Swap, Share, Give Linky!

I am so excited to be participating in my first Swap, Share, Give Linky with a bunch of Aussie blogging buddies! I have learned so much from these talented and generous teachers through their knowledge and enthusiasm for the profession, and today you get the chance to win some of their amazing resources! More on that soon.

SWAP
I was paired up with the lovely Sheri from Early Years With Sheri. I love her blog, and was excited to have the opportunity to choose a product from her resource collection.  

I chose Sheri's Animal Themed Math Centers as so many different concepts were included in this pack. My own kidlets had fun trying these out and learning as they played.

From addition, subtraction and number relationships, to fractions and time this resource is seriously jam-packed and then some!

My kidlets used many mental math strategies to sort these addition and subtraction cards into True/False categories. It may or may not have become a competition to see who could complete the task the fastest. I think they must get that competitive streak from their paternal side ;)

It was so interesting watching my Kinder kidlet as he balanced the birdie equations. Listening to his counting and watching him make connections was so wonderful!

Time and money always seem to be the hardest concepts for students to grasp. Well let's be honest, the management of time and money isn't the easiest thing for us adults to grasp ;) While this time matching exercise may not solve our work-life (or bank) balance, it will help your kidlets learn analogue, digital and spoken forms of time.

Problem solving is another area of math that many students struggle with. I was very impressed with the range of problems in this pack. There are both single step and multistep problems, covering a range of mathematical concepts from addition and subtraction to time.
Click HERE to find out more about this fabulous resource! And if you want to check out more of Sheri's resources click HERE to visit her TpT Store. Thank you Sheri for sharing this awesome resource with me!
SHARE
Now it's time to share a freebie of my own. We thought it would be fun to share a seasonal freebie, but as this is a linky from Down Under, our seasons are of course upside down too ;) I've decided to go with my Northern Hemisphere friends and offer a Spring Freebie, even though things are starting to cool down where I am. 

I have created this Editable Sight Word Pack to cater for the many different levels in our classrooms. The same format and fun design can be used while students practice words specific to their needs. You just need to type the focus word in the spaces provided to generate your sheet. The sheet asks your students to read, find, rainbow write, color trace, count syllables, box, write and build each word. There is a cover page included too so you can make multiple sheets to create a booklet. And of course, I have included an alternative version for all my Aussie (and other) friends (colour vs color). Click  HERE to grab your free copy!
I know some are daunted by editable products, so I have made a quick little how to clip to show you how to edit the template. Super easy, I promise! I was very daunted making this, my first YouTube clip!

GIVE!
If you would like to win Sheri's amazing Math Centers as well as a copy of all the products swapped, enter below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Don't forget to check out all the other amazing resources on offer!

St Paddy's Day Activities and a Freebie!

I am the daughter of one proud Irishman. My dad was a kind, generous, clever, witty (even though sometimes only to himself), sweet man, whom I adored! He was born and raised in Kilkenny. I have fond memories visiting Dad's hometown, listening to him retell stories from his childhood at each landmark. Many years later on a family holiday, I told those same stories to my own children as we walked Kilkenny's streets.

  When St Patrick's Day rolls around, as well as talking to the class about the origins of the day, it's great to share personal experiences too. I have often had my own 'show and tell' in the classroom, sharing images like the one above that my hubby took of Kilkenny Castle. Having a life outside of school and sharing these anecdotes with our students, helps build relationship which underlies everything we do in the classroom.
St Paddy's Day lends itself to some lovely activities in the classroom. One of my favorite writing activities for this time of year is based around the idea of a Lucky Star. I encourage the students to use their imagination and dream big! 'If you could wish upon a star and make your dreams come true.....' But my absolute favorite writing activity encourages students to think about what they truly value. Using a planning sheet they draw or write things that make them feel lucky. They then write about it and create a cute pot of gold craftivity, perfect for the bulletin board.

While a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow would be lovely, I really do feel rich thanks to my family, friends, students I teach and creations I share. I'm so happy that you have stuck with me to the end of this post, so click on the image below for your treasure :) It's a few pages from my St Patrick's Day Kindergarten Math Print & Go Pack.

 

Popping Math Facts

I found this very cute toaster recently (at Smiggle for any Aussie readers) and just had to have it! It was labeled as a notepad - pop the 'toast' and write on the piece that pops. Cute idea, but of course I immediately thought of the uses in the classroom: sight words that pop, popping math questions, exit tickets, review - you get the picture! Whatever I would use it for, I was certain it would be a success!

I ended up settling on math questions. During transition times, as my Kinders were coming to the carpet, I would get out 'Toaster Ted', select a volunteer and have them pop the toast. It was amazing how quickly and QUIETLY everyone came to the carpet in the hope they would be chosen to answer the question, and thus win the next turn at popping Ted!

I just love how approaching something from a different angle can disguise learning and create fun! I'd love to hear what tricks you use to shake learning up in your classroom! Comment below!