Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed Activities

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed.  One fell off an bumped its head. Chants, nursery rhymes, and poems are the cornerstone of early childhood classrooms.  They help children play with the rhythm of language, build oral fluency, and build number sense.  They cover important skills such as rhyming, fluency, and cardinality.

It's never too early or too late to introduce children to these classics. My granddaughter is only 7 months and she squeals when we say these to her. She is listening to our pitch, volume, and tone while learning about language. My 3 year old grandson is learning about rhyming words and counting.  Pre-K, kindergarten, and 1st grade students are learning about one-to-one correspondence, number sense, subitizing, and decomposing and composing numbers (adding and subtracting).

I love to use paint sticks to make these hands-on props for story retelling. The children can hold onto the handle with one hand while manipulating the clothespins with the other.  Anytime we can build in natural fine motor practice it's a win-win situation. I've included directions for turning this paint stick into a bed along with a FREE printable.  Don't forget to sign up by email in the top right corner to receive notification of my new blog posts.

MATERIALS NEEDED 

• Paint stick
• 5 Clothespins
• 1 Small piece of felt
• Glue gun
• 5 Monkey Felt Pieces

I used felt monkeys that I found at Michaels craft store to glue onto the clothespins. They have removable stickers on the back.  Leave the backing on the monkeys and glue to the clothespin.  If you remove the backing it will make the whole back part sticky.  I also made a FREE printable with monkeys in case you can't find the felt ones or prefer to use the paper ones.  I also included the words to the rhyme.  The printable will be towards the end of the post.

DIRECTIONS

1ST THIS

Disclosure: Amazon links are included in this post.

THEN

YOUR BED IS READY!

NEXT

Glue the monkeys onto the clothespins as seen in the picture below. Your project is complete!  Keep reading for ideas for teaching and learning. 

FINE MOTOR

• Children hold with one hand.
• Children open and close the clothespin with the other hand, which will require using a pincer grasp.
• Children cross the midline (body position) when they remove the monkeys closest to the handle.

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

LITERACY

• Teach the rhyme to the children.
• Use pitch, tone, and volume (be dramatic) to engage the children.
• Play echo-repeat.
• Teacher/adult says one line.  
• Children repeat.
• Vary the tone, pitch, and volume.
• Children repeat.
• Do a choral version (everyone says it together).
• Leave off the last word of the sentence.
• Children fill in the missing word.
• Talk about how the words bed and head sound the same at the end.
• Tell them that the words rhyme.
• Think of other words that rhyme with bed. 
• fed, head, led, Ned, red, said, wed, bread, fled, Fred, shed, sped
• Clap the syllables in the rhyme.
• five, bed, fell, off, bumped, head, called, said, no, more = 1 syllable
• little, monkeys, jumping, mama, doctor = 2 syllables

MATH LEVEL 1

• Children put the monkeys on the bed one at a time while counting.
• one-to-one correspondence
• Talk to the children about ordinal positions.
• 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
• Have the children take turns touching the first monkey.
• Have the children take turns touching the last monkey.
• Continue with the 2nd through 5th.
• Children say the rhyme and remove one monkey at a time.
• one-to-one correspondence
• number sense or cardinality 
• Children say how many are left after removing one monkey.
• Counting which will lead to subitizing.
• Subitizing is knowing how many are in a set without counting.

MATH LEVEL 2

• Through repetitive play, children understand that the numeral 5 represents a set of 5 monkeys.
• By removing 1 monkey off the bed, children will build number sense. 
• Children will work on taking the number 5 (monkeys) apart and make other number combinations sets (decomposing numbers).
• 5 & 0, 4 & 1, 3 & 2, 2 & 3, 1 & 4, 0 & 5.

LEVEL 3 MATH CONVERSATIONS

• What do you notice about our monkeys?
• Can you put the monkeys into sets or groups?
• 2 monkeys are on the bed
• 3 monkeys are NOT on the bed (or on the floor)
• What will happen when one more monkey falls off?
• How do you know?
• What will happen if one monkey jumped back on the bed?
• How do you know?
• Model mathematical conversations with children so they will use math conversations with their peers during play.

