Winter Math Centers

 Ok, so maybe they aren't really centers, but more of math tubs.  After my class is done with their independent math word they go and get their tub that they have for the day.  I changed the organization a bit after some practice.  I down sized the tubs and took the lids off.  Now all the students have to do is go to the designated spot with their tub and go to town.  While they are working I am able to meet with small groups going over various math skills.

I have 8 tubs and the computer as a "center" or "station".  At computer they work on math games and here is what is going on at the other tubs:

1.  I found this on pinterest (yes I joined and I am totally addicted).  It came from Lightning Bug Literacy.  I think it was some kind of learning kit - I thought it was a fun idea so I made my own.  The students just put the correct number of beads on the pipe cleaner.

2.  This is a sorting tub.  I actually create the mats myself.  Yea me!!!  Clip art came from the MS Publisher and DJ Inkers.  The bag of manipulative includes snowman, snowflakes, and mittens.  These I ordered from Oriental Trading.  They are really foam beads, but they work well for sorting.  I have them for a bunch of units.  The mats are for sorting by color, size, and shape.  There is even another one that says "I sorted another way."

3.  Pattern fun!  For this tub they have 2 things they can do.  One is from Deanna Jump and Julie Lee's Winter Centers for Math and Literacy.  

You can get yours by clicking on the pic.

 Polar Patterns came from that unit.  The students have to color and finish the patterns on the bears.  The second thing they do is fill in the pattern mats with again the winter foam beads from Oriental Trading.

 4.  Measure Up!  This was an activity I found on a Little Miss Kindergarten blog posted for free.  Here's the link to the original post.  I added a basket with cubes, links, and buttons so that they could measure length, height, area, and perimeter. 

 5.  Snowman Stamp - They have to put the snowball numbers (1-10) in order and then they can stamp the numbers on their stamp sheet.  I used the number stamps from Lakeshore that are dotted so that they can trace the numbers once they are done stamping.

 6.  Falling Snowflakes - these mats I got from a Pre-k Pages.  They put the right number of snowflakes on the mat.

 7.  Snowball Numbers - I don't have a picture of this one, but what they do is pull a number out of a snowman bag and then they write that number on a white board.   This is a number writing and reading practice tub.

8.  I found these 10 frame mats for the teen numbers and thought ---um perfect!    These came from Under the Alphabet Tree.  If you haven't been to her blog, check it out NOW.  She has tons of great ideas.  Here's the link to the mats.  I used real marshmallows and told them there would be no eating!  So far so good.  :)

So that's pretty much what is happening right now.  I'll probably keep them the same for a week or 2.

If you are interested in anything that I created...leave me a comment and I'll work some magic.