math
- 			Focus on the StandardsIt’s Wednesday, and here at Preschool Ponderings, that means time to focus on the standards. Every Wednesday I choose an Early Learning Standard and share a number of activities that can be aligned with that particular standard. Remember, the Standards that I use every day, and am most comfortable with are Ohio’s Early Learning Development Standards – you can review them here, however I’ve found that even if your State’s standards differ, many of these activities can still be aligned similarly. I’ve rounded up some great ideas today!Domain: MathematicsStrand: Number SenseTopic: Number Sense and Counting This standard includes the most basic number skills; recognizing numbers, counting, quantifying, one to one correspondence, and subitizing.… 
- 			Friday Freebie – Candy Heart SortingHappy Friday! Can you believe January is almost over? It seems like it has flown by! I’m jumping on the Valentine’s day train because I love Valentine’s day. I wanted to make sure that I had a chance to share a couple of Valentine’s Day freebies with you, so I’m starting a bit early. This Conversation Heart graphing set is the same one that I have been using with my class for the last four years. It is from Pocketful of Centers, and she thought of everything. The set includes a page for sorting, a page for counting each color, and a page for graphing. I use these three pages… 
- 			Reggio inspired math centersYesterday I talked about how my classroom is ever-changing. I am constantly rotating materials in my centers, so thought I would give some examples for different center materials. Once I gathered a ton of materials for a particular center it was much easier to switch them out frequently. When it comes to the math center, my students especially love the following math-related materials: Scales (authentic bathroom or kitchen scales, as well as balancing scales) Calculators Abacus (I have a Melissa & Doug Classic Wooden Abacus that my students LOVE) Rulers, yardsticks, and tape measures magnet numbers I also like to add things that students can manipulate with each of these items,… 
- 			Friday Freebie – Winter Snap CubesHappy Friday! I love a short week like this one, especially when a nasty bug is going around, I’m in need of a couple of weekend days when I can sleep in! I was so excited to find this freebie, there are certainly more than a few winter blues floating around my classroom (myself included!) so I’m always looking for ways to make winter just a little more fun. These winter snap cube patterns look like just what we need. These are from Klever Kiddos, and I have the Easter set (which my students absolutely loved last year) so the winter set will be the perfect addition to my math… 
- 			Friday Freebie – Hanukkah Roll and CoverHappy Friday! I’m looking forward to a weekend with no plans (other than tackling the last of my Christmas gifts)! Ever since Thanksgiving, one of the best selling items in my Teachers Pay Teachers store has been my Hanukkah Vocabulary Cards, and when I searched for a Hanukkah freebie to share with you today, I figured out why; there just isn’t a lot out there for Hanukkah. I was able to find a really cute Hanukkah Roll and Cover from Posh Primary. I love roll and covers because my students can play them together, which they love, while working on the ever important subitizing. This set also includes higher numbers, so… 
- 			Friday FreebieIt has certainly felt like fall around here this week (of course it’s supposed to be 80 degrees tomorrow so…). I’m beginning to see pumpkins on front steps, mums in flower pots, and all kinds of pumpkin flavored treats everywhere. In honor of all that is fall, I wanted to share this freebie with you! All of these adorable board game mats are from Jenny Bolay. They are designed to be versatile, but the first idea that comes to my mind is that they would be perfect for dice games. My students are just getting to the point where they are able to work together and take turns, so these… 
- 			Friday Freebie – Football SeasonI’m not a huge sports fan, but there is something about football season that I just cannot resist. I love the atmosphere of a football game, I love having the game on the television while I’m baking, and I love getting all decked out in my scarlet and gray on game day (Go Buckeyes!). Today’s Friday freebie is perfect for your classroom during football season. These football themed ten frames are from I is for Inspire (be sure to check out Jacqueline’s store, she has a ton of great preschool stuff!). I love this set because there is more to it than just the ten frames, she includes color word… 
- 			Preschool Activities for AutumnFrom Sweet Green House The weather around here lately has been screaming AUTUMN and I am loving it! Fall is my favorite time of the year (we’ve had this discussion before – boots, sweaters, pumpkin spice lattes, need I say more?!), and to celebrate, I wanted to share what’s in my Autumn activity bundle. Be sure to read all of the way through, I added a blog exclusive freebie for you too! The Autumn Math and Literacy Activity Bundle includes the following activities (all are also available separately): My Autumn Vocabulary Cards and Spelling Practice set includes the words acorn, apple, leaf, corn, leaves, pumpkin, tree, orchard, squirrel, and turkey. I… 
- 			The ultimate list of tools for the sensory binYesterday I shared my huge list of sensory bin ideas (see the list here). Today I’m going to give you a list of all of the awesome tools that I like to add to the sensory bin alongside these materials. Kids love to explore with their hands, but introducing additional tools can add to the learning and help children make meaningful connections, especially when they use the same tools with different materials. This helps children to learn basic scientific concepts like texture, states and properties of matter, making and testing hypotheses, and mass and weight. Again, it is important to remember that sensory play should be supervised to ensure that… 
- 			Friday FreebiesToday is an extra special Friday because I am enjoying a VERY RARE day off! I have vowed to do nothing work or school related today, and am instead spending my day working on crafts projects and getting my house ready for spring (and sleeping in)! Today’s Friday Freebie is one that my students absolutely loved this past week. This one comes from Klever Kiddos, it is a snap cube activity (who doesn’t have snap cubes?!) that encourages children to follow directions and problem solve, and then throws in some math facts too. Students have to build Easter-related items out of snap cubes, following the included picture plans, and then… 











