Have You Seen This Yet??? It's Good, CLEAN, Fun!!!

This is NOT Moonsand:

Nope, it's nothing like it at all!  Think soft, moldable, CLEAN (nothing left on your hands), and won't dry out!!!  Amazing, right?

First, I Discovered Sands Alive...

You will fall in love with this!

... at Jo-Ann's Crafts a few days ago and fell in love!  It was soft, moldable, and my hands were clean after playing experimenting with it.  It felt like really soft cake mix combined with cornstarch, but you can squeeze it into an object and it will hold together.  

Then, I Discovered Kinetic Sand...

1 lb is $17.99 or $14.99 on sale.

... at Michael's and, although it felt a bit more "sandy" it worked the same way as Sands Alive when I played experimented with it.  It also came in colors so I bought some in blue and red, which is really pink.  I think my students will enjoy mixing them to create purple.  

Kinetic Sand right out of the package.

So, What's The Difference?

As I said, Sands Alive does feel softer, but I read a review on Amazon that compared the two brands and they said that Sands Alive had a slight chemical smell and left a slight residue on your hands.  

I didn't play experiment with it long enough to feel a residue or smell anything.  I was simply mesmerized!

Here is a link to a Youtube video demo about Sands Alive:

Click Here

The part I like the best is that it doesn't dry out.  There is no water in either of them, so you can leave it out without worrying.  

This is Kinetic Sand.

So, Which One Did I Buy?

I bought some Kinetic Sand (with my teacher discount) because Michael's had some in stock (they told me it's hard to keep it in stock & that they always run out before getting the next shipment) and Jo-Ann's didn't have any in stock.  However, I do plan to buy some Sands Alive because I liked how soft it felt.  :)

And How Will I Use It, You Ask?

Besides having it out as a center for free choice exploration, I also think that this would make a great tool to teach a small group MATH lesson on 3D shapes.  Don't you agree?  

Creating 3D shapes.

It's fun to cut your creations with a plastic knife.

And for SCIENCE we can pour it into a container and compress it until it takes the form of its container to spark a discussion about whether it's a solid or a liquid.  I plan on sharing this when I present my Science Hands-on Workshop at I Teach K this July.  (Use discount code Nat10 for a 10% discount when registering.)  

We can weight it, mix two different colors of the Kinetic sand, and we can form it into letters or numbers.  

My mind is spinning with the possibilities

Have you used this in your classroom?.  

What are your ideas???

Check out my:
FaCeBoOk:  Click Here to see my Facebook. (Tons of FREE ideas.)
PiNtErEsT:  Click Here to see my Pinterest Boards.  (Oh, the ideas on these boards!)
TeAcHeRs PaY tEaChErS:  Click Here to see my TPT Store (Did you say, "15 freebies?!")

See you all tomorrow.

Palma ;)

End Of The Year FUN

Having FUN Cleaning Desks:

With shaving cream!  Writing our sight words and numbers too.

The desks got soooooo clean!

And it made the classroom smell fresher too.

Making a FUN Keepsake:

Those are our "Nature Prints" behind the crayon candles.Get the full directions by clicking HERE.

A New Use For Our Kindergarten Crayons-  We made candles out of our old kindergarten crayons.

Kids place broken, unwrapped crayons in the jar, place a birthday candle
in the center.  Away from children, spoon paraffin wax into the jars.

I used my Spa Paraffin Hand Treatment kit to melt the wax.
A plastic soup spoon worked great to pour the wax over the crayons.

You can download the poem that goes with these candles for FREE by clicking HERE.

A FUN Last Day Treat:

Our parent volunteers made these cute dolphins for our graduation treat:

Cut bananas, add two eyes with a Sharpie, and grapes!

A FUN gift From Your Teacher:

A penny for success & a kiss 'cause you'll be missed.

Just like Miss Bindergarten!

I hope your last day was (or will be) FUN!

Add your FUN ideas in the comment section.

See you all tomorrow.

Palma :)

Keeping The FUN In The FUNdamentals & A FLASH SALE

Making Learning Fun:

On Wednesdays, we have a "letter study" session.  The children place a cube on each item that begin's with the letter we are studying.  This allows me to re-use our old (and expensive) Letter Books year after year.  

