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Archive : 2007 : December : 31

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By GoTeachers

I do all of what you mentioned but I also do a few other things...

I drew a Piggy and laminated it (pink poster board outlined with black). A parent scanned all coins for me (front and back) and I put them on cardstock
and laminated. Each day we add a penny. I write the total amount with a wet erase marker. We learn about making 5 pennies into a nickel, two nickels into a dime, etc. We also learn to add money.

I also do a daily pattern of the shapes we have to learn in our states first grade curriculum... hexagon, square, parallelogram, trapazoid, triangle, rectangle and circle. We also

write the day we are on one a day to make a pattern. We learn patterns, the shapes, counting, pattern units, etc.

I also do a BRAIN POP! This is, by far, their favorite thing! I buy, at Walmart, a big bag of balloons 9 or 12 in. will do. I write a daily fact on a piece of paper, fold it up, put it in the balloon, blow the balloon and hang it up before they come in (usually before I leave day before). Then, I use a push pin and my Handy Helper (daily helper) calls on someone to give me the "magic number." It has to be from 1-10. We count together and when we get to the magic number I POP the balloon. Each fact starts with... Did you know that...Sometimes we count backwards, sometimes we change our voices in our countdown for variety.

I also have a huge 100 number chart. With this you can do so MANY activities. One thing that we do is... the Handy Helper writes a special number on a small post - it. No one sees but me. I have two circles and some putty for holding in place. They try to narrow the number down. First person will give a number... say the number is 49. One kid might say 56. Handy says... no the number is lower than 56. We take one circle and cover 56. And so on... does that make sense?

At the end to before we go to our seats. Everyone stands up and we march in place. Our Handy Helper leads us in our cadence and the other kids repeat each line after:

First Grade, First grade, what you say?
We're gonna have some fun today,
We're gonna read and write and spell,
We do these things very well.
Sound off (Handy says)
1, 2 (others say and hold up fingers
Sound off (Handy says)
3, 4 (others say and hold up fingers)
Bring it down now (Handy says)
1,2,3,4 (All say)

Hope this gives you some "fresh" ideas. :D
Sound off (Handy Helper says)
1, 2, (kid