Differentiation Station Creations

Learning Ideas, Teaching Resources, Free Printables

DIY: Small Sensory Table

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I love blogs!  It allows us to share our ideas with other teachers and parents!  I found an amazing blog, A Teaching Mommy.  She is a teacher, turned stay-at-home mom, just like me!  Madonna provides some amazing directions for a $30 sensory table.  You can get her directions here.  I love her table, but needed a smaller table for my home.  We live in a smaller house with not a lot of room, so I really need to maximize my space.  I wanted the fun of the sensory table, but in a small dose.
If you have a large home, or classroom, you will want to check out Madonna’s directions.  If you need a smaller version, you can check out mine 🙂  My version costs a little more, because I chose this specific tub.  I made a few small changes to the lengths of a few of the pipes.  Now, it is more sturdy and tight around the tub.  The new measurements have been uploaded to the pictures.
 
It was $10, but it is very sturdy and I really wanted the clips that hold the tub closed.
 I already had a pair of PVC cutters from my Mini Anchor Chart project.
 The PVC cutter makes it really easy to cut the PVC pipe and leaves a really clean cut.  My husband is doing it here, but it is just as easy for me to use.
Supplies:

I got 6 pieces of PVC pipe, but I only needed 5.  Here are the dimensions of the stand.  Top view:

 Side view:

This really was easy to put together!  We built the top of the stand first.
 We used my daughter as a model to make the stand height perfect for her.
 Here is a view of the finished project with the tub inside.
 Here is a the tub with the top locked on.
Of course, we had to test it out!  The kids loved fishing for letters.
 It’s just as fun to pour water.
 They loved building with extra PVC pipe, too.
 Pop-Pop was wonderful to drill holes in the bottom of extra PVC pipes and elbows.  It was really cool to watch the wonder in their eyes, as they watched the water pour through the different sized holes.
 I am so happy with this creation.  My kids can’t get enough of it!!
My favorite part of this table is that it fits right into the tub.  When we aren’t using the table, I can pack it up and put it away.  For me, this was a necessity!
If you need some spray paint that sticks to PVC, check out these affiliate links! Hope you find these directions useful!  Let me know, if you were able to make it work for you.  Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂

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5 Little Men in a Flying Saucer!

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 I want to thank Lisa, from OkinawaGirl, for introducing me to a wonderful song!  Five Little Men In a Flying Saucer.  I found the lyrics here. 
I found a number of youtube videos that have great singing and really cute art to go along with it.  I love how they flash or put the number on the screen every time a man leaves the flying saucer.  The video below is by “Happy Ape”. 
I particularly like this version with little aliens in the saucer.  This version is from Twinkl Primary Resources. 

These two videos were the inspiration for my own flying saucer!  I made three versions with “Little People”, spacemen, and aliens!  This project was actually really quick and easy.  It is sure to be a hit with your little “space kids”!  My astronauts and spacemen were thanks to Educlips and Zip-a-dee-doo-dah Designs!!!

Jenn, from Crayons and Cuties in Kindergarten, showed me a book with the same name.  It is awesome!! The men in the flying saucer keep visiting Earth and one by one fly away.  They don’t like the neglected state of the Earth.  Happily, the Earth gets cleaned up and all the men come back. 
Here is the affiliate link to “Five Little Men In a Flying Saucer”:

First, I got two plastic plates and a little plastic ramiken from a dollar store.  I hot glued the two plates together.  I hot glued the plastic ramiken to the middle of the top plate.

I put 5 pieces of Velcro on the flying saucer.  I actually hot glue them to the plate to give them more strength.

 If you would like to use “Little People”, then you fill in the hole on the bottom with hot glue.  When it is full to the top, place a piece of Velcro on top of it.  Let it dry upright, so it will be straight.  When it is dry, the men are ready to be added to the saucer.

To make it look more like a flying saucer, (which my husband says is debatable) I painted the middle with red puffy paint and added “LED” lights with yellow puffy paint.  That is the extent of the flying saucer!

To make the alien spacemen, or astronauts (whatever clip art you have) all you need is to save your wine corks.  Hot glue a piece of Velcro to the bottom of each cork.
Hot glue down the side of the cork and place the spaceman on the cork.

 I held it on the cork for a few seconds, until it was semi-dry.

Here are my super space men, ready to board their saucer!!!  To pick up your free spacemen click here!
Have fun flying!
This week I am participating in a really exciting venture.  I selected a blog that I really admire and am giving one clue Monday-Friday to see if anyone can guess who I admire!  Click here to see the first clue.  You can guess one blog each day.  Anyone that gets the correct blog, can choose $3 or less from my store.  I will give that prize to ANYONE that can guess the correct blog!  Fun! It doesn’t matter which day you leave your guess, just as long as there is only one for each day.  I will announce the blog I admire on Saturday!  Happy guessing 🙂
 

Frog and Toad Freebie!

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Free Long and Short Vowel Sorting Game

Engage students with a FREE long and short vowel sorting game, featuring the lovable characters Frog & Toad. The games are differentiated for young learners.