ALTERNATIVES

No felt or no time?  You can use duct tape or painters tape to decorate your bed.  Or give the children some dot markers and let them create their own bed out of a paint stick.

CLICK HERE for the FREE Five Little Monkeys which includes a book, math sheet, and monkey manipulatives for the clothespins.

Thanks for stopping by!  Don't forget to sign up by email to receive notification of new blog posts.  My next one is going to be fun :)

Five Senses and Fall

Fall is a perfect time of the year for children to learn about the 5 senses.  Children can see, hear, smell, touch, and taste all of the changes that occur during the fall.  Fall is also the perfect time for children to write and record information about their 5 senses.

Before young children can write about fall, they need to have rich experiences with the changes that occur in the fall.  They need to have conversations about fall.  They need to express their thoughts orally before they write too.

How can they experience it? We use our five senses all of the time during the fall. We taste the different types of apples.  We see the leaves change colors.  We touch pumpkins at the pumpkin patch.  We smell apple cider and pumpkin pie.  We hear the leaves crunch beneath our feet and geese flying overhead.

During the fall, I like to take my children on nature walks around the school.  We carry our writer's notebooks and jot down thoughts and draw pictures about our walk.  We take time to look. We take time to listen.  Some children will walk and write or draw quick sketches. Some children will sit down outside and write.  Some do both. When we come back into the classroom, I give them opportunities to finish their thoughts as we share and discuss with our friends. We then come together as a group and make a list or anchor chart of our experiences.  We turn and talk to our friends again.  Did they notice the same thing?  Did they see or hear something different?

All of these experiences help young children become writers.  We then make a 5 senses chart labeling our Five Senses and what we can see, hear, smell, touch, and taste during autumn.  This anchor chart and the children's notebooks provide experiences that will prepare them for writing.  Our anchor chart grows over the period of a couple of weeks.  Vocabulary takes time to build.  Writers need time to write.  I love to look at their first attempts and then compare them to their writing after we've had more experiences and conversations about autumn.  The growth is amazing.

Here is a sample of my new mini-video that I just completed.  The song is titled "It's Time for Fall" and is a predictable text song that covers all of the changes that occur during the fall. You can read more about it HERE.

I made a book for your children to use as they write about their five senses and fall.  It comes in 3 different versions depending on the age and developmental writing level of your children.   

CLICK HERE to download your free printable books.

You can encourage young children to become writers by helping them have experiences to write about, conversations to build their vocabulary, and opportunities to express their thoughts in both pictures and in words.  When children uses their 5 senses, they become more empowered to use vocabulary and make connections to their writing.  And autumn is the perfect season to use our five senses to connect to writing.

Thanks for stopping by!

I Spy - Eye Spy Dollar Store Game

Children need hands-on engaging activities while learning and reviewing skills. When I create a game for centers, I think of how it can be differentiated to meet the wide range of learners in the early childhood classroom.  The best activities are ones that children beg to do over and over again and can be transferred into all areas of the curriculum.  Teach the procedures for playing, then let the learning begin.

I receive questions from parents and grandparents who visit my blog and want activities for working with their children at home.  This game would be easy to implement at home, as it can be used for reinforcing letters, sounds, sight words, word families, and math skills too.

I purchased the eyeball above from the Dollar Tree.  I didn't take a picture before I took them out of the bag, but here is what they look like on Amazon.  The Dollar Tree carries these during the fall, but if you can't find these you can use a googly eye too.  Amazon links are included below.

MATERIALS NEEDED

• Paper or plastic cups
• Large white stickers
• Eyeball or Googly Eyes

DIRECTIONS

1. Write the skill on the white sticker or directly onto the cups.
2. Model how to play in whole group or small group setting.
3. Have the children close their eyes.
4. Place the eyeball under one of the cups.
5. Chant, "Eye Spy, I Spy."
6. Children open their eyes.
7. Call on students one at a time to guess which cup is hiding the eyeball.
8. Students read the word or the skill of the cup where they think the eyeball is.
9. Students lift the cup to see if they are right
10. Game continues until the eyeball is found.
11. Repeat game again.

