Let the Good Times Roll: Mardi Gras in the Classroom (Including Two Freebies)

Hi all.
It's Amber from School Is a Happy Place.
I've spent the past few days mentally going over all the special days coming up in February.  There's Valentine Day, Groundhog Day, African American History Month, Presidents' Day, Dental Health Month, and the Super Bowl.  This year Mardi Gras even falls in February.  So many opportunities to do something a little out of the ordinary in your classroom.

This year Mardi Gras will be on Tuesday, February 17th.  While I do not live in an area that has big Mardi Gras celebrations, I think it's really important for my young learners to be exposed to all sorts of traditions and holidays.
In my class, we'll have a King's Cake and read some books about Mardi Gras.  We'll also make our Mardi Gras Kids for display in the hall outside our class.

You are welcome to a FREE copy of this craftivity.  Just click on the picture above.

I use Mardi Gras Kids as a spelling art project.  But, the pattern also includes a writing sheet for students to write about if they were "King for a Day."

For math we'll work on my Mardi Gras Math Mini Book.  This mini book is a collection of Mardi Gras themed word problems focusing on double digit subtraction, patterns, time to the half hour, place value, and more.

For your own FREE copy, click on the picture below.

There are many more ways to learn and celebrate Mardi Gras with your students.  Integrating traditions and holidays, like Mardi Gras, into your curriculum is a wonderful way to get your students excited, engaged, and informed.

Thanks for stopping by.

What's the Problem? A Holiday Freebie!

I love word problems.  There I said it, I really do.  Anytime I can squeeze in some extra practice for my kiddos, I do!  I especially love tasking my students with writing their own word problems.  This encourages them to think about word problems more critically than when they simply read and solve a problem.

We recently started practicing this skill in my classroom.  So far, we have discussed and reviewed how to write a word ("story") problem.  I made this chart and we review it before the students go to write their own problems.  Once they have these steps down, I will begin to encourage them to add extra information to their problems.

When my students write their own word problems, they use these What's the Problem mini books. This is the Holiday Edition and the kids have had lots of fun writing holiday related stories the past few weeks.

 Click {here} to download a FREE copy of this mini book.

Click {here} to download this mini book for FREE!

As you can see, students write a word problem to go with the provided answer.  This can be a trickier skill than one might think.  Some students "get it" very quickly, whereas others need repeated practice with the skill before it begins to click. Either way, they seem to enjoy writing their own math stories!

I've made one for just about every month of school, and they are all available for free on my blog.  I hope you can use them!

Toodles!