IT'S VALENTINE'S WEEK -- MATH IDEAS

Valentine's Day is hands down my FAVORITE day in the classroom.  The little guys are able to decode most of their cards at this point and the look of pure joy that takes over their faces after reading each note absolutely melts my heart.  

With this said, let's just say that I milk this week for ALL that it's worth. Sure, the kids love it, but it's for me too. Over the years, I have come up with a handful of fun ideas/activities that you might be interested in checking out. 

QUEEN OF HEARTS
This higher-level thinking greater than/less than game always my kids giggling and working hard for the whole math rotation. Here's the quick rundown . . . Students draw cards and build the largest number possible (tens or hundreds versions included). The kicker here is that the kids get throw one card away every hand. However, the decision to "keep" or "toss it down the rabbit hole" must be made when the card is drawn.  And, for a little more added fun, if a student draws the Queen of Hearts, he/she automatically wins the hand. 

The Queen of Hearts is sure to steal your students' hearts during math center rotations! The best part . . . it's FREE . . . snag it HERE :)  

COLLECTING HEARTS
We played this one on Friday and the kids were all about it.  I usually play it with convo hearts or Valentine's Day M&Ms, but if you can't do candy at your school, use paper hearts, a healthy treat (raisins or cereal), or just pull out your colored math chips/disks.

This can be played one of two ways - counting on from any number OR skip counting by 10s.  The best part is, you can have half your class playing one way, while the remainder plays the other version . . . they don't even know.  

Here's how to play . . . each kid gets a spinner (you can use dice or cards if you please), a hundreds chart, a recording sheet, and a treat of some sort to mark his/her chart. For sake of keeping thins clear, I am going to explain this in spinner terms. 

Kids spin the spinner to create a two-digit number.  He/she marks this number on their hundreds chart with the little treat. Then, he/she completes the counting task.  Counting on from this number by ones, or counting on this number by tens.  I typically have them use four hearts or M&Ms to count on with on their chart (enough to get the counting sequence going in their noggins, but not too many to make it tedious.)  This work is then recorded on their activity sheet and the process is restarted.  There is just something about this game . . . the kids always love it.  

**Food for thought here . . . this could ask be doctored to work on multiples of number and/or other skip counting tasks.**

This game can easily be created in your classroom, or you can snag a ready to go version HERE.  

MY SWEET STORY

Before you jet, I do have one other fun freebie that you might be interested in trying.  If you follow me, you may or may not have seen my Sweet Story Holiday Freebie that ties in with Christmas.  Well, it was so popular that I reworked it with a Valentine's Day theme a few years back.  

This adjective game is a Mad Lib with a twist.  Kids drop conversation hearts onto an adjective mat (sweet and wild versions included). The kids then write the words they "land on" in the blank lines on the story template.  These create the silliest little stories . . . I guarantee they will read 'em to as many friends as they can! #bigclassroomwin Snag this packet HERE.

**DISCLAIMER - This packet needs a little update as I hate the font and I can do way better in the design department.  However, time just got away from me this year (my life story). The content is there . . . I PROMISE!!! And, next year you will be able to pick up a pretty update.**

Alright, I am out of here.  Thanks so much for visiting me today.  Hopefully, you found a little something you can use during this next run with your crew. Happy Heart Week to you!