"L" is for "Little Shepherd" and "Lightning Strikes"

LITTLE SHEPHERD


Author: Cheryl C. Mandrinos www.ccmalandrinos.com
Artist: Eugene Ruble


In the hills outside Bethlehem, Obed guards his first flock of sheep. When the angels appear to tell of the Savior’s birth, he is hesitant to follow the others to see the new King. When Obed returns to his sheep, he realizes it is a night of miracles.



LIGHTNING STRIKES

Author: Kevin McNamee http://www.kevinmcnamee.com/
Artist: Eugene Ruble


“Lightning Strikes, I count to ten. I don’t hear thunder until then.” Science and Math come together to educate and entertain. This fun, rhyming counting book will help teach children to count backwards, and to understand the principles of lightning and thunder.





KATHY STEMKLE'S WEBSITES:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965# http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/kathystemke
Follow me on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=6147172660&topic=4910#!/kathymarescomatthews.stemke?ref=profile
Follow me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/kathy-stemke/13/269/285
 

5 Free Online Resources for Teaching Early Math Skills

If there’s one subject that’s hated by most kids, it’s Mathematics; however, this subject’s bad reputation is more because of poor teaching than because it is difficult. With the right foundation and teachers who know how to teach, you’ll see Math in a whole new light. Today, it’s easier to love Mathematics and become skilled at it because there are many more resources available, and thanks to the Internet, most of them are free. So if you’re looking for sites that help with building math skills and boosting the interest of your young students, here are a few to start with:

• Online Math Learning: This site has all you need to get children interested in Mathematics – it has fun puzzles, quizzes and lessons to explain the basics of the subject at various levels, from kindergarten to Grade 12. It teaches Math for children through videos, songs, games and other activities according to their age and mental abilities.

• Kid Sites Math: This site points you to dozens of other math sites. You can browse through each of them to find what you’re looking for, based on the interests of your child and their skill level.

• Cool Math for Kids: This jazzy site teaches children the basics of Mathematics in fun and interesting ways. It offers resources for teachers and parents, and features Math games and jigsaw puzzles too. It’s billed as “the amusement park of Math and more”, so check it out if you’re looking for free and fun Math resources.

• Math Playground: Go here if you need to teach Math skills to children ranging from pre-school to middle school. This site features logic games and puzzles, word problems and other Mathematics-based games that are sure to boost your youngster’s interest in the subject and improve their skills.

• Kids Konnect: This site is a treasure trove of resources that offer teachers and parents help in improving the Mathematics skills of children.

Check out all the sites that are featured here, and choose the ones that best fit your child’s temperament and interest.

The key to understanding and doing well in Mathematics is interest – once this is developed, and children learn that Math is fun and not the drudgery that most people purport it to be, teaching them Mathematics is a cinch!

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by April Davis, she writes on the topic of Accredited Degree Online. She welcomes your questions and comments at her email: april.davis83(@)gmail(.)com.

Kathy Stemke's websites:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965# http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/kathystemke
Follow me on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=6147172660&topic=4910#!/kathymarescomatthews.stemke?ref=profile
Follow me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/kathy-stemke/13/269/285
 

Preschool Music and Movement Activities!

HeliumFavorite music activities for the preschool classroom

Kathy's websites:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.htmlhttp://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.htmlhttp://kathystemke.weebly.comFollow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/kathystemkeFollow me on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=6147172660&topic=4910#!/kathymarescomatthews.stemke?ref=profile

HeliumWaldorf techniques for mastering math facts with body movements that any teacher can use

Kathy's websites:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com

Homeschool Money Unit

HeliumHomeschool unit study - beginning money and economics

Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com

Assessing the Value of Learning Math by Using Manipulatives

Manipulatives are any various objects designed to be moved or arranged by hand as a means of developing motor skills or understanding abstractions, especially in mathmatics. Children can use these manipulatives to get concret pictures of abstract concepts. Research indicates that the best way for students to learn is in three phases: first, by seeing the mathmatical concepts in a concrete, hands-on way; second, by drawing pictures that represent the same things as the concrete; and finally, by moving to the abstract, theoretical concepts.

The use of manipulatives would be essential for the first phase of learning.
Everything we know about young children dictates that early math programs must be concrete, filled with play and exploration. It's commonly believed that when you hear something, 10% of the information is retained. If you see it, hear it and say it, 40% is retained. But, if you also handle it, you retain 70%-100% of the information. Using math manipulatives, handling concrete objects helps the student to learn and retain abstract concepts in math.

TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE WITH MANY PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK:
http://www.helium.com/items/1166822-math-manipulatives-unifix-cubes-value-of-learning-educational-resources-geometric

Kathy Stemke's websites:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#
http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com

SHOE SIZING MATCH UP!

This is a fun activity that requires measurement skills, art, body parts identification, and matching skills.

1. Have each child trace both his shoes on construction paper, and cut them out.

2. Put their name on the back of each foot.

3. Have the children measure the length to the nearest inch, and write it on the front of each foot.

4. Trace your own shoes and add several others of various sizes.

5. Let the children measure the other feet and record the lengths.

6. The kids can take turns matching up the feet first with the measurement side showing.

7. Now flip the shoes over and see if they can still match up the feet in pairs.

8. The children can practice counting by twos.

9. Now each child can use their art skills to decorate their own set of feet.

10. You can make a great bulletin board of feet, each with the child's picture next to their feet.

11. Laminate all the other feet. Tape them to the floor in pairs. Have the children jump from pair to pair counting by twos.

