Snag your set below and then hop over and grab the jam-packed Winter Activity Pack in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers. It’s bursting with playful and hands-on math and literacy centers your kids will LOVE.

Getting Ready

This fun counting game is fairly quick to prep and hardly uses any printer ink!

I printed one set of the snowflake cards (you may want to print more depending on how many kids will be playing) and ran them through the laminator to make them durable enough for easy reuse.

Then I ran off one copy of the recording sheet for each student along with a few extras since kids often want to play the games more than once. Extra practice is always fine by me!

Snowflake Counting Game

This game was a fun addition to our math centers and was instantly a hit. Students were excited to settle in and get ready to count up some snowflakes!

First, we picked up a card and counted the snowflakes on it. Some kids were able to subitize the amount (recognize how many instantly without counting), while others needed to count one-by-one. Either way, we were making great progress.

Once we figured out how many snowflakes were on the card, we searched for the matching number on a mitten. (When it snows, we need our mittens!)

We counted 1, 2, 3 snowflakes, so we searched, found, and colored the mitten with the number 3 written on it.

Then, we picked up our next card, counted the snowflakes, and colored the matching mitten on our recording sheet: a two!

We continued flipping, counting, and coloring until our sheet was complete.

Grab Your Download

Ready to play this fun winter math game with your own kids?  Snag your set below and then hop over and grab the jam-packed Winter Activity Pack in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers. It’s bursting with playful, hands-on math and literacy centers your kids will LOVE.

The post Snowflake Counting Game appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.

Snag your set below and then hop over and grab even more STEM challenges kids will LOVE in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Valentine Ten Frames

Ten frames are a fantastic tool for so many reasons. They provide a way to group numbers into sets.  To boot, they’re also helpful for kids who are building up their one to one correspondence.

Each space in the ten frame is equal to one, so only one item or dot may go inside. Before taking it down to paper, we often get more hands-on with our jumbo magnetic ten frames first to get more practice with the concept.

My small group loved the jumbo ten frames and was totally ready to give these fun printable sheets a try.

I actually printed these out back to back to save paper since I knew my group would be using both sides.  However, you could choose to do one at a time if that works best for your kids.

We first kicked it off with putting our one to one correspondence knowledge immediately to use!

It was time to read some numbers and fill in some ten frames. We read the number on the first heart, which was a three.

Then, we practiced what we knew about one dot in each square and counted “1, 2, 3.”  We kept reading numbers, counting and drawing until all of the ten frames 1-10 were complete.

Once we were ready, we flipped over our paper and gave the next activity a go.

This side was a little easier for my kids, but still required them to focus on what they knew about ten frames – using some of their subitizing skills (recognizing sets instantly without counting) as they figured out how many dots were in each ten frame.

They counted up the hearts and wrote the totals inside the bigger hearts.

We also colored the hearts, because coloring those little hearts is a surprisingly great fine motor exercise for little hands, and harder than one might think!

Grab Your Download

Ready to work on numbers to 10 and ten frames with your kids, too? Grab some crayons and download your copy of valentine ten frames by clicking the button below!

Then hop over and grab even more STEM challenges kids will LOVE in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers.

The post Valentine Ten Frames appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.

Scroll below to grab your freebie and then make sure to hop over and snag all of our Valentine-themed centers!

Getting Ready

Prep for these number puzzles was a snap!

I quickly printed off all of the puzzle pages and used my paper cutter to chop the edges along the outside edge.

Then, with a pair of scissors, I cut apart the individual puzzles. 

There were two puzzles on each page, so they made nice large pieces for little hands to hold.

Next, I added stickers to the back of the matching pieces so that students could self-check the answers when they were finished.  I love that I made these number puzzles self-checking!

Sweet Treat Number Puzzles

To start the activity, I had my students help me lay out all of the numbers in order.

We practiced reading the numbers out loud together.

Then, taking turns, students drew a picture card from the basket. 

The first student chose the card with two heart cookies. 

She counted the treats out loud and then matched the picture to the correct numeral.

The next student chose nine cookies. She counted the batch out loud and then slid the number puzzle into the right spot.

Every student took a turn until all of our sweet treats were counted and each number puzzle was complete!  The puzzles were adorable when they were all done.  This was a great activity for Valentine’s Day and put us in just the right mood for our fun class party afterwards!

Grab Your Download

Click the blue button below to grab your sweet freebie and then make sure to hop over and snag our Valentine Activity Pack!

The post Sweet Treats Number Puzzles appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.

Getting Ready

To prep the activity, I printed the clip cards on cardstock for durability, laminated them and then cut them out.

I also printed the worksheet that went along with the activity for my students to use if they finished working on the clip cards before the time was up in their math center.

The only other supply that I needed were clothespins for my students to use with the cards.

Valentine Clip Cards

I first played this game with my students in a small group to make sure that they knew exactly what to do.

Each student picked a clip card from the plate and took a look at the counting sequence.

In this example, the student practiced counted 5, 6, 7.

She found the number 6 below the cookies and then used a clothespin to clip the number and complete the counting sequence.