SIGHT WORDS

I purchased the cups shown in the picture ABOVE at the Dollar Tree too. They came in packages of 20 and were in the birthday section with the paper goods.  To store the game, stack the cups and place in a small tub or container along with the eyeball.  Or you can just stack the cups standing up and place the eyeball in the top cup.  Your children can:

• Read the word.
• Spell the word.
• Use the word in a sentence.

LETTERS AND SOUNDS

The cups in the picture ABOVE are mini-sized cups from the Dollar Tree.  These come in packages of 20 and were located with the kitchen cups and plates. Notice how small they are in comparison to the eyeball.  It fits perfectly underneath.  These cups take up less room and work great for letters, words, and numbers too. Your children can:

• Say the letter.
• Say the sound.
• Name something that begins with the letter.
• Put the cups in ABC order first.

WORD FAMILIES

Your children can also work on reading word families.  The following are ways to address the skill but also change the skill for students who need remediation or a challenge.

• Work on one word family at a time.
• Work on two word families at a time.
• Students can sort the word cups when finished.
• Student says the sounds for each letter on the cup and then blends the sounds together to read the word.
• Student names the letters on the cup. (REMEDIATION ACTIVITY for Letter Fluency Practice)
• Student reads the word then changes it. (CHALLENGE ACTIVITY)
• Student reads the word cat and changes it to cats (adds an s).
• Student reads the word sat and changes it to sit (irregular verb), sits, sitting.
• Student reads the word then thinks of a bigger word that has the word family in it, such as pat - pattern, fan-fancy, ban-banner, man-manners, fat-fatter, tan-tanagram.

MORE SKILL SUGGESTIONS

• Shapes
• Name the shape.
• Name an real world object that has the shape.
• Colors
• Work on color recognition.
• Say the color.
• Spell the color word.
• Counting Dots
• Count the number of dots.
• Use sticker dots for subtizing or recognizing without counting.
• Numbers
• Work with numbers from 0-5.
• Work with numbers from 0-10.
• Work with numbers to 20.
• Work with numbers to 100.
• Work with numbers to 1000.
• Say the number and tell whether it is odd or even.
• Say the number and then give a math fact to make that number.
• 5 could be 2+3
• 10 could be 4 + 6
• 20 could be 10 + 10
• Write math facts on the cups.
• Student solves the math fact.
• Write 2 numbers on the cup.
• Students says whether it is greater than, less than, or equal.
• Children's Names
• Use students' names or family names.
• Children read the name.
• Children spell the name.
• Children's Pictures
• Use students' pictures or family pictures.
• Animal Stickers
• Name the animal.
• Spell the animal name.
• Name the animal and the habitat.
• Parts of Speech 
• Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives
• Read the word and identify whether it is a noun, verb, or adjective.
• Say the word and use it in a sentence.
• Vocabulary Words 
• Read the word and then say the definition.

CENTERS

Children can play in pairs at center time.  One student hides the eyeball, the other person reads the skill and tries to locate it.

Be sure and sign up by email in the top right corner to receive updates on my blog.

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comment section below.

Thanks for stopping by!

Easy Dollar Store Game Pieces for Kid's Activities

I wanted to share an easy way to make game pieces for both reading, math, and just for fun too.  I was at the Dollar Tree last week and saw these cupcake toppers hanging in the aisle.   They were colorful and seasonal.  So I decided to bring them home and make some games with them.

The first thing you need to do is to remove the stick.  Carefully slide the stick back and forth (not much) and it will release from the object.  Pull the stick out and you have 24 game pieces to use for all types of games.  They are thick and slick, so they do not need to be laminated.

Here are some ways to use these pieces.  First, put dot stickers on one side of the pumpkins or other cupcake topper pieces.  Write the ABC's on them.  You can put the capital letter on one side and the lowercase letter on the other side. Put them in a container and have the children draw one out of the bag, say the letter, make the sound.  You can even leave one blank.  If they draw the blank one, they say "Jack-o-Lantern" and everyone has to put their game pieces back in the container.  Or your children can draw them out of a container and put them in ABC order.

Make word family game pieces with them.  Make sets for individual word families.  Put them in a baggie.  Children see how many words they can make.  They can record the words in a word notebook or on a piece of blank paper.