I am sitting here looking out the window at the SIX inches of snow on the ground!  I am so ready for spring!!  I have been stuck in bed for the last few weeks, so I decided to make a spring freebie.  I thought it might make me feel a little more “springy”!

I love frogs and toads!  When I was little, I went searching for frogs and toads in the woods behind our house.  I always loved catching them and playing with them.  My kids don’t have the woods right behind their house, so I decided to make them a pretend frog and toad.  They can play with them and feed them flies!

Materials You Will Need:

I started with a Lysol wipes container and removed the paper on the outside.

I took a razor blade and cut out the middle of the top of the Lysol container.  This is the mouth for the frog.

I attached brown paper to the outside of the toad and green foam to the outside of the frog.  You can use whatever you have on hand. You can get a pack of photo scrapbook paper here.  I think the cracked earth looks a lot like a toad.

I then used the same paper or foam to create the back of the frog/toad’s eyelids.  I cut a smaller piece of foam and hot glued it to the larger piece.

I then attached a large googly eye and attached the whole eye to the back of the Lysol container.

Here is the toad- ready to eat!

I used a red pipe cleaner to create a durable tongue for the frog/toad.  I wrapped it around my finger to make it look curly and hot glued it to the divet in front of the frog/toad’s mouth.

Here is the frog ready for action!

You can use the frog and toad for anything, but I thought it would be great to use them for sorting short and long vowel words.  Frog is for the short vowels and toad is for the long vowels. The words “frog” and “toad” can help students remember the differences between long and short vowel sounds.

I created a freebie with the labels for the frog and toad, as well as, flies with short and long vowel words on them.  Students will read the words out loud and sort the words into the appropriate container.

Students will then use the recording sheet to record the long and short vowel words.  They will also use some of the words to create an original sentence.  Click here to get your Frog and Toad Freebie!

I would love it, if you would let me know how it works for you!!!

I have another FUN and interactive set to work on long and short vowels. This pack includes sorting mats, picture and word cards, printables, and interactive booklets. Kids will “meet” animals for each short and long vowel sound. Check out this pack in action here.

I linked up with “Teaching with Nancy’s” T.G.I.F.

http://www.teachingwithnancy.com/t-g-f-weekly-freebie-link-10/

I also linked up with “The Primary Gal’s” Friday Free For All!!

http://theprimarygal.blogspot.com/2014/03/friday-free-for-all_21.html

Classroom Freebies Manic Monday

Mommy and Me Creations
http://www.teachingblogaddict.com/2014/04/time-for-some-more-freebie-friday.html

I Love The Hardware Store: Math Manipulatives for Addition

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DIY: Easy Math Manipulatives for Addition

Years ago, I needed to find a simple contraption that would turn into an addition machine.  I was a special education resource teacher and all my teaching supplies had to fit on a cart or a rolling suitcase.  I hit the hardware store.  Apparently, I chose a P trap with a cleanout spout.

I had used these same p traps before, but I used them for whisper phones.  You can find the perfect size for kids and adults.  The beauty of these p traps is that you do not have to do any prep for them to work!
The “Addition Machine” p drain has a very easy to use drain at the bottom.  My three year old is able to open it.  I added an addition sign to the middle of the machine, so it gives a visual that you are adding both sides of the adding machine.
To make this work, you need 3 small containers and something to prop the “Addition Machine” up against.  I used a small stool from IKEA.  It is exactly the right size to fit my “Addition Machine”.
 To prep the “Addition Machine”, you need a dry erase marker and some small manipulatives.  I have used pom poms, marbles, and any small little things that I find around the house.
First, you write two numbers, with your dry erase marker, on each of the top two containers.  On the bottom container, you will write an equal sign.
Students will count out the correct number of manipulative and put them in each of the top two containers.  We always counted out loud and examined the two sets of manipulatives before moving on to the next step.
After putting the manipulatives in the containers, I had a student pour each container into the “Addition Machine”.  We stated the addition sentence, as we went through the process.  The addition sentence, in this case”2+4″, is the magic password that gets our “Addition Machine” to work!

 The magic is starting to work!

After all of the manipulative are poured into the “Addition Machine”, we say the magic sentence “2+4” again and this time open up the drain.  All the kids seem to hold their breath, as the manipulatives pour from the “Addition Machine”.
Before we recite the entire addition sentence, “2+4=6”, we pass around the lower container to see the magic that has happened.  Each set of manipulatives from the containers has mixed together to form the whole!!!  It never ceases to amaze!  This activity is great for a concrete way to examine Part-Part-Whole.

 After we all examine the manipulatives and count how many there are in all, a student will write the sum on the lower container.  Then, we are able to recite the whole addition sentence: 2+4-6.

I’ve had kids want to do this activity over and over, not even realizing that they are practicing addition.  Such fun and it really helps those kids that need the hands on, concrete learning.
Hope this can help you, as much as it has helped me!  Don’t forget the p drains, without a cleanout spout can be used for ready made “whisper phones”.  Buy and use.  My kind of materials 🙂

I also linked up with The Preschool and Kindergarten Community. Be sure to check there for tons of great ideas!

 

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