Terri Thompson

Candy Heart Addition Math Activity

January 14, 2019 By Terri Thompson

Do you like candy hearts?

Some people love them. Some people love to hate them. Me, personally, I love them!

Even if you hate them, they’re a fun way to add a little Valentine’s twist to learning.

Grab a box of candy hearts and get ready to practice addition with this fun Valentine’s Day math activity, Candy Heart Addition.

Use a fun candy treat to practice math with Candy Heart Addition Valentine's Day Math Activity. It's fun way to practice adding!

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The concept for this activity is really simple. We’re going to use candy hearts as a math manipulative to work on our addition skills.

How to set up:

You’ll need three heart doilies, some candy hearts, and a set of math problems.

Pull your addition problems from the group of math facts your child is currently working on. Or, write down some problems from a homework sheet. This is a great way to use a set of flashcards sent home from school.

Write your math problems on a few index cards if you don’t have flashcards.

Once you have your math problems ready, lay out the three doilies and a pile of candy hearts. That’s it. This activity is ready to go.

How to play Candy Heart Addition:

Grab an addition problem. Use candy hearts to put the correct amount on two of the doilies.

In the example above, we need to solve 4+1. We put four candy hearts on one doily and one candy heart on another doily.

Add the two numbers together and put the correct amount of candy hearts on the third doily.

Word through your pile of math problems using your candy heart manipulatives to solve each one.

Extend the fun:

You can use this activity to practice subtraction too. It’s not just an addition activity. Use this activity to supplement whatever your child needs to work on.

Make the activity a little harder. Eliminate the third doily and do the math without the manipulatives.

This activity is a nice way to introduce the concept of addition. Demonstrate how you can count the candy hearts on the first two doilies to find the answer to the equation.

Grab your candy hearts for this fun Valentine’s Day math activity. Candy Heart Addition is a lot of fun – and you don’t have to eat them if you don’t want to!

Math resources you’ll love

We love using games to practice our math. Here are some great ones you’ll love playing.

Do you want to do more activities with your kids?

Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share ideas for family and kids activities.

I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.

Paper Plate Layers of the Earth Project

January 9, 2019 By Terri Thompson

I would go back to elementary school right now if I could have Ms. Frizzle as a teacher. Would you?

Imagine all the adventures!

Luckily, it’s just as much fun to pick up on the Magic School Bus books and head off on a field trip. I just love these books. They’re packed full of fun, facts, and learning. And, they inspire so many fun activities.

This time we’re learning a bit about earth science with this Paper Plate Layers of the Earth Project.

Have fun learning about earth science with this simple Paper Plate Layers of the Earth Project inspired by The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth.

This fun (and very simple) earth science activity was inspired by The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. (As a matter of fact, this book has inspired several other project too. I can’t wait!)

In this book, the kids and Ms. Frizzle travel deep inside the earth. They (and your own kids) learn all about rocks, the make-up of our planet, caves, and all sorts of fun earth science information.

Supplies needed for this layers of the Earth activity

The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth by Joanne Cole and Bruce Degen
1 paper plate per project
Pencil
Dark brown, orange, yellow, and lighter brown craft paint
Black marker

How to Make Your Paper Plate Layers of the Earth Project

Flip your paper plate over. We’ll be creating on the bottom of our paper plate.

For most of our layers, we’ll be using the markings on our paper plate as a guide. But, to start with, use your pencil to draw the inner core in the middle of the paper plate. Paint the small middle circle dark brown.

Next, paint the outer core. use the orange paint to paint up to the circular line on your plate.

Paint the textured section yellow for your mantle and finally paint a thin strip of light brown around the outer edge of your plate for your crust.

Feel free to change up these colors. You can use whatever colors you want!

Once all your paint has dried, use your black marker to label the layers of the earth.

Your center circle is the inner core, next layer is the outer core, then the mantle, and finally the crust.

If you make this project in conjunction with reading The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth, you can learn about each of the layers and what they are made up of. This layers of the earth activity is a great complement to the book.

My Must-Have Resources for Science Fun

I don’t know about you, but I don’t always have time to prep a fun science project. That’s why I love Green Kid Crafts Discovery boxes. The boxes are packed full of projects that are fun and inviting. You can choose to get a subscription or a one-off box based off of a specific theme. Any one you choose would be a lot of fun!

Here are some of our favorites (you can purchase and find out more at each link):

Get a monthly subscription.

Kitchen Science Box

Physics Box

Find all their fun STEM and science boxes here.

STEAM Family Activities

Wouldn’t it be so much fun to get STEAM family activities delivered to your inbox? I think so! That’s why I’ve created this fun series, STEAM Family Fun, to be delivered to your inbox. After going through all the letters in STEAM each week with a fun activity devoted to each, you’ll start receiving a fun STEAM activity once a month. (And I’ll also pop up in your inbox occasionally if I’ve got other fun things to share.)

Fill out the form below to start receiving STEAM Family Fun in your inbox.

Arctic Fox Camouflage Craft

January 8, 2019 By Terri Thompson

We’ve been learning a lot about Arctic animals lately, and we decided to take a look at the Arctic fox. To show off what we learned, we came up with this fun Arctic Fox Camouflage craft.

Learn all about the arctic fox and camouflage with this fun Arctic Fox Camouflage craft and activity for kids. It's a fun way to learn!

It all started when my 4-year-old recently picked up a book about Arctic foxes at the library and requested we learn about them. Absolutely! (This tends to happen a lot, which is why my girls and I know many interesting tidbits about different animals.)

The Arctic fox turned out to be much more fascinating than I first thought. One thing that stood out for all of us was how different the fox looked in winter and summer.

This simple observation turned into a fun lesson in camouflage and how animals adapt to their surroundings.

