Multiplying Decimals Practice Using Dice

Is your kiddo struggling to master multiplication with decimals?  I love this idea from The Mailbox to use a pair of dice to practice. Essentially, you take a pair of dice, roll them, and then use those numbers to write a decimal putting the digits wherever you would like.  Then you multiply the two numbers.  Easy, and super motivating.  I don't know about your kiddos, but mine love just about anything to do with rolling dice - it makes it a game.

You could modify this idea in so many different ways for different ages and skill levels!  Here are a few I thought of:

1. Add the digits
2. Multiply the digits
3. Divide the digits
4. Add, subtract, or divide decimals
5. Use each digit to make a fraction, roll again for a second fraction then add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

Can you think of any other ways to use this idea?

Gardening With Your Kids

I will be the first person to admit, I was not born with a green thumb!  But.. that has not stopped my boys from begging to garden!  They have asked to plant just about anything they can think of and surprisingly enough, they are great little gardeners! Here are a few tips for teaching your child how to garden:

• Start Slow - Focus on only one or two types of plants when you first start out.  That way you aren't overwhelmed and you can work out the mistakes with less risk.
• Choose Fast Growing Plants - Kids are not known for their patience!  If you grow something that takes a long time to grow, your child might lose interest.  We have been successful with bean plants, lettuce, and spinach.
• Plant Things Your Child Likes - One of my boys' favorite garden items were pumpkins for Halloween!  If your child enjoys what is growing, they will want to help out.
• Let Them Be In Charge - If you aren't ready to hand over the whole garden, you might want to give your child a section of the garden that they are responsible for. 

May Highlights Hidden Pictures

Highlight's Hidden Pictures are a great way to have fun with your child—and help develop their concentration and attention to detail. Work together to find the objects in May's Hidden Pictures puzzle.

Creature Features - Learn About Animals

Do you have a kiddo who loves everything and anything about animals?  Well, now you can get them to practice their non-fiction reading skills learning about the animals that interest them the most at National Geographic Kids.  You can see the picture from the honeybees section above, but your child can choose to read about other animals including: penguins, elephants, and bullfrogs.  Not only can they read facts and look at photos, but some of the animals include videos and sound clips as well!

You can also use them for lesson planning as well.

National Geographic Kids

Free Flash Card Maker

Did you know that you could print free flashcards for just about anything your child needs to study with Scholastic Flash Card Maker?  From math to history dates, just set up the cards with the information you need to learn, and then print them out for on the go study!

Free Cursive Handwriting Book

I know that there has been quite the controversy about our handwriting skills going away with the computer age, but I believe that it is important for kiddos to be able to read and write in cursive.  If you agree, and have a kiddo or two working on their handwriting, you will definitely want to check out this free cursive handwriting book.  It is a complete workbook with 80 pages of cursive handwriting practice.  It starts with a manuscript review, and then goes into instruction and practice of cursive letters.

 

You can download the handwriting book here.

On-Line Storytime from Barnes and Noble

Did you know that Barnes and Noble has a free on-line story time where authors read their stories? You can find several great reads for your kiddos including one of my favorites, The Kissing Hand.

Other stories include:
Pinkalicious
Green Eggs and Ham
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Guess How Much I Love You
Tickle Monster
If You Give A Mouse A Cookie
And more!


Barnes and Noble On-Line Story Time