Students kept going until they had correctly clipped all of the cards.

When children finished they activity, I had them complete a number order printable. 

Students had to fill in the missing numbers up to 20 to complete the counting sequence.

(An additional version of the printable is also included where students have to write all numbers 1-20. It’s a fun way to also assess students on how well they are able to print their numbers!)

Grab Your Download

Are you ready to try these fun Valentine clip cards and printables with your students? Click the blue download button below to snag your copy and then hop over and grab our math fact match up and Valentine agamograph art project, too!

The post Valentine Number Order Clip Cards appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.

My curious kiddos loved studying the close-up images of real snowflakes and then recreating them using paper pattern blocks.  Building snowflakes was a perfect way to introduce my 4 year-old to shapes like rhombuses and trapezoids and challenge my 7 year-old to create hexagons with various shapes while she worked on symmetry.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Getting Ready

To prep, we gathered a few supplies:

• Snowflake pattern blocks (below) printed on white cardstock
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• 12 x 12 piece of paper
• Muffin tin (optional but helps keep different shapes separate)

Making Snowflake Geometry

Once we had all the pattern blocks cut, we started by reading the book The Story of Snow by Mark Cassino and Curious About Snow by Gina Shaw.

The books show how each flake starts out as a hexagon with some amazing close-ups of snowflakes.

Since the six corners of the hexagon stick out further than the sides, water vapor sticks to them and the snowflake branches out into six arms as it grows bigger.

Once we read about snowflakes and talked about their properties, I gave my kiddos a 12 x 12 sheet of paper and let them build.

My 4 year-old noticed many snowflakes had arms that weren’t the same size, so he made his snowflake with one arm shorted that the others.

After they had completed their snowflake geometry masterpiece, I had them count up each kind of shape they used to make their snowflake.

Both my 4 and 7 year-olds couldn’t wait to display their wintery works of art!

Extensions

Have kids practice skip counting by 2’s or 6’s when they count up each shape.

See how many different ways they can make a hexagon with their pattern blocks.

Count the vertices and edges in the different shapes in each snowflake.

Make half a snowflake and see if children can make the mirror image.

Introduce the concepts of line symmetry (mirror symmetry) and rotational symmetry.

Grab Your Pattern Blocks

Ready to make a batch of shape snowflakes too?! Click the blue button below and then hop over and try our snowball shooters, too!

The post Snowflake Geometry appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.

Snag your set below and then hop over and grab the jam-packed Winter Activity Pack in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers – it’s bursting with playful and hands-on math and literacy centers your kids will LOVE.

Getting Ready

This versatile activity can be used in multiple ways!

To prep, I printed the cards on cardstock for durability, laminated and then cut them out.

Next, I took a moment to think about how I wanted my students to show the number in the ten frame on the mat.

I decided to let them roll the playdough into little balls to put in the ten frame this time around, but you could also have students make dots with a dry erase marker or even use fun erasers or counters!

Then, I grabbed a dry erase marker and eraser for each set so children could practice writing the number on the printing lines and we were ready to play.

Mitten Counting Mats

I first played this game with my students in a small group to make sure that they knew exactly what to do.

Each student picked a counting mat from a basket and counted the yellow dots on the mitten to figure out what number they were working on.  In the example below, the child picked the number eight.

Next, she needed to show that number in the ten frame, so she rolled eight balls of playdough and placed each one in a box.

(If you’re short on time, students can draw the dots with a dry erase marker instead.)

Then, she looked through the number cards to find the matching mitten.

Finally, she used her dry erase marker to practice writing that number on the two printing lines at the bottom of the card.

One card after the next, students worked their way through the stack.

When they finished, the children erased their card, cleaned up the playdough and put their counting mats back in the basket for the next group to use.

Grab Your Download

Snag your set below and then hop over and grab the jam-packed Winter Activity Pack in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers – it’s bursting with playful and hands-on math and literacy centers your kids will LOVE.

The post Mitten Counting Mats appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.

Snag your set below and then hop over and grab the jam-packed Winter Activity Pack in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers – it’s bursting with playful and hands-on math and literacy centers your kids will LOVE.

Getting Ready

Prep for these write and wipe numbers cards was super simple!  I printed all the number cards on cardstock for extra durability.  Then, I slid the cards through the laminator so that I could have students write on them with a dry erase marker.

After laminating, I quickly cut them up and we were ready to go!

Write and Wipe Numbers

To start, students pulled one write and wipe number card out of the pile.  They placed the card in front of them and pointed and said each number out loud.

For example, one student said, “0, blank, 2.”

Using his number knowledge, he was able to determine that the missing number was 1 and wrote it in the correct space on his card with the black dry erase marker.

After checking his counting, he moved on to the next write and wipe number card.

Differentiation with Write and Wipe Numbers

Some students in your class might be ready for an extra challenge.  If so, have them do the activity in order instead of choosing random cards.  Or rather, have them put the write and wipe number cards in order once they’re finished.

All numbers from 0-20 are included in this write and wipe number activity, so it was perfect for number review at math centers this winter!

