Bloglovin', Blackhawks, and Math...Oh My!

Hi, All!

It's been a couple of crazy days living in Chicago with the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup!  I in no way, shape, or form consider myself a diehard Blackhawks fan but it sure has been tons of fun celebrating the big win and partaking in all the absolute craziness that has filled this city!  This picture is just a quick idea of what Monday was like on the streets of Chicago for all you non-Chicagoans.  I can't even believe I was in that crowd at one point!  I think I've lost my mind.  Yep, yep, I've lost my mind.

So, onto more teacher-related things.  If you have been living under a rock and managed to miss the BIG NEWS (!!!!) that Google Reader is no longer starting July 1st, then I can only assume you've also missed out on the new hot Bloglovin' trend.  I originally converted all my google reader things over to a different app called Feedly, but decided to give Bloglovin' a try (because why not have multiple sites for literally the exact same reason?).  Anyways, I have added the "Follow me on Bloglovin'" button to the side of my blog page here.  It's a really organized and easy way to follow all those blogs you normally do and I've really been enjoying how user-friendly and simple it is.  Please follow away...I don't want to miss a single thing and promise I am already following all of you!  No, but seriously, I already follow over 200 blogs.  Is that crazy?

The button on my sidebar looks like this.  I also have it posted below.  All you have to do is click it, follow, and, guess what?  YOU, my friend, are an instant follower! 

While you are all busy adding me to your Bloglovin' page, I want to link up with Just Reed for her Ten Pin Linky Party!

This week, her linky party is focusing on your top 10 math ideas that you have found on Pinterest!  This is so perfect for me, as my school is really diving deep into common core next year and math will be looking totally different!  I decided for this linky party to focus on ideas that would make my common core transition easier and I've found some totally fabulous ideas out there!  Some of these things I have tested with my kiddos and some of them I hope to try next year!

1.  The way that Ashley over at That's So Second Grade! is organizing her math tubs for next year.  I'm obsessed.  I've been trying to figure out a way to keep everything organized and ready to fit right into common core to (hopefully) eliminate some stress for myself and I think this just might be perfect!  Love it!  Not to mention her blog template/layout is super cute...she must have really fabulous taste :) (hint: it's the same as mine).

2.  Measurement Olympics from Step into 2nd Grade with Mrs. Lemons!  So creative!  I think I will do something similar this year if we have extra time.  I will have to adapt it to first grades' non-standard unit standard, but I'm sure it will be tons of fun!

3.  This Solid Figures chart freebie by Kinder-Craze.  I used this with my kids last year and it was perfect for learning about the attributes of a shape.  Instead of cutting them apart and gluing them onto an anchor chart, I wanted to make it interactive.  So, I cut all the pieces out, glued the headings down, and put velcro dots on all the rest of the pieces and on the chart.  The kids took turns coming up and putting things where they belonged.  They loved it and the chart really helped as a reference point throughout the unit.

4.  I also was able to use this "Rainbow to 10" sheet from A Cupcake for the Teacher last year and it was super helpful.  Definitely one of my favorite math ideas found via pinterest! I made one into an anchor chart and then each one of my kids got to color their own and keep it in their math folders for help!  

5.  I haven't yet been able to commit to spending the major bucks on individual Judy clocks for my kids and I'm always looking for a way to see if they are able to draw/show the time.  I stumbled upon these awesome clock paddles by 2nd Grade Ponderings.  Perfect and simple!

6.  I have always wanted to make Power Towers for my math stations but have never gotten around to it.  I think my kids would love them and they can be used for anything from fact fluency to number recognition to place value!  This picture is from Mrs. Gilchrist's Class.

7.  Love this idea from BlogHoppin' for having kids match clothespins to their sum.  This is a fabulous idea for math stations next year!

8.  Found this cute picture from The Teacher Wife and can't wait to use something similiar next year when teaching number bonds/fact families.  I think this will be a great way to reinforce the idea that you can mix up the same 3 numbers to make different number sentences!

9.  Cute little non-standard measurement book I found from Joyful Learning in KC!

10.  And last but certainly not least...The Teacher Wife's Math Wall!  I've always had a math wall in my classroom but I'm hoping to keep up with it a lot better this year and to really put all the main teaching points up on it.  This is my inspiration to do so!

PHEW!  That was a long post, but one that I will most definitely be referring back to when I start my math planning! Ugh, the fact that I need to start planning soon sounds CRAZY!  Summer is flying by and I'm not okay with it moving so quickly.  Guess this means I should start putting some of these ideas into action and really get moving on the 10,483 item long to-do list I have for next school year...