They also get to dot the focus letter with a bingo marker and copy the focus letter 3 times.

Then, they get to trace the laminated letter cards with a dry erase marker so I can check for correct starting points and correct letter formation.  I made tracing cards for number formation too.  You can find them by clicking right HERE.

I'm having a FLASH SALE on these Number Formation Cards, 

so grab them while you can.  

Here are the number formations cards.
Just print on card stock & laminate. 
Click the image to see the download.

Last, they get to use a pushpin and poke holes in the dotted letter.  This is great for their fine-motor development.  

They even get a color-coordinated pin.

They push the pin into the rug so they don't stick themselves.

Thanks for stopping by today.

See you all tomorrow.

Palma :)

  

I Went To Home Depot For 1 Thing And Came Home With...

... Paint Chips!

(You can read about the REAL reason I went to Home Depot at the end of this post.)

You know, those little cards with paint colors on them.  I had see them used for all kinds of word building, but I decided to try making SUBTRACTION CARDS!

They come in so many cool colors too.

Yes, Subtraction Cards: 

I started by folding the cards and adding stickers.  My first set was all about the number 5:

Use these without the numerals and symbols for T.K.

They are perfect for developing fluency when 

adding and subtracting to and from 5.  

Next, I printed up subtraction equations from 5.

You know:  

5 - 0 = 5

5 - 1 = 4

5 - 2 = 3

5 - 3 = 2

5 - 4 = 1

5 - 5 = 0

(I used Comic Sans in a 36.)

I cut them out and glued them to the paint chips under the stickers.

This Is How They Work:

The student looks at the first 2 panels and reads the beginning of the number sentence 5 - 1:  

The last 2 panels are folded under the card.

Then, the student opens up the panels that are folded below and...

...folds them down to cover the 2nd panel:

The 1st panel is still showing.  The "= 4" is on the last panel.

Last, they read the number sentence and see that they have only 4 eggs left.

Continue With The Next Equation:

 It's OK if the 3rd panel is showing
and only the 4th panel is folded
beneath the other panels.

The student reads, "5 minus 2..."

"... equals 3."

Here is 5 minus 3:

The student says, "5 minus 3..."

"... equals 2."

Here is 5 - 4:

"5 minus 4..."

"... equals 1."

Students can also compare the green and yellow cards to see how 5 - 2 = 3 compares to 5 - 3 = 2.

Or they can compare the blue and orange cards to see how 5 - 1 = 4 compares to 5 - 4 = 1.

You can use stickers, draw shapes, or use sticky-back rhinestones.  Wouldn't rhinestones be cute?

Here Is 5 - 5:

"5 minus 5..."

"... equals 0."

And Here Is The Set Of "Subtraction From 5" Cards:

I think they are super colorful and just the right size to fit into my little ones' hands.

And here they are all folded up with just the 1st and last panels showing so you can see the equations:

I'm loving these soooo much.  I'll have to make another trip to Home Depot for some more so I can make the subtraction sets.from 4 to 1.

So, Would You Like To Know Why I Went To Home Depot?

(You are going to like this tip.)

I needed to line my cupboard, but I don't like the way contact paper can tear over time and I don't like those mats that keep glasses from sliding around.  I need the glasses to slide back as I fill the cupboard, sooooooo I use

Peel-and-stick linoleum floor tiles

These are 39 cents each at Home Depot.

Yep, you heard right.  Those peel-and-stick "no wax" linoleum floor tiles can be cut with scissors to fit any drawer or cupboard and they wash up easily.  

I love how my glasses just slide to the back
as I push them back with additional glasses.

Think about how great these would be under your sink or in the pantry where oil can drip down the side of the oil bottle or even worse, ANTS!  You can clean up any mess because the surface is smooth, durable, and always shiny.  

2 shelved done in no time.

You can match the tiles to your cabinets, but these are so high
that no one will see into them.

This cabinet is above a raised dishwasher.
I had to stand on a chair to take this photo.

This tip was given to me about 20 years ago by my sweet Aunt Josephine who I miss every day.  

See you all tomorrow.

Palma