iHeart Math Holiday Hop

I have the pleasure of linking up with several wonderful math bloggers for a month long holiday hop. We are excited about this collaboration because each day you can access a different blogger with great holiday tips and a special gift. Be sure to tune in everyday to read each blog post. By clicking on the header above, you can navigate to a specific blog post. Be mindful that the links will only go live on the dates posted in the calendar. December 1-11 have already been posted so click on those tonight and check each one out!

Stocking Stuffer #1: A Giving Idea – Give the Gift of a Meal

Around the holidays, life gets even more hectic than normal.  I don’t know about you, but dinner time at my house is the worst.  Rushing home after work, figuring out what to make, and then trying to make it while giving all 4 of my kiddos time and attention is a constant struggle.  We eat out MAYBE once a month (if I get lucky), but we do go to my parent’s house almost every Sunday.  But every other day I have to cook dinner.  One thing that  I’ve been wanting to do for awhile is organize the dinner plan so that 1) I know what I am going to cook instead of spending time deciding what I’m cooking and 2) I ensure that I have the needed ingredients.  My first stocking stuffer revolves around meals…you could use these recipes for meals to make and take to your neighbors, or a single mom you may know, as a lovely holiday gift (who wouldn’t appreciate a ready-made meal this time of year to take the burden off dinner time!) or if you are like me, here is a pre-made dinner plan for an entire month!!!!  Click the image below to open up my Google Doc spreadsheet that has a live link to a wonderful recipe for each day of the week (except Sundays, that can be leftover night or All Family Dinner as in my case). I hope you enjoy!  I know I am excited about having a month of meals laid out for me!

Stocking Stuffer #2: A Math Tip – Favorite Mathy Christmas Gifts

I love being able to give.  I know that sometimes giving does not have to be a physical gift you buy, but for a lot of us we do a LOT of purchasing gifts.  So this holiday season if you want a way to give AND encourage the receiver to do activities that build their math minds, check out my favorite MATHY GIFTS:

Wits & Wagers is a fun game to play with the whole family.

Osmo is a must if you have an iPad.

If you know a child who loves pirates, let them explore ten frames and gold doubloons with this Ten Frame Treasure Chest.

For little kiddos, check out this Take Along Shape Sorter (great for long car rides) and First Set of Blocks.

I love the Goldie Blocks line of products as they started the company to encourage girls’ involvement in STEM.  My personal favorite is their Goldie Blocks Action Figure!

And for any age kid (well, above 3 years old), I am a fan of Legos and especially this Creative Tower of Lego pieces and a The Lego Ideas Book.

Freebie: Have a Merry Mathematical Break!

Breaks from school are great, but they can also cause that ‘slide’ in learning that is often associated with summer break.  I’ve created a one page document that you can send home with students which gives them (and their parents) ideas for keeping the mathematical learning alive during the break.  There are suggestions for K-2 and 3rd-5th that include games, websites, and apps.  You can access it here at my TpT store.  Or if you want, give your students a deck of cards and some dice as their present from you.  You can create a document detailing out the instructions to your favorite games or download my favorite number sense games and send one or two home with their new deck of cards.