Just Another Way to Use My Favorite Toy Ever

Magnetic tiles are my favorite toy EVER. Hands down. BEST. TOY. EVER.

We have a vast collection at home. At school, I have encouraged teachers to order them to use in Brain Bins, soft start morning tubs, recess tubs, and STEM challenges. The kids love them, no matter their age. They are so incredibly versatile.

(And you do not need to buy name brand. You can, of course, but most magnetic tiles work together, no matter the brand, and pretty similarly. We have a hodge podge of different brands and no one knows the difference.)

Anyway, a fun idea is to build on the windows or glass doors. Building up on a surface that is not magnetic is a challenge. But then results? The light shines through and creates beautiful colors on the floor! VOILA! Magic. And a science connection for kids who are ready. :)

SUM BLOX - Make math hands on again!

Have you heard of Sum Blox?

We got them for Christmas last year and they make me want to go right back into the classroom. (I am currently an instructional coach and reading interventionist in my building.)

Currently, I use them with my three-year old. They are BEAUTIFUL wooden blocks that are shaped like numbers. The bigger the number, the bigger the block, which makes the concept of 5 being greater than 2 a lot easier for small kiddos to understand. That's a basic way to use Sum Blox, and that's where we are right now with the three-year old, but there are plenty of other ways to increase the rigor!

Primary:

- Adding or subtracting becomes visual! the 2 block and the 3 block will match up with the 5 block! Create some number bonds to connect it to math in school.

Intermediate:

- Multiplication and division are suddenly interactive! Stack up four 2 blocks and match it up with an 8 block! Deconstruct numbers!

The Sum Blox also come with challenge cards! These are STEM cards that any age can work on, such as stacking the numbers from 1-10, and then reversing the order!

Anyway, if you are looking for HIGH QUALITY blocks that will last forever and engage your kiddos in math, check out Sum Blox!

Click here to check out the Sum Blox website!

 

LEGO BUILDING BLOCK CHALLENGES GALLORE

I love all things STEM! 

Currently, I am an instructional coach and I encourage the teachers I work with to incorporate STEM into any part of their day possible - soft start morning tubs, STEM bins, Brain bins, recess, whenever! But also, the subject areas! STEM is not always a separate activity. It can fit right into your current curriculum.

Now, at my house, we have bins of LEGO build bricks from when my husband and I were kids. Like, TOTES. Tons. So I used them in my classroom as a teacher.

Below are some really fun, ready to go ideas for incorporating LEGO building bricks into your teaching, whether you are in the classroom or teaching little ones in your own home. (Believe me, I have a three-year old who I test many of these challenges out on and she is a little bit obsessed.)

Click here for more LEGO building brick STEM challenge ideas!

FOCUS ON WRITING:

There are so many opportunities to ENGAGE kids during writing with a STEM challenge. Sometimes, when they have the opportunity to break up the physical act of writing with some building (as long as the building does not take over), the writing is actually better. There's true purpose there because it is tangible.

I used these STEM challenges for YEARS during Summer School as our STEM initiative and I was always impressed by the creativity and perseverance of the students. They're special challenges because you can present them to primary learners or intermediate learners, and they can all be successful in their own way.

Station Rotation during MATH!

Set up a challenge station during math to review concepts previously covered in a new and motivating way! Such a simple area - task cards and a tub of LEGO building bricks!

Click here for more LEGO building brick STEM challenge ideas!

State Test Prep - FOCUS ON WRITTEN RESPONSE

I have taught in a testing grade level for 8 years of my career and I had test prep down to a science. I integrated it throughout the school year so the kids never really knew that they were prepping - they were just learning strategies that would help them to be successful.

The short response writing dominated our state assessments in New York, so that was always a huge focus for me. I like the strategy RATTS: Restate the question, Answer the question, Text-based detail, Text-based detail, Summary statement.

Now, not every kiddo can handle this strategy. I loved incorporating short response writing in my small group reading, which meant that some groups that still needed a lot of writing support might start the year using RAT. Then add another T when they were ready, and the S by the end of the year. Hopefully. Others might be ready for full-blown RATTS right away! It depended on the learners and their needs.

I like having check lists for the kids when we are learning the strategy and then gradually moving away from that because there won't be a check list on a test - the kids will be making their own check lists at that point.

I also love having rubrics so that when we move away from guided practice to independent writing, kids can score themselves and reflect on how they answered the questions using our strategy.

Another idea? COLOR CODING! For me, I have a variety of pens in small group reading. The kids use a different color for each letter of RATTS. It makes the strategy very visual. When they are ready to move away from that, they respond in all one color but check their response by HIGHLIGHTING each letter and the written component that matches up with that letter. It shows them if they are missing a letter, detail, summary statement, etc. And who doesn't love pens and highlighters? Get that motivation!

Seriously, after years of scoring state assessments and seeing SO MANY strategies for the written response, this is BY FAR my favorite. And the strategy that kids have had the most success with.

Click here for a state test prep short response writing resource!

Click here for a state test prep short response writing resource!

Happy teaching!

Amazon bundle of assorted ROCKS!

Do you know what one of the best and most popular recess activities I had in my classroom that is now in my kids' playroom? A big old bundle of assorted rocks from Amazon! 

They were polished and came with a little guide. The kids would just pull that bin out and quietly entertain themselves during indoor recess. And my 3-year old and 1-year old are EXACTLY the same way. And I was EXACTLY the same way as a kid, too! In fact, I found my old collection of rocks and added it to the bin! And my husband did the same!

So, if you're looking for something educational, quiet, and fun, look no further. I think I spent about twenty bucks and it has lasted for YEARS. Plus, a lot of kids donated some of their own rocks to the bin!