Grab Your Download

Snag your set below and then hop over and grab the jam-packed Winter Activity Pack in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers – it’s bursting with playful and hands-on math and literacy centers your kids will LOVE.

The post Penguin Write and Wipe Numbers appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Getting Ready

Prepping the activity was quick and easy. I printed the cards (below) on cardstock to give them extra durability and laminated them so they would hold up for reuse.

Then I cut apart the cards and grabbed a bag of penguin snacks (a.k.a. goldfish crackers) to use as counters.

Counting Cards

When the activity was ready, I invited Middle Brother (age 4) over to join me. I wanted to reinforce number names with him so I handed him the one card and had him place one fish in the top left box of the ten frame.

One card after the next, he read the number and added that many goldfish.

Then we laid the cards in a straight line from smallest to biggest so he could gain practice with comparison, more than and less than.  These penguin counting cards were the perfect way for him to practice numbers!

Ten Frames

Seeing numbers in ten frames helps kids get ready to subitize – or instantly recognize how many – later.

When Middle Brother is ready, I’ll show him how he can look at the ten frame filled with 5 goldfish and instantly know that it has 5 without needing to count them out one-by-one.

Similarly, for the number ten, he’ll know that he can put that top row of 5 in his head and skip count 5 more to get 10. So a full ten frame will always have ten objects.

It’s a helpful shortcut and a great step toward adding!

Extension Activities

Although Middle Brother wasn’t ready for subitizing, he was ready to work on beginning addition and subtraction.

I placed three fish on the 5 sorting mat and asked him how many more fish he needed to add to the ten frame to make it five.

He confidently grabbed two more crackers and placed them in the top row.

We practiced a few more addition problems and then switched gears to work on subtraction.

I placed the 3 mat in front of him and filled the ten frame with seven fish. Then I asked how many fish he needed to take away to make the ten frame match the number. He happily removed four fish.

Ready to Play?!

Grab your batch of penguin counting cards (below) and then hop over and download our free Winter Mitten Match Up too!

The post Penguin Counting Cards appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.

Snag your set below and then hop over to grab 13 more festive gingerbread centers your students will LOVE in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers!

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Getting Ready

These ten frame activities are super simple to prepare, which makes them great for a quick, no prep activity.

I just printed out enough for my kids, grabbed some crayons I had on hand, and I was ready to have some gingerbread ten frame fun.

Gingerbread Ten Frames

Just like with our fun apple ten frame printables, I used these two sheets in different ways with my kindergarteners.

I used this first sheet as a quick morning work activity so that my kindergarteners could practice counting and printing numbers 1 to 10.

If they counted and wrote the numbers quickly, I challenged them to make a pattern on the gumdrops as an extension of the activity.

I added the other activity sheet to a math bin for kids to explore during math workshop because it takes a little longer to complete than the first.

My kids absolutely love coloring, so they are super motivated by anything with crayons or coloring tools.

They were excited to read the number on the gingerbread men and then draw “gumdrops” in the ten frames to match.

Another fun option would be to add stickers to this center. The small round stickers will fit in the ten frames, and peeling stickers is great for building up fine motor skills.

Q-tips in paint are also super motivating…

No matter how you play, these will be a fun addition to your winter learning activities!

Grab Your Download

Ready to print these fun activity sheets for your own kids?! Grab your free copy of the gingerbread ten frame printables by clicking the blue download button below.

Then hop over to grab 13 more festive gingerbread centers your students will LOVE in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers!

The post Gingerbread Ten Frames appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.

Snag your set below and then hop over and grab the jam-packed Winter Activity Pack in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers – it’s bursting with playful and hands-on math and literacy centers your kids will LOVE.

Getting Ready

Prepping this activity is quick and easy!  I simply printed the penguin number puzzles on cardstock to give them extra durability and then cut along the grey lines to separate the pieces.

If you’re using these puzzles for the classroom, consider laminating the sets so you can use them again year after year.

After each puzzle got its own snack-sized Ziploc bag for easy storage, I invited the kids over to join me.

Number Puzzles

Little Sister (age 3) has been working hard on recognizing the numbers 1 to 10, so I grabbed that puzzle first.

Then, picking up one puzzle piece at a time, I showed her how to place them in 1, 2, 3 order.

As we made our way through the puzzle, Little Sister was thrilled to recognize the mystery picture: an adorable fishing penguin!

After I slid puzzle piece #10 into place, she was eager to give these penguin number puzzles a go on her own.

One piece after the next, the puzzle was eventually solved as she used the number clues. Additionally, she used the penguin pictures to check herself, making sure she was on the right track.

Meanwhile, across the table, Middle Brother (age 5) was busy tackling skip counting. He counted by tens,

skipped by fives,

and then worked on counting by twos.

This extra challenge was perfect for him.  What’s more, he was always excited to see what penguin picture came next!

Grab Your Set

Snag your set below and then hop over and grab the jam-packed Winter Activity Pack in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers – it’s bursting with playful and hands-on math and literacy centers your kids will LOVE.

The post Penguin Number Puzzles appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.