12. Talk about individuality and diversity. Bring in shoes or pictures of shoes that represent different cultures and talk about their cultures. (wooden shoes for holland, chinese slippers, middle eastern curly toed shoes, snow shoes for Russia, sandles for Africa, native american mocasins, mountain boots from Tibet)

A great book to use in conjunction with this lesson is Shoes, Shoes, Shoes by Ann Morris.

Kathy Stemke's websites:
http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com

BEANBAG ACTIVITIES!

COLOR TOSS: Toss a beanbag into a box with a colored circle on the front.

MATH TOSS: Paint and number shapes on a large foam board. In each shape, cut a hole big enough for a small beanbag to fit through easily. Being sure not to cover the holes, glue or staple the board to a large cardboard box. Your child tosses a beanbag into two of the holes and either adds, subtracts or multiplies the numbers together. Younger children can just identify the numbers or shapes. They can toss a beanbag into the even or odd numbers only.

COMPLIMENT GAME

1. Ask children to sit or stand in one large circle
2. Start by throwing the beanbag to one child. At the same time give that child a compliment about something they have done well. It may be related to their behaviour or work.
3. The receiver then has to do the same. Everyone should have a turn. Variations: a boy must throw to a girl or a child with light-coloured hair must throw to a dark-haired person, or the beanbag must be thrown to someone who hasn't had a turn. The activity continues until everybody has had a turn or a time limit has been reached.

SHAPE TOSS

If playing on a hard floor or paved surface, make different shapes in a straight line on the floor using strips of masking tape (square, triangle, rectangle). If playing on carpet, cut the shapes out of construction paper and line them up on the floor. Have the child toss the BLUE beanbag into the TRIANGLE. Or have him toss the RED beanbag into the SQUARE. These games will help make associations between different colors and shapes.

BODY PARTS

Use the beanbags to help the child identify different body parts by asking your child to put the red beanbag on his or her head. Have him find various body parts and balance the beanbag on them (elbow, hand, and so on).

BEANBAG BALANCE GAME

1. With the beanbag on your head walk around the room. (walk on tip toes)
2. With the beanbag on your foot, lift your leg up and down.
3. With the beanbag on your nose turn all the way around.
4. With the beanbag on your shoulder lift your leg up behind you.
5. In a crab position place the beanbag on your tummy and walk around the room.
6. With the beanbag on your back walk on your hands and feet.

BOWLING WITH BEANBAGS

1. Put the numbers one through five on five empty bottles.
2. Set them up in a V formation.
3. Throw the beanbag to see which bottles you can knock over.
4. Younger kids can namethe numbers as they pick them up.
5. Older kids can add the numbers together.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU GAME

1. Place four hoops about five feet apart from each other.
2. When the student attempts to throw the beanbag in the first hoop have them share one thing they like about themselves.
3. In the next hoop, something they like about their partner behind them.
4. In the third hoop, something they like about their school.
5. In the fourth hoop something they like in their world.



http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com

GREAT MATH GAMES WILL HELP MAKE MATH FUN

CHECK OUT THESE GREAT ARTICLES!
The following article includes great games for practicing multiplication skills.

HeliumHaving fun with numbers

HeliumHomeschool unit study - beginning money and economics

http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com

MULTIPLYING PERFECT SQUARES (rap song)

Perfect squares are fun to do.
Come on guys; let’s do a few.

Zero times zero is zero.
Move with me, just like a hero.

One times one is always one.
Skip around, we’ve just begun.

Hey, two times two is four.
Let’s rock around some more.

Now, three times three is nine.
Slip and slide right on time.

Four times four equals sixteen.
Push and pull like a machine.

Five times five is twenty-five.
Come on kids let’s jump and jive.

Six times six is thirty-six.
Hip-hop and pop in the mix.

Seven times seven is forty-nine.
Float up high and you’ll be just fine.

Eight times eight is sixty-four.
Ride your bike around the floor.

Nine times nine is eighty-one.
Jumping jacks are always fun.

Ten times ten equals a hundred.
Spin and count up to a hundred.

Eleven squared is one twenty-one.
Come dance with me, we’re almost done.

Twelve times twelve’s one forty-four.
Let’s all march right out the door.

Perfect squares are fun to do.
Good job guys; we've done a few.

http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com

More Multiplication Tips!!

If you're children are struggling with multiplication, try these mental and physical multitasking activities to get your children back in the swing of things. This hula hoop game is fun with two or more players taking turns and keeping score, but can work as well with one.

HULA HOOP MULTIPLICATION

1. Have your children make individual lists of the multiplication tables. (skip counting) Fold each list and place them in a bowl.
2. Each child takes a turn picking from the bowl. They must recite the table while using the hula hoop. (Ex. 4,8,12,16...) The other child can time them and check for correctness.
3. Now the next player gets a turn. After several turns, the player with the highest time wins.
4. You can modify this activity by changing the movement. (Ex. jump in and out of the hoop, hop on one foot in the hoop, circle the hoop on your wrist)

CIRCLE AND BEANS MULIPLICATION

Cut a 12 cicles and laminate them for durability. Use a bag of beans for counters. Write a multiplication problem on an index card. Explain that the first factor is the number of circles you need to use, and the second factor is the number of beans to put on each circle. (Ex. 5x7=) 5 circles with 7 beans on each circle. The kids will love this fun way to use concrete manipulatives to understand abstract concepts.