MATCHING GAMES

• Write the uppercase and lowercase letters on the same side
• Write sight words on side.  
• Write numbers on one side.
• Draw shapes on one side.
• Color in the circle with different color markers.

ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION GAMES

Write numbers and corresponding dots to make math games.

You can also find these cupcake toppers at party supply stores, Michaels, and Hobby Lobby.  I found spiders and skeletons too.

Thanks for stopping by!  Sign up by email in the top right corner to receive updates from my blog.

Part Part Whole Spider Web Math

This is a differentiated post for working with part-part whole.  One of the concepts children need to understand is that numbers can be decomposed into other sets of numbers.  So 5 can actually be decomposed (taken apart) to make a set of 4 and a set of 1.  Learning this concept will help children understand basic addition and subtraction facts by developing number sense first.

I like to make easy games that can be used at different levels of instruction.  This one works great at any time of the year, but October is a great month to play it too.  I give my children paper plates and let them draw a web out of 2 different colors.  Why not throw in some finer motor drawing at the same time?

There are different levels of playing the following game to meet the diverse needs of your students.

MATERIALS NEEDED

• small paper plates
• 2 different colored markers
• flies or spiders from the dollar store

LEVEL 1

Playing this helps children learn they can take a set of objects and separate them into different sets.  This is also a great way to introduce story problems through play.  I call this game SOME HERE-SOME THERE.  I start by putting all 5 flies above the spider webs (in the air).  This represents the whole number of 5.  Then we say the story problem below.

This can be played over and over again by having the children play with different scenarios of the the flies getting stuck in the web.  They are learning that the number 5 represents 5 flies and the 5 flies can be separated into different groups. For example: 5-0, 4-1, 3-2, 2-3, 1-4, 0-5  This also lays the foundation for understanding the basic addition facts of 5.  

LEVEL 2

After your children have played SOME HERE - SOME THERE, add a die to the game. 

• Put 5 flies on the left web.
• Roll the die.  If a 6 is rolled, roll again.
• Move the number of flies from the left web to the right web.
• How many flies are on the left web?
• How many flies are on the right web?
• Say the number sentence.
• 5 flies (total flies on the left at the start) - 3 flies (flies on the right now) = 2 flies (what is on the left web now).

LEVEL 3

Children need many experiences manipulating objects within a set BEFORE they begin recording their information into more formal equations and drawings.  After your children play this game several times, add some recording sheets (plain paper) or fold 4 sheets of 8 1/2 x 11 copy paper in half.  Staple on the left side to make a book.

• Children play the Level 1 game first.
• They draw 2 circles on each page to represent the web. 
• Play SOME HERE - SOME THERE.
• Children draw a picture of the flies in the web to match the hands-on game.

I LOVE fall and teaching.  Have fun playing this game.

Thanks for stopping by!

DIY Rekenrek

Rekenrek is the buzz word today but has actually been around for quite some time.  You can buy them or attempt to make them as a DIY project.  I've tried several ways of making them including craft foam and 4X6 laminated cards.  They work fine for a while, but are flimsy and don't last as long.

Up front, I'll just admit it.  I am a paint stick hoarder.  I love to make activities and games with paint sticks.  Put paint stick in my search box and you will see :)  So it makes sense that I turned paint sticks into rekenreks.  And the jury is out, after one year, they have held together nicely and are easy to store in a bucket.  When the children need their math tools, they grab a stick.  It's hands on and the paint stick gives them a handle to hold while they manipulate the beads.  

The post is part of the BRIGHT IDEAS LINKY PARTY.  Keep on reading for links to other amazing ideas.

These are the drilled-hole version.  I slide the pipe cleaner through the holes and used a glue gun to secure the ends.

I also use BIGGIE BEADS!!! instead of pony beads.  My secret is OUT!  I discovered BIGGIE BEADS in a craft store 4 years ago, and it just hit me that these would be much better than pony beads. And even better, they are cheaper in the long run.  You get tons - 1200 beads for $8.99 at Amazon or you can use your 40% off Sunday coupon at Michaels.  They are used to make crafts where you iron them down to make different shapes such as butterflies.  But I digress, they are AWESOME!!!  In fact, sign up by email at the top right corner so you don't miss out on any of the posts I have about using these in the classroom for math manipulatives. 

