If Earth was the size of a cherry tomato...

BBC has a giant pdf filled with astronomy activities: Star Gazing Live Star Guide 2012! Featured below is their activity of comparing planet sizes with food (page 22). Illustration via BBC, click the link to check out the rest of the activities!

Koch Snowflake

Integrate art and geometry by constructing a Koch Snowflake. Students draw an equilateral triangle. Then, they keep adding smaller equilateral triangles to create a symmetrical snowflake. See this project in action here!

View a kid version over at 4 Kids 2 Guinea Pigs! - plus step by step instructions.

Visit Wonder How To: Math Craft to see how to construct a koch snowflake out of pennies!

Check out Hektor for 3-dimensional versions!

Wanted Gingerbread

First, have kids design a paper gingerbread (man, lady, boy, girl, baby, etc.). They can decorate it with colored glue for icing, buttons for candy eyes, etc. 

Next, have kids fill out a wanted poster for their paper cookies. Tell them to be very descriptive about what their cookie looks like. Click here to download!

Then, hang the gingerbread cookies up around the room and collect their wanted posters. Pass the posters back out randomly, making sure each child doesn't have their own mini poster. Kids turn into mini detectives. They have to read the description on the poster and find the missing gingerbread cookie!

Walk Through Paper?!

Can you walk through a hole in an 8.5x11" sheet of paper? Pass out a sheet of paper to all of your students and see if they can figure out how to cut a hole large enough for them to fit through. Then, show them this magical trick! Visit Pleacher or The Math Lab for the how to (and a free printable with lines to cut the "perfect" hole)! Afterwards, stretch your paper out and try to find the area and perimeter of your paper! How did it change? For younger students, this project can tie into a basic measuring unit.

You can even fit through an index card! Click here for details!

Is your number 2?

Magic Math Trick
1. Think of a whole number 1 through 10
2. Double it!
3. Add 4
4. Divide by 2
5. Subtract the original number
Is the numeral 2?!

Also, check out Is your number 18?!

Visit The Math Lab for the algebra behind this math magic!

Place Value Diner

Place Value Burger

Kids construct a burger - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ztfmp9-KqsbIE2khPH2iaCrjiFOkyb09/view?usp=sharing

photo credit: culinary schools: kids

Place Value Pizza

Construct a pizza that showcases different number forms! Visit 2nd Grade Ponderings for a free printable.

Place Value Fries

Get a french fry container for each place value you're working with. Kids stick yellow popsicle sticks in each fry box. Then, they write down their number. Click here to see a couple more french fry ideas (and get a visual).

Place Value Ice Cream

Add a sweet treat to your diner - Pitner's Potpourri

Roll Bundle Win!

Workers at the diner can create bundles of straws for the diner! Click here for details!

Make soda jerker hats for kids to sport while playing these activities!

Cut 2 strips of construction paper and staple 2 of the ends together. Then, take two sheets of tissue paper. Glue the bottom edge of the tissue paper along the backside of the paper head band (middle of the band to the top edge of the construction paper strip. Once dry, fit the band on the child's head. The tissue paper should stand straight up! This is really funny looking!!! Finally, tuck the tissue paper down, shape and tape! After you shape it, you will have an authentic looking soda jerker hat!

(Note these hats can also be shaped to look like a chef hat.)

If you know of any more place value games that could fit into a diner theme, let me know!

Steve Jenkins and the Common Core

Cross-curricular Activities: reading, writing, and math projects that tie in with the science common core units! Check out HMH Books' pdf by Zöe Ryder White.

Click here for book descriptions!

50 States and Capitals

   

Featured Above: Musical Stew (Macho Nacho and Mouth Trumpet): 50 States and Capitals

Also, check out the 50 State Capital Rap by Educational Rap!

Games:
1. State Card Printables - Laurie Keller (featured) or nick Jr.
2. Matching Stick Game -TLC or Pick Up Sticks Version - Fabulous in Fourth
3. State Bingo - Relentlessly Fun Deceptively Educational or The Science Mom 

Solar System Trading Cards

I discovered this freebie from one of my favorite blogs, Mrs. Hall's Fabulous in Fourth! Check out her pinteresting finds each friday! Free pdf of Nasa Solar System Trading Cards. Plus, a game to go along with them from Amazing Space! Visit the site for a free download!

