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Tuesday, August 9, 2011

The Mother Ship Calls

Now, I realize I have been on a soap box about taking time for ourselves, and I mean it...however...while on vacation I heard a strange buzzing in my ear.  Each night I tossed and turned, but it didn't go away.  One day, while I was wandering aimlessly, I noticed the buzzing was getting louder and louder.  As I turned the corner it came into view.  There, in the full light of noontime, stood the most lovely sight my eyes have ever seen, Dollar Tree!  It's true, while I was supposed to be relaxing and reenergizing, I returned to the mother ship and purchased, purchased, purchased!  Astonishingly, the buzzing stopped as soon as I entered the Dollar Tree.  Really, can you imagine my excitement?  A seaside Dollar Tree!  Well, I found some delightful deals that I thought I would share.  First I found the beads!  A bag of 400 beads for just one dollar!  That's pretty good, but they also had 45 chenille stems (pipe cleaners) for just, yup once again, one dollar!


Then I found this great veggie and dip tray that makes a handy and sharp sorting tray! 


I poured and sorted the beads in the new sorting tray so students can easily find the color they want. 


Put all this together and you have the makings for a great pattern activity!  The students will make pattern bracelets!  Once we have learned about a few different patterns (AB, ABB, AAB, and ABC) the children will grab a pattern from a bag to see what kind they should make.  Then they will gather the materials to make a bracelet representing the pattern.  They can make a second bracelet to represent a pattern of their choosing!



What a fun activity for our first math unit!  The best part is it cost less than $5!  Yeah, I know I've been preaching about taking time out for ourselves, but when you have the greatest job in the world it's hard to let go!  Hope you are having a great break and feeling ready for the new year!
Enjoy,

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