Showing posts with label October. Show all posts
Showing posts with label October. Show all posts

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Patchwork Pumpkin Math Freebie ... Subtraction

Hi, Teaching Friends!


Pumpkin days are here in all their glory! Here's a subtraction game freebie that will also bring a bit of October art into your classroom décor.






Players roll two dice, subtract the smaller from the larger, and color a space with the answer. Since each player has is or her own board, the first to color the whole pumpkin is the winner. Challenging
your students to make their pumpkins colorful will make them great for display ...

... either backed with construction paper...





...or taped to your classroom window with the light shining through.





Another idea is to choose the most neatly colored pumpkins (a bit of competition always motivates neater work, right?), laminate them, and put them in math centers as game boards. Instead of coloring the spaces, players could cover them or circle them. Using games that you and your classmates have created always adds some extra motivation and fun! 





Happy Teaching!




Sunday, October 14, 2012

Bats at the Library, A Fun Book for October

Hi, Book Lovers!






Does your class love Stellaluna? Of course! What's not to love about such a treasure of a book? What a loving lesson on friendship and valuing the uniqueness in others and yourself. I also like it because it's perfect for October without being either scary or Halloween-focused.

Now, maybe you're looking for a new book about bats, also non-scary. Well, here's one I think you and your class will really enjoy! Bats at the Library, by Brian Lies, is one of those books that's great fun on many levels.

 I am an Amazon Affliate, and could receive small compensation for your purchase. I'd be just as happy if you enjoyed this great book by checking it out at your local library! ;)


The text is rhyming, which in some books is kind of forced, but not here. Lies does a really nice job of keeping the text lyrical and natural as he describes the adventures of a colony of bats that gets into the library through a window left open one night.

The real fun comes in the illustrations. First of all, they are just plain gorgeous.They're also printed on paper that is that lovely satiny texture that I just love to run my hand over. (By the way, reviewers say the Kindle version just doesn't do it justice. Stick with the book.)

These are playful bats who are out for a good time, whether it's playing in the fountain (check out the swimmies on the baby bats!), playing with the copy machine (kids will giggle!), or enjoying a book chat. I love the way that Lies has made this library a place that's impossible not to love!

You and your students will find lots of famous characters from children's literature pictured throughout the book. Look for Little Red Riding Bat and the police officer from Make Way for Ducklings, among many others. I'm thinking that this would be a great book to bring out again for Children's Book Week, or any other celebration of libraries and books.

You'll want to share the "About the Author" photo on the back flap with your kiddos- it's upside down!. This author is a man who "gets" kid humor!

Here's a little freebie that you might like to use as a response to the reading. Your students will write about the antics of the bats when they arrive at the library in your own school! Back their completed writing with a black mat for display, or laminate and assemble as a cute class book!

Click here or on the image to download.




Bats at the Library is definitely on my list of favorite bat books. You might just feel the same!


Have you read this book? I'd love to hear your opinion, so please leave a comment!

Happy Teaching!






Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...