MATERIALS NEEDED

• Paint stick
• 2 black pipe cleaners
• 20 Biggie Beads consisting of 2 colors 10 each
• Glue gun

DIRECTIONS

You can choose 2 different methods for making these rekenreks.  In the picture above, I had my husband drill 4 small holes in the paint stick - two at each end.  Don't have a drill?  No worries. I went all of last year doing it with this method as seen in this picture.

These are the glued version.  I glue the pipe cleaners to the ends.

Glue the pipe cleaners down at the ends.  They work the same.  The main thing to be aware of is that you want the ends to be equal, so when you slide the beads they line up.

• Cut pipe cleaners to the desired length.
• Glue down the pipe cleaners on the left side making sure they line up evenly.
• Slide 5 beads of the same color on each of the pipe cleaners.
• Slide 5 more beads of a different color after the previous step.
• Pull tight or stretch the pipe cleaner tightly.
• Glue the pipe cleaners on the right side.
• Let cool.
• Ready to learn!
• If you have children who are left-handed, you can make the hand holder on the opposite side.  Just make sure the bead colors will be in the same placement as the right handed version, which actually means the opposite.

Where can you store them?  I store mine in a tub and then pass out as needed during whole group instruction. They are also used during small group and during independent math stations.

Where did I get my paint sticks? Originally, I asked. You can ask Walmart, Lowe's or Home Deport to donate your paint sticks or you can buy them separately which is what I do now since I use them for other projects.

What do you do with a rekenrek?

HERE is a great resource website with explanations and activities for using a rekenrek with your students.  

HERE is a FREE 2.0 Tool (as of this post) called the Number Rack for an online computer model for a rekenrek.

HERE is a FREE iPad App (as of this post) of a rekenrek. 

If you liked these ideas please consider following me on FACE BOOK, PINTEREST, or TEACHERS PAY TEACHERS.

Now here are the links to the other teachers participating in the Bright Ideas Linky.

Have fun!  If you have any comments or questions, please leave them at the end of the Linky Posts.

Thanks for stopping by!  The linky goes live at 9:00 a.m. CST on Saturday, October 18, 2014.

An InLinkz Link-up

Math and Literacy DIY Manipulatives

Counting sticks can be used when teaching phonemic awareness skills and math skills too.  About 4 years ago, I was walking through a craft store looking for pony beads to make counting sticks.  Down the aisle I saw something that caught me eye. Biggie Beads!!!! Have you seen them?  We made them during one of my math sessions at a conference in Illinois on Wednesday, and I said I would share them on my blog as a reminder too.  

They are absolutely my favorite counting manipulative.  Hands down.  They are great for fine motor, slide easier, and line up to compare and contrast with friends.  Here are a few ways that I use them to teach and assess  in whole group, small group, and independent centers.

Disclosure:  Amazon links are included in this post.

COUNTING

I make a counting stick for each child.  These are similar to rekenreks, except they just have one row.  They are a great way to have your children working within 10.  Be sure and sign up by email at the top right corner of my blog, so you don't miss how I make rekenreks with paint sticks. I will be sharing that in my next post.

MATERIALS

1. Large craft stick
2. 1 pipe cleaner
3. Biggie Beads
4. Choose 2 colors and use 5 each.
5. Refer to picture above.
6. Glue gun

DIRECTIONS

I've shown 2 different samples to illustrate how they can be made.  You can drill a small hole in each end of the popsicle stick as above or use a glue gun to glue the pipe cleaner at the ends as in the picture below.  I've used the ones below for several years then talked my husband into drilling the holes in the ones above.  Either way works just fine.

TEACHING TOOLS

The beads are divided into groups of five.  After lots of practice counting the beads one by one, children will transfer over into understanding that the first set is 5 and then they add on with the other.  

For example, in the picture above there are 5 orange beads and 1 blue bead representing the six on the card.  Subitizing is the ability for children to know the number (how many objects in a set) without counting.  These counting sticks give our children meaningful experiences that will help with subtilizing.

LEVEL 1  COUNTING

• Slide the beads to the right to begin.
• Slide the beads to the left to count.
• Choose a number.
• Slide one bead for each number counted.
• This helps children with one-to-one correspondence.

