Saturday, June 13, 2015

"Cool" Dice Games for Summer, and They're So Easy to Make!

Hello, Teaching Friends!

I was in Five Below the other day, looking through beach blanket holder-downers, lawn darts, flipflops, and all that type of thing, when I came across these plastic reusable ice cubes. Oh, my,  the ol' teacher brain started whirring!




Now, before I say anything else, let me just tell you that you couldn't pay me enough to ever put these plastic ice cubes filled with some kind of liquid into my drink. First of all, they're plastic, and the whole set cost $1. Ummmm, okay. Second, what IS that liquid, and how sure can I be that none of it is seeping out through some itty bitty pinhole and into my iced tea? This does not fit with the health choices of someone who is paying top dollar for organic produce.  The option is yours, but I'll opt out, thanks.

On the other hand, as an easy-to-make and novel hands on center activity, I say YES!!!

All you need to do is...

1. Label all sides of each cube using a Sharpie or other permanent marker.

2. Pop them in the freezer.

3. Bring them out for some very cool fun!


Kids will love rolling these cool cubes so much that they'll want to keep playing games with them again and again. And again! I haven't had any problems at all with condensation on the cubes, plus they stay frozen for a good long time, even with all the handling.  It also takes quite a lot of playing for the labels to wear off, and they're easy enough to write on again quickly.

These examples are labeled for CVC words.




There are lots of other possibilities for programming these cubes. If you write numbers on them, your students can roll five dice and write all of the number models they can using only the numbers rolled. Also with number dice, you can use this fluency freebie. Roll, read the summer sentences fluently, and color in a box. Just click to download.

Enjoy, ... and keep cool!






Happy Teaching!










11 comments:

  1. I love your dice! Great use of a product that should not be in our drinks! They look so much cuter than by wooden cubes!
    Have a very HAPPY summer!
    Karen
    Planet Happy Smiles

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by, Karen! I'm sure that your wooden cubes are great, but we all know that pulling out something new often revives interest!
      Best wishes for a happy summer to you, too!
      Linda at Primary Inspiration

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  2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great way to repurpose the "ice cubes." Thanks for sharing.
    ✿April✿
    Grade School Giggles

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think this is such a cool idea! I tutor in the summer and I love keeping my niece and nephews engaged in learning. I will definitely be creating this. Thanks for sharing!

    ((HUGS))
    Tiffany
    One Fab Teacher

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll bet the kiddos love to learn with their auntie! :)
      Thanks for stopping by!
      Linda

      Delete
  5. I would have never thought to use those as dice! What a fun alternative to regular dice. Thanks for sharing; I'll add them to my shopping list.

    Amanda
    A Very Curious Class

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ahhh, that summer shopping list for our classrooms just grows and grows, right? :) Thanks for visiting, Amanda!
      Linda

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  6. Great idea! I agree with you, I wouldn't want them in my ice tea either!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Got to wonder who comes up with some of the things out on the market, right, Heather? Linda

      Delete

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