Winners!!!!

I am sorry I am so behind!  We had a family situation that needed my attention, and I had not picked my winners yet and I apologize profusely!  So without further ado:

The winner of the  Lays Package is comment #8 Cheryl F!

The winner of the Mabels Labels is  # 18 Elim who did not leave an email, so please contact me :)

Place Value Teaching Resources

I love this idea for teaching place value from Yearn To Learn!  You can make your own by laminating a piece of construction paper with 3 index cards and these place value labels.  Because it is laminated, your child can re-use it with a dry or wet erase marker.  Simply say a number out loud to your child, such as four hundred fifty three above, and have your child right it in the right place value.  You can differentiate this activity for different ages and abilities by simply adding another section as shown below:

You could even add decimal places for your older kiddos. I love when you can teach multiple levels at once!

Here are some more resources for learning about place value:

100 or Bust Place Value Game

Place Value Color, Cut, and Paste to Ten Thousands

Place Value Color, Cut, and Paste to Hundred Thousands

Place Value Color, Cut, and Paste to Millions

Phone Book Math

Writing Numbers in Expanded Form

Slow Love How I Lost My Job, Put on My Pajamas, and Found Happiness - Book Review

I've always loved the quote by Woody Allen that says, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans" because it just fits my life.  Time and time again I have made plans for my life only to find that my life takes a totally different direction - and usually that direction is so much better than what I originally intended.  Slow Love - How I Lost My Job, Put on My Pajamas, and Found Happiness is a story of just that type of life.   Dominique Browning's memoir tells the story of what happened when she was layed off from her job as editor-in-chief of Conde Nast's House & Garden, when the magazine folded.  Her career was her whole focus in life, and suddenly it wasn't.  Her story is not just one of despair due to the loss of a job, but is instead a celebration of her rebirth as a woman. 

One of the things she said that really struck a chord with me was "Slow love is about knowing what you've got before it's gone."  How many times in our life do we forget to focus on the things that really matter, the people in our lives who really matter?  I know in my own life sometimes I spend more time worrying about things that in the long run will mean nothing, but forgetting to stop and take time to really enjoy my family.

I am reading this book as part of BlogHer book club, and will be discussing it throughout the month - be sure to join in!

Math Dice Games

There is something about rolling a pair of dice that makes math so much more fun than filling out worksheets!  I found this large pair of dice (the bigger the better in my boys' opinion) at the dollar tree, and we have been having tons of fun practicing math!

Here are a few ideas:

For the younger ones:

Greater or less than: Roll both dice and determine which number is bigger. You can have the child write on a dry erase board to practice writing the greater or less than symbol if they are ready.

Addition:  Have your child add the dots on both dice together.

Subtraction: Have your child subtract the smaller number from the larger number.

For older kiddos:

Multiplication: Have your child multiply the numbers together.

Fractions: What fractions can your child make with the numbers they roll?  If they use the larger number as the numerator, they can practice working with mixed numerals.

Dice Number Writing Practice

Dice Views Worksheet

Throw the Dice Game

Greater, less than, or equal to game

Nuts about Numbers Game

Butterfly Addition

Dice Addition Games