Kid-Crafted Christmas

Take home gifts that are easy to construct in the classroom!

Featured Ornaments
1. Stick Stars and Snowflakes - Real Simple
(Also check out Pretty Ditty - made with glue and Foothill Home Companion)
2. Crystalized - Wymondley JMI School: Science Club
3. Heart Weave - Activity Village
4. Melted Snowman - Craft Elf
5. Paint Swirl - Crafts For Alll Seasons
7. I SPY - Craft Snob - (not pictured)
8. Yarn Ball - Courtney OQuist / Geometric Star - Creative Jewish Mom

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let it Snow!
1. Featured left: Kid Face Snow Globe - Design Mom
2. Snow Globe with Figurines - NAPSAC

Fresh Drop of the Water Cycle

Water Cycle Rap that goes to the beat of Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air from Missy B! (I changed around a few of the lyrics). Click here for the original.

Now this is a story all about how the water on our earth goes round and round. And I’d like to take a minute just sit right there, I'll tell you all about the water cycle’s ups and downs

The surface of the sea gets heated with the sun, the vapor rises up and the cycles begun

Water to gas, this stage is called Evaporation! 

Vapor rises high, squeezes together to form a cloud, also known as Condensation!

Vapor back to water - Dark clouds always form in this way...

You can be sure there’s a chance of rain!

Fog, rain, hail, snow flurries and sleet: Precipitations the word – Uh-oh, I got wet feet!

Now the water on the ground has got several choices

It can Run Off to the river and back to the sea: Accumulation! 

Or hang around as snow and ice you see...

Some of it gets taken right back as Evaporation, or comes out from plants and trees, aka Transpiration! 

The rest of the water infiltrates in the soil, as long as there’s no impermeable surface to spoil!

We come to the end of the story now and we yell to the teacher “two thirds of our world is water!” 

I look at my kingdom and I finally understand, the water cycle keeps going round and round

Also, check out Bill Nye's classic Criss Cross version (to the beat of JUMP!)

Number Guess Who and Battleship

Number Guess Who - 2 player game: Kids choose a number off of a hundred chart. Then, they take turns asking each other clues to figure out their opponent's number. 

Clue Examples: 
Is it 10 more than _____, 10 less than _____, 1 more than _____, 1 less than _____?
Is the sum of its numbers _____?
Does it have a number in the hundreds place (tens place or ones place)?
Is it even or odd?
Is it half of _____?

Kids cross out numbers on their board, as they get closer to figuring out their opponent's number. The first one to figure out the other player's mystery number wins! (Flash card featured is from Mr. Printables - click here to download a free set!)

Number Battleship - Like Number Guess Who, but kids choose 10 numbers. Each player needs 2 hundred charts (one with his numbers covered and one to mark off his hits and misses). When a player guesses a correct number, his opponent gives him the token that was covering the number. The first player to collect all of his opponent's tokens first (and clear the opponent's board) wins!

Elves Wanted and Santa Style

First, create a "Wanted" ad and glue it in a newspaper. Kids check out the ad in the newspaper. Then, they fill out an application. Job Applications can be filled out in hard copy format or online, using google forms. In a couple days, they're hired! Next, they get a photo id badge. You can take kids' pictures wearing elf attire or have them draw themselves as an elf! Around the classroom, create pretend workstations! Click here for the free printable: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JTPIxUxmwuxW6rhPvUAU-1Uf5gtFLqXE/view?usp=sharing

I got inspired by Krazy for Kindergarten Goes to Third Grade's Santa Suit Shopping activity, so I made my own. Costs of Santa's attire are left blank, so different age groups can play the activity. So, depending on how well your class does with counting money, write a price for each item. You could also have kids write their own prices. Then, they have a friend go shopping for Santa!

Also Check out  Krazy for Kindergarten Goes to Third Grade's reindeer games, cookie fractions and needs vs. wants activity, really cute!