LEVEL 2 NUMBER SENSE

Young children learn to recognize numerals.  Number sense is when they understand that a number represents a set of objects counted.  For example, the numeral 6 could represent 6 buttons counted. Use a deck of cards or write the numbers 1-10 on small pieces of paper.

• Slide the beads to the right to begin.
• Children draw a card.
• Children say the numeral.
• Children slide the number of beads to the left to match the numeral on the card.
• Most children will count one-to-one as they represent the number.
• After lots of opportunity to practice, they will understand that they can move 5 beads over at one time and then count on one more to get to 6.

LEVEL 3 ADDITION GAME

• Roll a die. If you roll a 6, roll again.
• Slide the number of beads to the left to match the number on the dice.
• Roll the die again. 
• Slide the number of beads to the left.
• What is the answer?

LEVEL 4 SUBTRACTION WORKING WITHIN 10

• Slide the beads to the left.
• Draw a card.
• Side the number of beads to match the number on the card to the right.
• What is the answer?  
• For example. Child draws a 6. 
• Child slides six beads to the left.  
• 4 beads are remaining. 
• The answer is 4.

LEVEL 5  STORY PROBLEMS

I pass these out during whole group time when we are working on story problems.  It keeps all of the children engaged and gives them a hands-on tool for adding and subtracting.

• Slide the beads to the right to begin an addition problem.
• Slide the beads to the left to begin a subtraction problem.
• Example:  Kathy had pumpkins. (Children slide 2 beads to the left.)
• Josh had 4 pumpkins.  (Children slide 4 beads to the left.)
• How many pumpkins did they have altogether? (Children count the total).

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

• Use the sticks to check for understanding.  
• Make all the sticks the same so you can quickly check to see if the children have the correct answer.
• Adjust as needed.
• Have the students turn and share their sticks to compare their answers.
• Children can record their thinking drawing a line for the counting stick and  putting circles on the sticks to represent the beads. 
• Children can color in their beads to match their story problem or to represent a number.

PHONEMIC AWARENESS STICKS

I make separate phonemic awareness sticks as show in the picture above.  I choose 5 different colors from the Biggie Beads and put them in the same order.  This way you can teach and quick assess too to check for understanding of the concepts being taught by looking at the color to match the count.

SYLLABLE STICKS

Gather objects to use for syllable counting.  I like to use shapes too as it is a bonus for working with shapes and counting syllables.

• Slide the beads to the right.
• Touch the object and say the word.
• Children repeat the word and slide a bead for each syllable.
• Example:  square, heart = 1 syllable - Children would slide the purple bead to the left showing one syllable.
• Example:  circle, oval = 2 syllables - Children would slide the purple bead for the 1st syllable and then the pink bead for the 2nd syllable.
• Example:  triangle, hexagon = 3 syllables - Children would slide the purple for the 1st syllable, the pink for the 2nd syllable, and the yellow for the 3rd syllable.

SEGMENTING AND BLENDING PHONEMES

Uses these sticks to work on blending and segmenting phonemes.  I use concrete objects that have 3 phonemes to put on my teaching table or in a literacy tub.  You can use picture cards too.

BLENDING

• Slide the beads to the right to begin.
• Say the individual sounds of a CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) word.
• Children move a bead to the left for each sound.
• Children blend the sounds together to make the word.
• For example:  "c" move the purple bead, "a" move the pink bead, "t" move the yellow bead.

Here are some examples of CVC words:

• bat, hat, mat, pat, sat
• top, mop, hop
• bug, rug, dug, hug
• wet, vet, get
• dip, hip, lip, sip

SEGMENTING

• Slide the beads to the right to begin.
• Pick an object or draw a card.
• Name the object.
• Children stretch out the word by moving one bead for each sound.
• Example: cat = c-a-t
• Using the picture above they would have moved the purple for the "c," the pink for the "a" and the yellow for the "t."

Perler BIGGIE Fun Fusion Fuse Bead Bucket-Assorted Colors

Don't forget to sign up by email at the top right corner of my blog.  

Thanks for stopping by!  If you have any questions for comments, please leave them in the comment section below.