Terri Thompson

Number Line Secret Code Math Activity

August 10, 2018 By Terri Thompson

Number lines. They show up a lot in your kid’s homework, don’t they?

Earlier, I talked about what their purpose is and why your kids are using them so much.

Now, we’re going to have a little fun with the number line by solving a number line secret code.

Use your addition and subtraction skills to find the secret message with this fun Number Line Secret Code math activity for kids.

This is a great way to get a little extra math practice at home. You’re kids will love it and if they’re anything like mine, they’ll want to do this over and over. After all, what kid doesn’t like a secret code?

This project takes a bit more prep than a lot of my other activities, but the results are worth it.

Even the kid who moans and groans over math will jump at the chance to crack the code.

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Create your number line secret code

First, you want to figure out a message. You can write a little note to your child, find a quote, or even a joke.

Since we love the live-action Cinderella movie, I chose a quote from the movie for my oldest (2nd grade) and wrote a short note for my youngest (kindergarten).

I wrote the quote on a sheet of paper and then worked at assigning a number between 1 and 20 for each letter.

If you have a letter that occurs more than once, each occurrence will be the same letter. For instance, in the example above, “E” is always 4.

Next, you’ll need a number line. You can find a number line to download and print in this post.

Write your letter underneath the number it represents.

If you find that you have leftover numbers that don’t have a letter, just use letters that aren’t in your message to fill in the blanks.

Finally, it’s time to make the code. Take a separate sheet of paper and draw a space for each letter in your message. Make the spaces long enough to write a math problem underneath.

Using your quote with the numbers assigned, make a math problem for each letter.

For my kindergartner, I stuck with simple addition problems. She’s just starting to learn how to use a number line. For my 2nd grader, I used both addition and subtraction problems. Some problems were more difficult and others were quite easy.

It’s time to solve the math secret code

Once the girls were home and my oldest had her homework finished, I showed them their secret messages. They were so eager to get to work!

My kindergartner needed a manipulative to move along her number line to find the answer. We found that LEGO Batman was perfect for the job! She worked hard at figuring out her answers and was so proud when she had cracked the code.

My second grader didn’t need much help from the number line, since she was able to do many of the problems in her head. But, every once in awhile a problem stumped her.

Figure out the message when you solve a number line secret code. This is a fun DIY math game that you kids will love to solve!

The girls had so much fun solving their number line secret code message. They even asked for a second set for the next afternoon. Luckily, I was able to reuse their number lines and make a new secret code based off of it.

This fun after school number line secret code activity helped with addition and subtraction, the number line, and even writing practice. It takes a little extra work to set up, but it’s definitely worth the trouble.

My must-have math resources

I love games for practicing math at home. In addition to this fun secret code math game, here are some great games that you can purchase and keep on hand for learning at home.

Commit 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.

Apple Counting Rocks

August 2, 2018 By Terri Thompson

I’ve always been a fan of using manipulatives for math, especially for kids who are just learning a new concept.

You can add with them, subtract, multiply, or even divide. Manipulatives are a great tool to use with any kid to help illustrate math concepts.

This simple set of Apple Counting Stones is perfect for either preschool or early elementary math. They’re easy to make and you only need a few supplies.

Supplies Needed:

Red Craft Paint
Brown Craft Paint
Black Stones

How to make the stones:

Pick out ten black stones. I tried to find ones that were smooth enough on one side for painting and also sat nicely on a flat surface. (I didn’t want a stone that would tilt or wobble.) Also, make sure the surface is wide enough to paint an apple.

Use the red paint to make your simple apple shape. An apple is super-simple to paint. Make a modified heart shape. Make the top of the heart a bit shorter and instead of a point at the bottom, make it wider and flatter.

Keep it simple! It doesn’t need to be perfect. Finish your apple off with a short brown stem.

Note: In order to get the dark, vibrant colors, I had to paint over my apples several times. The first coat went on super thin and then I got a deeper coverage on each coat. Each coat of paint only took a couple of minutes to dry, so don’t worry, this project didn’t take all day. I painted 4 coats, but however many you need depends on the brand of paint you use and how dark you want your apples.

How to use your Apple Counting Rocks

Play a Simple Counting Game: Use these rocks with a child who is just learning to count. Give your child small groups of the rocks and have them count them one at a time. This is a simple way to practice counting with a child who is still working on 1-10.

Play Apple Hide and Seek: Hide the apple rocks around the room. Have your child search for them, counting along the way. Once they reach 10, they’ll know they’ve found them all.

Use the Stones as Manipulatives on a Ten Frame: A ten frame is a great way to visualize numbers from one through ten. Have your child place 4 stones on a ten frame. Then have them count and add the correct number of stones to fill in the ten frame.

Another version is to have the stones already on a ten frame. Place anywhere from one to ten stones. Have your child count and tell you how many stones are there. Practice being able to say the amount without having to count each stone one by one.

You can get a ten frame to use with these stones at this link. It prints landscape and takes up almost a whole sheet of paper. It’s the perfect size to use with your Apple Counting Stones or any other larger manipulative (such as Duplo Blocks or toy cars).

Make a set of apple counting rocks for some fun math activities. You can use them to count, to add, to subtract, or with a ten frame.

More fun ways to use your Apple Counting Rocks

What Makes 10? What number combinations will create 10? Use the ten frame and your stones to find out. If you have 4 stones, how many more do you need to create 10? For an added challenge, try it without the ten frame.

