Just Eat It

So does anyone remember that Weird Al song Just Eat It?  For some odd reason that song popped into my head as I was thinking about this post.  I remember watching that music video as a wee lass and now I have a hauntingly funny memory of it.  Anyway, moving on to the post.  One of my favorite math concepts to teach my first graders is geometric shapes.  Not only do we explore the standard flat shapes such as triangles and squares but we get to delve into the discovery of three dimensional, solid figures like the sphere and pyramid. I love sending the children on a shape scavenger hunt around school.  This year I decided to do an edible math discovery so the kids could not only manipulate a geometric figure but just eat it too!  The kids and I had a blast investigating, sorting, and recording data about the snacks.  On the last day of school I surveyed my students and this lesson was the winner of THE BEST MATH LESSON EVER award. Try it with your kids, they won't be able to wait to Just Eat It.  Get this activity for FREE here.

Value Time

So, I was snooping around on Pinterest, my new found addiction, and found a great idea. (The idea is from Mrs. T and her site is great so check it out here). Anyway, I decided to modify the idea and use scrapbook paper to make the value mats. First, I cut a 12"x 12" paper in half to make two 12" x 6" papers. I then cut two 3" x 3" squares and two 3" x 1" rectangles. I made a slew of mats at the same time and coordinated the different pieces to match each mat. I wanted to remember which pieces went with what mat so I numbered the back of the mat and the coordinating pieces. I glued the squares onto the mats, being careful to leave space for the little rectangles, then laminated both the mats and the little rectangles. After the laminating was a cut out I attached the little rectangles to the mats with fasteners. Now, the kids can determine if the value of two numbers they're given are less than, equal to, or greater than. So fun and easy.
Here are some pics for you visual learners:

1. Number on the back of the 6" x 12"


2. Number on the back of the 3" x 1" little rectangles


3. Lay out of the value mat before laminating.


4. The value mat with the squares glued on then laminated.


5. The tools and pieces needed to assemble the mat.


6. I put the little rectangles where I wanted them then poked the craft knife through both the rectangle and the mat to make little placement holes to mark the exact spot.


7. I put the fastener through the rectangle.


8. Notice the fastener is in the center of the little rectangle.


9. I then put the fastener through the mat and spread open the prongs to secure the placement of the little rectangle.

10. Here is the mat showing the equal sign.


11. Here is the mat showing the less than sign.


12. Here is the mat showing the greater than sign.


13. Here is the end result.

  
 I also typed up the directions as a document.  You can download the directions for FREE on my Teachers Pay Teachers store here.  Happy creating!