Paper gems (+ templates) This has got to be one of my favourite projects to date…which is a good job because I nearly broke my brain putting the templates together!! I’m not so good at maths and figuring out angles (my lovely Mum is a retired maths teacher so I should know better!). By the way this project is quite fiddly so more aimed at grown-ups or older kids. My paper gems were very influenced by these wonderful crayons (via Deborah’s Pinterest board). You can use these paper gems as hanging decorations (for your Christmas tree) or you can incorporate them into a mobile or garland. If you spray them lightly on one side they look very pretty and a bit more crystal-like! If you love crystals and gems as much as I do then check out these cool projects: Home-made rock candyHome grown geodes Edited to add: Check out this great advent calendar idea using my paper gems. Kids craft coming up next week…I absolutely promise this time! I’ve been a total slacker on email lately…but intend to catch up over the next week. !!
Handmade geometric stamps for Handmade Living By Kate on January 11, 2012 I‘ve tried to make my own rubber stamps on many occasions but never really got the hang of it. I think half the reason is that it’s impossible to buy the proper carving blocks here in the UK. So…I put an article together for this months issue of Handmade Living on easy rubber stamps. (I actually wrote this article about three months ago….it’s taking me a while to get used to the print ‘time-lag’ thing). These stamps are made from erasers, using a craft knife and ruler. If you want to see how hand carved stamps are done the proper way then check out this ace tutorial at Geninne’s Art Blog. Hama bead weaving tutorial on its way early next week! You can pick up a copy of Handmade Living from Morrisons, Asda, Sainsburys, Martins, WH Smiths, Hobbycraft plus a number of independent shops and newsagents.
Kaleidocycle {aka folding paper toy!} Have you ever made a kaleidocycle before? They are pretty fun. All you need is some glue, paper and 5 or 10 minutes! There is an animated gif at the bottom on the post so that you can see what they do. There are also instructions & a template below too ^_^ – Template – Paper or thin card – Glue – Scissors – Ruler and needle for scoring 1. The animated gif is a bit shaky. By the way, check out this free download (courtesy of my cousins band) which contains: trick or treat poster, DIY ‘creeps’ mask, high quality MP3 and exclusive video art. And, Helen, from Curlybirds just put together a ‘vintage Halloween costume‘ post on her site. LEGO Math Ideas Part 1 My family adores LEGO bricks and most of my students enjoy them too. They can be a powerful learning tool as well. This is going to be a 5 part post about using LEGO bricks to teach math concepts. This first post will be a DIY of how to make a travel size container of LEGO pieces to keep your tutoring space tidy and easy to take with you. The version I came up with is slightly different. I found a small plastic box with flip tabs on the sides. Next, I went and got Command double sided refills. Then I rummaged through my boys LEGO collection looking for the right pieces. Take the Command refill strips and peel off the backing. The Results! You’ll need the following pieces to teach math lessons: Flat LEGO Plates-find a size that fits on the lid 1 by 11 by 21 by 41 by 61 by 81 by 10 If possible try to get the same measurements in 2 wide. It’s also fun to include a few LEGO Mini-figures and unconventional pieces and allow your student a few minutes to create something with the LEGO pieces.
Classroom DIY: DIY Mental Math Game Need a great mental math game? Items to Gather: wooden sticksSharpies Instructions: Step 1: First start with your first stick and write start.Step 2: Next start writing your clues and the answers on the tip. Step 3: Then write finnish on your last stick. Other Tips/Suggestions: You can make all of the facts connect or make them different like I did above. Have fun,
Plastic Eggs! Fraction Eggs This activity can also be changed to a fraction activity. Eggs are not labeled, but filled with pom pom ball colors. Each student gets one egg. Students write down the fraction for each color pom pom ball in their egg. Place Value Eggs Students count out pom pom balls in eggs labeled thousands, hundreds, tens, and ones. Money Eggs Put various coins inside numbered plastic eggs. Inference Eggs Have each student bring a plastic egg to school with a top secret surprise inside! Equation Eggs Students open an egg and write down the number inside of the egg, using a crayon that matches the egg color.
Multiplication City Art I was inspired by this post from Teaching With Moxie to do something with our multiplication arrays. I also used this post at Deep Space Sparkle for inspiration. Put them both together and what do you have - multiplication cities obviously! We started by reading this book, focusing on how the pictures showed multiplication! Then we looked at the sample art from Deep Space Sparkle - and talked about how we could write multiplication sentences for some of the buildings but not all of them. We came up with a success checklist for our art: *use a ruler to create straight lines *create a cityscape *on each building include an array (using windows or items in a window) *add extra details like stars or snowflakes in an array *complete the chart describing the art using multiplication sentences Students completed two charts - one with answers and one without - so that people could find the correct object and then check their answers on the second page. Here are some samples of their work:
Hights Game Juego con cartónHemos hecho una hendidura en un trozo de cartón con un ancho suficiente para introducir un rollo de papel higiénico plegado. En el rollo nos hemos dibujado hasta las piernas. Las piernas las hemos dibujado en el cartón junto a una regla. Con los números de un dado hacemos crecer nuestras piernas. La persona mas alta gana! Cardboard game: We have cut a piece of cardboard with a width enough to fit a squeezed paper roll. Pappe Spiel: Wir haben einen Stück Karton auf eine Breite geschnitten, so dass dieser in eine zusammengedrückte Klopapierrolle passt. Shape Sticks Stocking Stuffer Spend enough time on Pinterest and you’re sure to see tons of pins where people stick velcro dots on the end of jumbo craft sticks so that kids can make shapes and such. I’ve been wanting to make these for a while now and it just so happens that I’m also on the hunt for good stocking stuffers. Bingo, two birds with one stone! This is such a quick and easy project I almost hate to write a full tutorial for it! I’m uploading the free Label Printable as well as the Activity Sheet Printable. Shape Sticks Materials: – Jumbo Craft Sticks – 5/8 inch round hook & loop stickers – Muslin Bag – Activity Sheet Free Printable (01, 02, 03, 04) – 5×7 Laminating Pocket (no heat necessary) – Label Free Printable Directions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.