Blocks Area

We read several books over the course of exploring the blocks center.

One we might read 

We always of course read Pip Builds.

I have a binder with a cute cover from HERE.

Week 2 or sooner, in the blocks area, I intro build challenges.

One because then I take their photo and later display it on our smartboard.

Two because I print out the photos and pop them into a binder.

My plan is to print out at least 4 different pictures to each page.

I do want to send home their pages at the end,

so I will make a page for each child and personalize it.

So in the beginning, I used THESE posters to spark their interest.  

I intro those quickly at our morning meeting.

 

Beginning of the year centers

 I do a gradual release of our centers. Most of them start in our morning bins, which is free explore then continues with adding "something".  

Hop over here to check out our morning bins.

See the play dough sign in the white bin?

That is the same bin that I use to 

collect the play dough at my open house!

I used mini erasers in a bucket from Dollar Tree 

The cards came from here.

These are those large puzzle blocks from Target.

I don't add anything to these (yet)

After we have a small group to get Pip certified

we can explore at centers time.

Grab  mats  here.

Learning Resources Houses

Learning Resources people

t-shirts from here.

This is another small group.

We roll the number cubes and add that many chips

to the shirts. Check out her post here for the shirts.

counting bears

They are 50% off now!!! This is a better deal!!

Target puzzles from our morning bins.

Counting bears 

with sorting cups and a color dice

large buttons- I just let them explore.

You could have them sort by color or shape though!

These centers last about two weeks of school.

April Centers

Centers for spring

Pom poms and tongs 

Coloring pages from the Pond

Playdough mats here.

Target bolts

From Target

Bunnies/peeps and chicks from Dollar Tree

Magnets from Target over the years.

Polar Animals Study

 We started off the year by traveling to the Arctic.

We read a letter introducing the whole unit. Then each day we met new animals. 

I added some winter-themed pencils and blue markers to our writing tool turn-about.

Here are some of the books we used:

We made icicles in our journals.

We have to at least make as many as we are old.

This was one of my transitions. They spun the paperclip and put some "ice" on that animal.

The "ice" are glass beads- blue, clear, and frosted.

Polar animals spin

The tray came from Dollar Tree.

All of our centers are stored here.

I share my classroom, so everything is stored here.

I cover it with a pocket chart after my class is done.

The large empty space on top is for our stews, 

which I put up high on a shelf. 

Penguin roll

Penguins are from Dollar Tree

penguin mini erasers from the KinderCrate.

Kids roll the number cube and add that many penguins to the penguins.

Pokey pins are From the Pond.

I make my students lay on their bellies to poke these.

Random blocks and animals from Target.

Roll and Build

The matching play dough cards are underneath the key card.

Winter magnet tiles

Penguins

I thought they would be hard like those counting bears,

but these are more pliable.

This game.... the pieces are good...when not used together lol

It is supposed to balance, it is more frustrating than anything.

Watch the video.

Polar and Snowman Stews HERE

but just get the bundle HERE.

Week 2 I added this one :)

September Learning

 Here are our centers this week:

Here's Pip the Pup holding the mini erasers.

They use their fingers to place the mini erasers on the line.

Grab the cards HERE.

How they fit in my bins:

Hashtag puzzles from Target

Playdough mats from HERE. 

We have these cool family counters and homes.

They are from Learning Resources.

People houses

Groovy Buttons Game

Hunny Pot Bears

Target Puzzles

Counting Bears and Cups

We sorted these buttons as a transition activity.

The students chose one button and matched it with another one,

Either by the same color or the same shape.

How we store them: