If you were at the Number Corner training and remember the I Can, can... I have found the sticks used in the can again at Dollar Tree. When I was shopping I heard that more school supplies are being shipped with different items. So, just when you think this back to school shopping is over, you realize it just keeps going and going.

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As I was preparing for a Number Corner training in my district, I was thinking about my own calendar time in my own class. I was trying to come up with a way to eliminate the time spent with children raising their hands to respond to calendar questions. I remembered buying these sticks in the spring. As I was looking around the house trying to find something to store them in, I noticed a veggie can. I thought it would be perfect to store them in. I painted mine and glued two magnets on the back and tied a ribbon and that was it. Now all I have to do is make dinner tomorrow, serve the same veggies and repeat the above steps. Once I do that, I will have the I Can system. These will be stored in my whiteboard by my calendar wall and when I have a question, I will pick a star stick, read the name and then put it in the next can. WHEW! No more hands in the air, no more trying to pick a child on the fly and making it fair. I just recently saw similar sticks at Dollar Tree! So that is a math tip in a snap, so how bout that?

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I just opened my fabulous decorative headers from Artskills that I got at Target. And just let me tell you my surprise... Not only did it come with numbers which I could see from the package but it came with colors and shapes. The most amazing part... it has a rhombus and a trapezoid! Seriously? Is this the only bulletin board set that actually has the correct names for shapes? I love this! I just can barely contain myself right now! And this is just another reason why you should join the Artskills giveaway on the posts below because I know you are going to want this and use this AND you have to take pictures and join the Artskills bulletin board contest... details coming soon! Can't wait to see what everyone creates!  

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As I was packing things up and putting things away I realized that my two month long teacher craft days are coming to an end... I kept looking at these Target number stamps that I love so much and I just kept thinking that I had to find a way to properly store these and get them ready to go in my BUILD boxes. I was at Wal Mart and found this craft organizer. I like it because it stores everything a child could need to complete tons of Investigations, the stamp and ink are together and a little more room for some penny stamps for a little variation.

PS If you have not entered the giveaway below I hope you do! You might be the lucky winner!

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Yep, there is still a little thing called a FANTASTIC GiVeAwAy going on below but I could not resist a post! When a teacher friend of mine and I were using these stickers for another project this summer, I kept thinking about the numerous posts about crafty made stamps. I wanted to try this for myself and peeled the back of a sticker and plopped it right on a top I was about to throw away and guess what? This darn stamp is as good as some stamps as I have purchased. So now I LOVE DIY stamps! What about you? 

  

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So I have a little obsession with dice. I'm ok. I just love them. And this picture is just my new stash of dice. I was at a math conference last week and I had to get some dice I have always wanted. I am super excited that I now have dice that go up to 20! And I am totally intrigued by the dice with the crown on them to the left! I have no idea what the crown is for but I am sure we can come up with something, right? Considering this is just a small sample of my dice, I had to start thinking of a way to organize my dice. I have been looking for a dice jar but I didn't want the kids to be spending time digging through a jar to get the dice they need. What I am hoping for is that my children will be able to pick the proper dice they need for the particular task and find it quickly.

I found this craft organizer at Hobby Lobby for $8 but I had a coupon so it was 40% off! All my new dice fit and so do the small dice containers. This is perfect for self serve dice!

I have to give credit where credit is due... My husband saw these at Dollar Tree and suggested I use them for dice. They came in a six pack! It is perfect for a single die. When you turn it upside down you can see and read the die perfectly!

And this is what it looks like inside all organized and happy...

Just for fun I have added a dice freebie to use when I am teaching the kids how to self serve dice, what dice to use and how to put things back. I have made a Roll and Record page so the children can practice, getting a die, experimenting and becoming familiar with different dice and recording what they have rolled. Please feel free to get your free copy and if you have time please leave feedback. The I Love Dice Roll and Record game is only available at my TpT store for a limited time!

So if you are interested in more dice fun... Roll the Dice is back and ready for Fall! This download is available from TpT and it comes with 3 levels of play and a total of 9 game boards that include apples, pumpkins and forest themed boards! Get em while they are hot!

I have teamed up with Empowering Little Learners for more dice fun and I hope you hop over and find more dice ideas!

 

We really don't want the dice fun to end because we are having so much fun! What do you do with dice? How do you store your dice? What are your favorite games with dice? What creative ways do you use dice in your classroom? Come on friends, don't leave us hanging... join in the fun and submit your ideas to the It's Getting Dicey Linky Party!

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When I found this at Target I really went crazy! This is my favorite find of all my back to school shopping. It is the Smart Cookie Poster set available at Target by Artskills! I LOVED it so much I immediately went to my Math Friends text list and sent some texts. People are telling me they are having a hard time finding their Smart Cookies, oh my! I wanted all my friends to get in on the fun, so I asked some questions and this is what I have learned. Smart Cookies and the other great teacher products are only available at Target right now. And they are in the section where the poster stuff is, not the school supply section and not the famous Dollar Spot! But the real secret is this... these products are 2.50 each! No, that is not a typo! They should be right up there in the dollar spot! An insider told me that Target keeps some extra stock of these products right there in the store! Maybe it is a good idea to ask the most friendly worker you see. Right now, I am secretly looking for the other bulletin board sets and the big letters that go with it. I am hunting down the Crayon Box set, the 100 Day Apple Tree and the Paint one too!

Back to the Giant Smart Cookies Jar...

What does this have to do with Christmas in July? Well, at Christmas I am going to put Christmas cookies in my Smart Cookie jar! I am going to be counting Smart Cookies all year long! I am mounting mine on foam board with adhesive spray because I want to model some counting strategies with Smart Cookies! And as the year progresses, I am going to incorporate problem solving, oh my! Now, do you blame me for falling in love with my Smart Cookies?

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The boxes, stamp and stamp pad were all purchased at Michael's. The boxes were two for a dollar. The stamp was around two dollars and the stamp pad was a dollar. I like the small stamp pads because they fit in a container and they are only used with the one stamp, so the color stays the color, instead of getting mixed. I only let the kids use Math or Science stamps with that specific activity. When the activity has been used for everything I have had planned for it, I will let the kids use it as they wish but not until then. I usually have a coupon so the stamp pads are usually about sixty cents. It is worth it to me because those big giant stamp pads are messy and we make plenty of other messes...just not at Math Time!

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Here is a teeny tiny Math tip! We use stamps a lot in Kindergarten and if you know me, I have a real crazy obsession for Counting Jars. Stamps provide a fun way for children to represent quantities and make equivalent sets. When you have several activities and different stamps going on at all times, it can sometimes get confusing as to where each of them goes. These small containers are perfect for keeping

 one stamp and a small stamp pad with a particular investigation. What I love most of all is that your stamp AND your ink color never gets mixed up with any other color and what you need to accomplish the task is all together. It is simple, but it works! So, that's a Math Tip in a snap, so how bout that?

And if you are crazy for counting jars like I am, just hop on over to my TpT store and get yours for FREE! If you are feeling Kinder friendly leave feedback!

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