How Does Santa Slide Down the Chimney?!

materials:
hard boiled egg - Santa
black sharpie - face
jar with a neck - chimney
flame - fireplace 

Cause and Effect!

Cause and Effect Signal Words and Phrases Poster

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WJzAEiB1HYJ8Rr7SFmKQD-DKd_0F-3X6/view?usp=sharing

RLGL - To practice recognizing cause and effect, play Cause and Effect Red Light Green Light! Say a sentence. Then, say a part of the sentence (either the cause or effect). If you say the cause, kids stay put. If you say the effect, they go! For example, A bee stung Ryder and he cried. If you say bee, they stay put. If you say cried, they go!

photo credit: adam sherk

Chain Reaction - Everyone sits in a circle. Some one starts off the story with a cause. The next person says the effect. The effect now becomes the new cause. So the next person, says an effect and so on.....
For example: 
1. My books are heavy. 
2. I dropped them. 
3. Amelia tripped over them. 
4. She knocked over the trash can. 
5. Trash flew everywhere!
6. The teacher slipped on a banana peel
7. She knocked over the book cabinet.

Cause and Effect Comic Strip - Cut out comic strips and see if students can identify the cause and effect. Then have kids make their own.

Cause and Effect Playing Cards - Write causes on cards and effects on other cards. Deal out the effect cards. Keep the cause cards turned over in a stack in the middle of the table. Turn the top card in the cause pile over. If any of the players' effect card fits the cause, they put their card in the "dispose" pile. The player who gets rid of all his / her cards first wins!

Domino Math Puzzles

NRich Math has LOTS of fun math puzzles to help develop kids' problem solving skills. All they need is a set of dominoes! Click here for the full list! Check out domino magic squares and rectangles here! If you don't have dominoes, you can find printable versions online.

Featured above:
Domino Multiplication
Domino Magic Square (Rows, columns, and diagonal share the same sum)
Domino Magic Window (All sides equal same sum)

Dream Vacation PBL Project

Project-based learning / cooperative groups of 4
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ncaWHZVTZPksE3TFNv865VtZucQkse0-/view?usp=sharing

Tell kids that they get to travel to any destination around the world! The only catch is that they will be going with 3 other classmates (only 1 destination) for 4 days and 3 nights.

Once they decide on a location, they all get an air ticket, which they fill out for their flight. The teacher cuts it and collects their boarding passes. They keep their ticket and attach it to their photo journal (a travel book they make throughout the process).

Next they research the weather forecast for the 4 days they are going so they know what to pack. Then they come up with a list of items that they should bring with them. Once again students must collaborate and decide what to pack. Each group has 1 photo journal (not each individual student). Students take turns drawing / recording in it. 

Then they research a place to stay, record the cost / research places to eat, record the cost / research things to explore, record the cost (+ the cost of traveling there: taxi, bus, rental car, etc.). The research process is the imaginary vacation!

At the end of this project compare what groups spent. Who was money savvy and found cheap lodging, food and entertainment? Who was a big spender and wanted the best of everything?!

Friction!

Featured Above:
Bottled Rice Experiment with a Pencil - Jameson's Lab
Tin Can, Marbles, and Clay - Thinking Fountain
Genie in a Bottle - Steve Spangler
Sandpaper Ramps - Lights, Camera, Learn!
Climbing Man - Science Toy Maker or Housing a Forest
Phone Book Friction + Floating Paper Air Friction, Salt / Marble Trick, Sticks, and MORE! - Cocopreme

Subtraction Squares

Fun, problem solving game for kids to practice subtraction skills from Learn with Math Games! This activity can be adapted to any age group. Younger kids can work with numbers less than ten. Older kids could work with 3 or 4 digit numerals.

Kids choose 4 numbers (anything they'd like) to write on the vertices of the larger square. Then, they just subtract (corner to corner). They write the differences on the next largest square's corners (where it meets in between on the line) and so on...

The big surprise is their final square! Like magic, all of the corners are the exact same numeral! Inference: See if kids can predict what will be their mystifying number before solving all their squares! Visit Learn with Math for a free template!

For more magical math check out:
Magic Square
Perimeter Magic Triangles
Calendar Magic 9