In first grade, my son needed a little extra practice working with shape attributes.  Shape attributes are the characteristics of a shape like size, shape, color, number of edges or vertices, etc. 

Being a teacher, I immediately went to work creating fun ways to help him learn this concept.  First we drew and identified basic attributes like the number of edges and vertices, sides and corners, of both 2D and 3D shapes. 

     Seeing a bag marshmallows on the counter my daughter decided to join in.  I don't blamer her because what better way to explore polygons than with sweet treats.  
   Using task cards as a guide,  my son and daughter built 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional shapes.  It was through building that my kids were able to compare different shapes by the amount and location of the marshmallows and toothpicks.       

They happily cleaned their mess by eating all the marshmallows:)

My favorite part of the unit was working on 3D tasks.  This included cutting out 3D shapes and assembling them.  With a shape in hand my son was better able to count the edges, vertices, and faces.  

Having worked so hard to construct each shape we decided to not let it go to waste and built our very own robots.  I suggest coloring the shapes before cutting them out otherwise the shapes get smashed in.   

To explore how shapes work together, I filled a box full of straws, pipe cleaners, and task cards. This resource gave them a chance design whatever combination of shapes they wanted.      

You can make your very own shape exploration unit or check out the one I've created.  Follow the link below to learn more.   

This unit includes workbooks, worksheets, tasks cards, centers, and more for both 2 & 3 dimensional shapes.  Visit my Teachers pay Teachers store for more fun ideas!  

Sincerely,
Karen Delaney

Way back in 2005, I worked as Title 1 support for reading and math, K-5.  I was young and idealistic, ready for the challenge of meeting the needs of so many different kids.  The only problem was the lack of resources.  Armed only with paper, pencils, and crayons I knew I needed to get creative and fast! 

My first idea was taking the board game Candy Land and turn it into something educational.  Making my own cards, I kept the game board colors and added math equations.  The same rules applied with the exception of solving the problem before moving forward.  It came as no big surprise that the students loved it.  Serving several grade levels, I decided to create different math and reading games.   

My original set of cards were made with cardstock paper and bingo daubers from the local dollar store.  It took forever to make each set by hand.  I have since turned my game cards into a Teachers Pay Teachers product but with a little leg work you make your own. 

To create your own set of educational cards I suggest using Microsoft Word.  Insert a 2X5 table, aligning the font to the center and right of each cell.  Highlight the table to pull a margin bar slightly to the left.  This adds extra space after the equations.    

Now insert a square to the left of the problem.  Copy and paste the squares in each box to save time. Change the color of the game squares in a pattern of blue, red, green, purple, yellow, and orange.  Make sure to have the same amount of each color for your game.    

For the special candy squares I reused the table but deleted the equations.  Here I changed the square to pink and added each of the candy characters.  You can Google Candy Land character clip art or create your own.  I designed my own as I didn't want to deal with copyright infringement.   

There you have it!  Print your cards, laminate to add extra protection and cut them out.  Your kids will love playing this educational game.  I usually get it out during center time and even indoor recess!

Good luck,
Karen Delaney ​

Check out my creations at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

hat the heck are word families or phonograms?  They are just a group of letters that have the same sound within a variety of words.  You see the ing pattern all the time in words like, king, ring, sing, thing.

​These groups of letters are very important in early reader phonemic awareness (learning letter patterns).  Later, they become a key skill in helping a child decode (figure out) unknown words.   

Good luck and remember to have fun!
Karen Delaney

Weebly is an online website creator.  The bonus to using this site is that you get one site for free and it is super easy to use.   Follow these steps to get started. 

Yes!  Technology is a must both at home and in school.  If you want to reach your child on their playing field you have to include technology.  Not only do they enjoy it, they will not be able to keep up in society without it.   Teachers, quiz your students on what they already use or are interested in trying out.   

The way I find games is doing a simple Google search.  Type in the subject area along with "online games", "multiplication online games".  Review each game before you before you bookmark the page and set your child loose.  Just because it is educational doesn't mean it is right or even appropriate for your child.  

Educators, 
Listen up, because if you don't already have a classroom website, create one now.  It is the easiest way to communicate with parents and provide educational extras your students need.  

Check out my Weebly post to learn how.