Valentine's Day Math Games for Bigger Kids
Sometimes I don't feel like creating or coming up with a holiday-themed activity. I just don't. Sometimes I think that my 6th graders don't really care that much about holiday-themed activities; that they are too cool for things like that. Sometimes I get caught up in the amount of curriculum I have to cover and feel like we don't have time. Sometimes I am wrong.
I looked back at my day book from last year because I couldn't remember what we did to celebrate Valentine's Day. I know I had given them really cute monster bookmark valentines that they loved but I couldn't remember what else. I'll tell you what I planned - nothing!! Well, regular curriculum stuff but nothing extra special.
My husband and I went to a parenting workshop last week given by Brett Ullman. I totally recommend checking out his website and YouTube channel. Anyway, he showed us this graph of how many birthdays you have left with your child before they become an adult, how many holidays, how many weekends etc and it was pretty sobering. We have even less time with the students in our class and it has given me a reality check. Could I have taken one day off from the rigor of curriculum to celebrate love - something these kids want so desperately? Yes. The answer is yes.
So being proactive now, here's a round-up of some Math activities I will do with my class next year - the idea being workstation/centre-based.
1. Valentine's Day Division Code Breaker
This activity is from Erin at Royal Baloo and she recommends this activity for kids ages 8-10. Click here to download it for free!
2. Valentine's Day Pattern Block Challenge Cards
A lot of activities I found in my search were Number Sense (like fractions and other basic operations). This activity is meant for younger grades but I think my class would love the chance to play around with pattern blocks. You need to enter your email to get the free download and it comes with cards to make two different hearts. I will give my students the cards that say things like, "Can you make a heart with ___ triangles, ___ rhombuses and ___ trapezoids?" That way it is open-ended and more of a challenge for them. Next year, I may add on to this and have them make Cupid's arrow or some other Valentine symbol like an envelope! See, my brain is coming up with ideas as we speak. I'm just not going to do it right now. Click here for this freebie from You Clever Monkey.
3. Valentine's Day Task Cards - Measurement Conversions and Mixed Operations
Check out Perfectly Teaching Perfectly You's shop for this free download. Since I'm Canadian, not all of the measurements are metric so I may pick and choose which ones to use. Although, I think the cards about baking are super authentic for students so I will put out some measuring cups and spoons to help them solve these problems. I also love that there are QR codes for the solutions so students will need access to a device with a QR code scanner.
4. Tic-Tac-Toe QR Code - Comparing Fractions
Here's another QR code activity so students can self-check the answers. This is from Flapjack Educational Resources and is a freebie that is part of a February QR Code Printables product. Click here for the freebie. We may not have done much with fractions at this point in the year so I really like that this game asks them to decide which fraction is closest to 1. They should have had some experience with this in previous grades so it will be manageable for them.
5. Valentine's Day Scoot
To use this activity at a centre you would need some pretty self-sufficient learners and possibly an i-Pad or something with a one minute timer. Otherwise, you could just post these as task cards for students to complete at their own pace. Not all the cards are metric so adjust as needed. Check out this freebie here from The Pi Shop.
There you have it - 5 free Valentine's Day activities to bring a little Math-love into the lives of your learners. Let me know if you try some out!
Lauren
I looked back at my day book from last year because I couldn't remember what we did to celebrate Valentine's Day. I know I had given them really cute monster bookmark valentines that they loved but I couldn't remember what else. I'll tell you what I planned - nothing!! Well, regular curriculum stuff but nothing extra special.
My husband and I went to a parenting workshop last week given by Brett Ullman. I totally recommend checking out his website and YouTube channel. Anyway, he showed us this graph of how many birthdays you have left with your child before they become an adult, how many holidays, how many weekends etc and it was pretty sobering. We have even less time with the students in our class and it has given me a reality check. Could I have taken one day off from the rigor of curriculum to celebrate love - something these kids want so desperately? Yes. The answer is yes.
So being proactive now, here's a round-up of some Math activities I will do with my class next year - the idea being workstation/centre-based.
1. Valentine's Day Division Code Breaker
This activity is from Erin at Royal Baloo and she recommends this activity for kids ages 8-10. Click here to download it for free!
A lot of activities I found in my search were Number Sense (like fractions and other basic operations). This activity is meant for younger grades but I think my class would love the chance to play around with pattern blocks. You need to enter your email to get the free download and it comes with cards to make two different hearts. I will give my students the cards that say things like, "Can you make a heart with ___ triangles, ___ rhombuses and ___ trapezoids?" That way it is open-ended and more of a challenge for them. Next year, I may add on to this and have them make Cupid's arrow or some other Valentine symbol like an envelope! See, my brain is coming up with ideas as we speak. I'm just not going to do it right now. Click here for this freebie from You Clever Monkey.
3. Valentine's Day Task Cards - Measurement Conversions and Mixed Operations
Check out Perfectly Teaching Perfectly You's shop for this free download. Since I'm Canadian, not all of the measurements are metric so I may pick and choose which ones to use. Although, I think the cards about baking are super authentic for students so I will put out some measuring cups and spoons to help them solve these problems. I also love that there are QR codes for the solutions so students will need access to a device with a QR code scanner.
4. Tic-Tac-Toe QR Code - Comparing Fractions
Here's another QR code activity so students can self-check the answers. This is from Flapjack Educational Resources and is a freebie that is part of a February QR Code Printables product. Click here for the freebie. We may not have done much with fractions at this point in the year so I really like that this game asks them to decide which fraction is closest to 1. They should have had some experience with this in previous grades so it will be manageable for them.
5. Valentine's Day Scoot
To use this activity at a centre you would need some pretty self-sufficient learners and possibly an i-Pad or something with a one minute timer. Otherwise, you could just post these as task cards for students to complete at their own pace. Not all the cards are metric so adjust as needed. Check out this freebie here from The Pi Shop.
Lauren
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