We also did an easy art project based on what we learned to provide a visual reminder of how the Arctic fox uses camouflage.

Supplies Needed:

Construction paper (blue, white, brown)
Ruler
Paint (white, brown, green)
Scissors
Glue
Black marker

Create your Arctic Fox Camouflage craft

Before beginning the project, I used a ruler to draw a line down the middle of our blue paper.

One half for the summer and the other half for the winter. We used our white paint to create a snowy landscape for our winter Arctic fox.

We then used our brown and green paint to create our summer landscape

The Arctic tundra is not lush and green in the summer. Instead, you will see more dirt and rocks with low-lying plants. (This picture from National Geographic is a good example of what you would see.)

Once our painted landscapes were complete, use cut simple fox figures from our construction paper.

We made the winter fox from white paper and the summer fox from brown paper. We then used our black marker to draw the details.

My preschooler observed that the Arctic fox was both brown and black in the summer, so she added some black stripes and patches with the marker.

Once the paint was dry, we glued our foxes onto the correct landscape.

We then used our marker to label the different scenes summer and winter.

Once we were done we had a great reminder of how the Arctic foxes uses camouflage and adapts to its surroundings with this fun Arctic Fox Camouflage craft.

Note: This post was first published on January 23, 2014. Updated and republished on January 5, 2019.

Read a Great Book About Arctic Foxes

You can find out so much about arctic foxes in a good book. Here are some great choices of nonfiction arctic fox books, plus one fun fiction choice!

Arctic Fox: A Day in the Life: Polar Animals by Katie Marsico

Elementary Explorers: Arctic Foxes by Victoria Blakemore

Arctic Foxes: Animals That Live in the Tundra by Maeve T. Sisk

Nora: The Arctic Fox Fairy (Rainbow Magic Fairies) by Daisy Meadows

Are you looking for more kids activities?

One Fish Two Fish Number Match

January 7, 2019 By Terri Thompson

I haven’t met too many kids who don’t like Dr. Seuss books. My girls definitely love them.

It’s hard to choose a favorite, but One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish is definitely on the top of the list.

It’s very nonsensical, but great for new readers.

The book is also so much fun for a read aloud, and would work great paired up with a fun math activity, like this One Fish Two Fish Number Match Game.

This One Fish Two Fish number match activity is a fun way to practice numbers and counting. It's a fun math game for preschool and kindergarten.

This game is simple to prep and it’s fun math practice for your preschoolers and kindergartners.

Grab your copy of the book and let’s get started making our One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish number match activity!

Supplies Needed:

Red Construction Paper
Blue Construction Paper
Scissors
Black Marker

How to make your One Fish Two Fish number match game:

You will need 10 red fish and 10 blue fish. You should be able to get at least 10 fish from each piece of construction paper.

To make it more simple, create a simple template for yourself. Cut out one fish and trace it to make the rest of your fish.

Once you have your fish cut out, write the numbers 1 through 10 on your red fish. Use dots to represent each of the numbers on your blue fish.

Ways to play:

Mix up your blue fish, then mix up your red fish. Have your child match each number fish to its corresponding dot fish.

Play a memory game. Flip over each of the fish. Take turns choosing fish. Turn over one blue fish and one red fish. Do they match? If not, try again.

Use the number fish to count small manipulatives (such as mini erasers, coins, or pieces of cereal). Choose a number fish, then count out the correct number of item.

Count the dots on the blue fish and say the number out loud.

Can you think of other ways to play this One Fish Two Fish number match activity?

This game also works well as a simple busy bag. Slip your fish in a basket or bag and it’s ready to play anytime your child needs some number practice.

One Fish Two Fish Number Match is easy to prep and fun to play. It’s a great way to practice number and will probably inspire many readings of the book.

If you liked this post, you may also like one of these math games:

Skip Counting with the Cat in the Hat

Wacky Mixed-Up Hundred Chart

Making 10 with Green Eggs and Ham

Apple Counting Rocks

One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish Size Sorting Activity at Inspiration Laboratories

Fun hands-on math resources

When we practice math at home, we love to play games. These games are so much fun and a great hands-on activity. Plus, it’s a great way to combine a family activity with learning. Check out some of these awesome math games below:

Are you looking for more kids activities?

Fun Snow Play Toys for Kids

January 3, 2019 By Terri Thompson

It’s so much fun to play in the snow! Isn’t it?

You don’t always need a lot of fun snow play toys to have fun outside in the winter. Because, after all the snow itself is so much fun!

But, in case you are look for some fun toys to take outside, here are some great ones that you will love.

Let’s go outside and play in the snow!

Fun Snow Play Toys

If you’ve got a fun sledding hill nearby, you’ll need a fun sled. This saucer sled is great fun for both big and little kids.

Or, if you’ve got a need for speed, a toboggan sled is great. My girls’ love their toboggan sleds!

A snow scooter like this one is great fun and can be a bit like snow boarding.

Or try out these awesome Sled Legs and you can run and slide and have a lot of fun!

Build a fort and use this simple Snow Blocker Maker to help you along.

Or make a supply of different bricks with this fun Snow Castle Building Kit. What an amazing fort you will have!

A kid-sized snow shovel like these can help you build your fort and is also great fun to play around with any time.

Or, just get a simple snow scoop to help build your fort or just have some fun. This would be a great choice for toddlers!

A snowball fight is tons of fun. Use these simple snowball making molds to make a pile of snowballs ready to throw.

Or, if you want more, check out this fun variety pack of snowball makers, shovels, and more! It’s so much fun!

Sand mold tools can also work in the snow. With this huge variety pack of molds you can build castles, make animals, or more.

Or, use this fun letter molding set to create fun messages in the snow, write your name, or even practice your sight words.

What are your favorite snow play toys? Did you find any more here you want to try?

Terri Thompson