Math Monsters

Okay y'all, I'm really struggling with teaching addition this year. We usually don't teach this skill until later on after we've talked about number value and ordering numbers and counting.  I've discovered two main problems that we've encountered this past week

1.  The lessons in our new series are LONG. By the time we get to the end of the lesson, my kids are getting antsy. I plan on revamping these and adding some fun things to get the kids moving. That's the plan anyways :)

2.  My kids are understanding the concept of adding, but we need some drill and practice. I think it's wonderful to know how to draw a picture or use manipulatives to figure out 7+3=10, but sooner or later a child just needs to automatically know this addition fact. So I decided to download some flash cards online (I can't remember where, but a simple google search will give lots of options) and I plan to start keeping these in our daily binders that traveled to and from school each day. To make it a little more exciting and special for my kids, I made each of them a Math Monster out of a manilla folder to help with the adding.

It's super simple to make these!

1. Get a manilla envelope. The small size...I can't remember the exact measurements but it's not the full sheet size. 

2. Make some fun monster pieces.

3. Laminate the envelope 

4. Cut out the slit to hold the flash cards. 

The kids saw them today and loved them! I may do some for our sight words too. 

We've had a busy, but great week! I'll share some more classroom happenings this weekend. We end the ABC Review tomorrow and begin our first reading story next week so I'll share some neat ideas with y'all! :)