs of your students? I love to hear about them!