Practice Adding: Set out two groups of stones. Have your child add the two groups together. How many stones are there total?

Practice Subtracting: Set out a group of stones. Ask your child to take away a certain amount. How many are left. For example, give your child 5 stones and ask them to take away 3. How many stones do they have left?

These Apple Counting Stones are a great math tool and can be used in so many ways. How will you use them?

July Simple Family Fun Ideas

July 9, 2018 By Terri Thompson

Ahhh July. Summer is here, the kids are out of school, and it’s time for a few simple family adventures.

But, what to do? There’s always swimming, camping, or visiting a playground. Those ideas are always fun, but it’s probably something you’ve already got on the schedule.

If you’re looking for something new, here are 10 ideas for some July simple family fun. These fun and frugal ideas will get you out of the house for a fun adventure and some will help you find adventure indoors.

Print out your July Family Adventures, pick out a couple of fun things, jot them on the calendar, and have some fun!

Have some adventures with your family when you try one of these great July Simple Family Fun Ideas. The ideas are frugal, easy, and so much fun!

July Outdoor Adventures

Challenge the family to a backyard track meet. Have foot races, relay races, or a long jump competition. Or, you can go bigger with a fun Family Olympics!

Do bark rubbing and try to identify the trees in your neighborhood or a local park. If you don’t have a tree field guide, you can borrow one from your local library.

Make a simple meal and have a picnic dinner outside.

Go on a pattern hunt. See how many patterns you can find outside. You can even bring this challenge inside to find patterns around the house or even your favorite store.

July Indoor Family Adventures

Have a popcorn annd movie night. Treat your kids to a favorite movie from your childhood. Do you need suggestions? Here are our favorite musicals for family movie night.

Make collaborative drawings. Start a picture and pass it on to the next person. Keep passing until everyone has contributed.

Play charades or another old-fashioned game. It you want to take it outside, you could play Red Light, Green Light or Mother May I.

Start a gratitude journal. Have each family member record things that make them grateful every day or once a week. You could buy a pretty journal or use our tutorial to create your own simple gratitude journal.

Make a simple DIY Gratitude Journal. This little journal is a great place to encourage kids to write about all that they are thankful for.

Finger Paint! As adults, we usually stand back and let the kids have all the fun. But, for this challenge, dig in and get your hands dirty too. It’s so much fun!

Have a joke-off. Learn a few new jokes and make each other laugh. You can find new jokes from a fun book or this great post from Frugal Fun for Boys & Girls.

Print out your July Simple Family Fun Ideas

You can grab a copy of your July Family Fun Ideas here. Just download and print. It all prints on one sheet of paper. Hang it up and use it to inspire the family all month long.

Choose a few ideas now and save a few for later. Even though these are July Family Fun ideas, you can do these anytime of the year.

Get your printable July Family Adventures here.

Which of these July simple family fun ideas are your going to try?

Outdoor ABC Game on the Driveway

July 2, 2018 By Terri Thompson

With a preschooler, sometimes you just need to get them moving.

So, I decided to sneak a little learning in with our moving and created a simple outdoor abc game.

This Driveway ABC Game is easy. It’s fun. And, it’s a great way to review the alphabet.

Supplies Needed:

Sidewalk chalk

Large dice (can be played with small dice if that’s all you have)

Large stretch of concrete. You can use a driveway or a sidewalk.

Set-up and play your outdoor ABC game

I drew a long, winding path on our driveway and divided it up into sections.

I then wrote one letter in each section.

When it was time to play, my preschooler threw our giant die and moved that many spaces.

When she stopped, she had to say each letter she stepped on out loud.

The concept was easy and she had a blast. We played it again and again. Not only was she reviewing her letter, but she was running all over the place chasing the die.

When I drew our game, I wrote the letters in alphabetical order ending at “k”. I didn’t make a very long game board. Feel free to mix up the letters and add additional letters if you want to make a more challenging game.

Other variations of this outdoor alphabet game:

Use lower case letters instead of upper case

Use the letters in your child’s name for an easy name recognition game

Write the entire alphabet or only the ones that are challenging to your child

Use sight words instead of letters for kids who are already alphabet experts

Grab your sidewalk chalk, go outside, and have some fun learning your ABCs with this fun outdoor alphabet game you can play on your driveway.

Our outdoor abc game got rained away after only playing it once, but I know we’ll do this again. After all, it’s so much fun to learn while playing a gross motor game!

My recommended alphabet resources

It’s so much fun to learn your ABC’s with a game. If you don’t want to head outside, here are some fun game you might want to try.

Do you want to do more activities with your kids?

Awesome Sun Crafts for Kids

June 29, 2018 By Terri Thompson

Whether you need cheering up on a dreary cloudy day or just want to celebrate the summer sun, these awesome sun crafts for kids are the perfect choice.

Decorate your windows or your walls with one of these crafts so the sun can shine all day long!

These fun sun crafts for kids are the perfect summer craft. Gather your supplies and have some fun with these awesome kids crafts.

These sun crafts are great for kids of all ages. You’ll find some that are appropriate for toddlers (check out the fork-painted suns), fun for preschoolers (like the recycled cd sun), or fun for older kids (like our piper cleaner sun plant stake).

Choose one to make with your kids for a fun way to brighten your day.