Math in a Snap!

Over the last few weeks I have been trying out new things for the coming year. I recently went to a Math Workshop in my district and was excited to try some new things out. One of my favorite parts of the training was on number lines! I have LOVED ten frames but number lines I really had not done much with. In my district I am FORTUNATE to be friends with Cindy B.(the BEST Math Teacher Friend) and she provided this wonderful training and sparked my interest. She had what she called a "non traditional number line." I was drawn to this because I thought this was the PERFECT way to introduce number lines at the beginning of the year. I have played around with my non traditional number line for a few days now and I am willing to say I am sure going to include it in my daily routines next year! I put the number line on links with clothespins at first and I noticed that LOTS of seconds were ticking by as children were struggling just to clip them on. I decided to punch holes in them so they could just hang on a hook from a chain but I really do not like that either. I want to keep the chain or line that they hook on but I have not found the way I really want them to hang that is quick and easy for children and when I am modeling it with the whole group. I like the string or chain idea because you can put it up with ease and then take it down in a snap! If you can think of a way to help the children get the number line parts hanging quickly please let me know! And if you are looking for Math activities for number lines and ten frames that build conceptual knowledge in math, with easy to follow directions and correlations to NCTM Focal Points and interactive games to build number sense I highly recommend this book! It Makes Sense:Using Ten-frames to Build Number Sense is a great math book in a snap, so how bout' that?