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Learning Activities for Kids

Subtraction with Manipulatives Math Activity

January 18, 2022 By Terri Thompson

I’ve spent a lot of time tutoring kids in the lower elementary grades. We’ve worked on math a lot.

Time after time, I’ve seen understanding click as soon as I introduced math manipulatives. And, you’ll see it click as soon as you introduce subtraction with manipulatives. Being able to physically touch and see your math problems makes math much more real.

Subtraction using buttons as manipulatives

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Why You Should Use Math Manipulatives

Using math manipulatives is a great way to work on counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Your child’s fingers will work to move the items. Their eyes will see and make connections. Suddenly a math concept becomes much more clear.

Math manipulatives is a great hands-on way to learn math and understand the concepts.

And you don’t have to spend a lot of money to find these manipulatives. It can be as simple as pulling out the stockpile of buttons or emptying the change jar. You just need something small that you have a lot of.

subtraction with math manipulatives

How To Get Started With Subtraction Using Manipulatives

First, you’ll need some subtraction problems. Write them down on some index cards. You can write random problems or choose any group of subtraction facts that your child needs to work on.

Then, you’ll also need some math manipulatives. Choose something small like rocks, mini erasers, buttons, or even LEGO blocks. You just want to make sure you have enough loose parts to work each of your subtraction problems.

Subtraction loose parts math

Subtraction With Loose Parts

Using loose parts helps a child easily see and better understand how subtraction works.

Start with the first number in your subtraction problem and count out that many items. Next, remove the amount of your second number in your math problem. Count up the remaining items and you have the answer to your subtraction problem.

Work through all your subtraction problems using your math manipulatives.

Math Manipulatives used in subtraction

Other Way to Do Subtraction with Manipulatives:

*Use larger numbers. You don’t have to keep your subtraction problems under ten.

*When your child is more comfortable doing subtraction, have them find the answer in their head and then count out the correct number of loose parts for their answer.

*Use this method for doing subtraction on the go. Use rocks, sticks, acorns, or other natural items as your loose parts.

*Take this math activity outside and write your subtraction problems on the sidewalk with chalk. Have your child find the loose parts they need to solve each problem.

Subtraction with Manipulatives math activity

You May Also Like One of These Math Activities:

Build Numbers with a Fun Place Value Activity

Paper Plate Addition Game

Making 10 with Cars

LEGO Tower Subtraction Race at The Kindergarten Connection

Play Dough Subtraction Smash at Mama Papa Bubba

You’ll Love These Math Manipulatives

There is such a wealth of fine motor math manipulatives. Check out some of these options you can use for practicing math, subtraction, and more.

Jack Be Nimble Science Activity

January 10, 2022 By Terri Thompson

I’ve always had a soft spot for nursery rhymes.

My girls grew up with them. We read tons of nursery rhyme books, did a lot of crafts, and now we’re going to do some nursery rhyme science experiments.

We experimented with candles for this Jack Be Nimble science activity. This candle science project was so much fun!

Explore how fire needs oxygen to burn with this simple Jack Be Nimble science activity for kids. How long will Jack's candle burn?

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Before You Begin

This science experiment uses fire. Please use caution and make sure there is an adult helper every step of the way.

Supplies Needed

2 tealights

2 candle-safe saucers or candle holders (we used the saucers from our dishes set)

Lighter

Drinking glass (choose a clear glass one so you can see the candle underneath)

Timer

Two tea light candles on saucers with a smart phone timer

How to Set Up Your Jack Be Nimble Science Activity

Set a tea light on each saucer and place them side by side. Make sure there is enough room to put the glass over one of your candles.

Prepare your timer. We used the timer app on my phone.

Finally, light both of your candles.

Everything needs to be set up before you start this experiment.

Two tealight candles that have been lit sitting up saucers with a clear drinking glass nearby

Make your predictions

What will happen if you put the drinking glass over one of the candles? Which candle is going to stay lit the longest? How much longer do you think it will be?

Take the time to discuss with your kids about what they think will happen during this experiment.

Two tealight candles that have been lit with a hand holding a clear drinking glass ready to set over top of one of the candles.

Do the Experiment

This experiment moves fast, so be ready!

Place your drinking glass over one of your lit candles. Start your timer as soon as you set your glass over the candle.

Hint: It works best if to have one person in charge of the glass and one person in charge of the timer. If you’re working with a child too young to work with the candle, put them in charge of starting the timer!

Keep a watch on the candles. As soon as one candle goes out, stop the timer.

Which candle stopped burning first? How long did it take to go out?

The tealight candle with the clear drinking glass has burnt out and the uncovered candle is still lit. The time has been stopped at 5 seconds.

The science behind this experiment

Fire needs two things to burn: oxygen and fuel. If you take one of these away, your fire will burn out. When we placed the drinking glass over our candle, we reduced the amount of oxygen. It didn’t take long for our fire to use up that bit of oxygen. Our candle burned out in under six seconds! Our second candle had a constant supply of oxygen, so it stayed lit until we blew it out.

What was the result of your experiment? How long did your candle underneath the glass stay lit?

Experiment More

If you want to experiment further, find a second drinking glass that is a different size than the first one. Set up your experiment again and this time put a glass over each of the candles. Which of these candles burnt out first? Why do you think that happened?

Explore how fire needs oxygen to burn with this simple Jack Be Nimble science activity for kids. How long will Jack's candle burn?

You may also like one of these science experiments:

Making Butter – Little House Inspired Science

Fun Kitchen Science Experiments

Chemical Reactions with Pennies

Humpty Dumpty Science Experiments at Science Sparks

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.

Green Kids Crafts Ad image

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.



STEAM Family Fun Email List Sign Up ad image

Pumpkin Pie Fractions Activity

November 3, 2021 By Terri Thompson

My nine-year-old learned about fractions with pizza. That’s such a yummy idea.

But now that Thanksgiving is coming soon, I needed to come up with another – but equally yummy – idea for fractions.

I thought round and I thought delicious. I thought pumpkin pie. Pumpkin Pie Fractions.

Yum.

Learn all about fractions with this fun Thanksgiving math activity - Pumpkin Pie Fractions. There are so many different ways to play with this math tool.

This Pumpkin Pie Fractions activity is so easy to create. Once you have it made, it will hold up for hours of hands-on math fun.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Supplies Needed:

4 paper plates
Orange craft paint
Light brown craft paint
Black permanent marker
Ruler
Scissors

How to make your pie fractions:

Start with the paint. Use your light brown paint to paint the ridged edges of your paper plates. This is your crust.

Next, paint the middle section of your paper plates with orange paint. Don’t worry about making sure your lines are straight. Remember, pies never look perfect!

Once your paint is dry, use your ruler to divide the pie into fractions. One pie will be divided into half. Divide the second pie into thirds, the third pie into fourths, and the fourth pie into eights. Trace your lines with your black permanent marker.

Label each of the pies with the corresponding fraction using your permanent marker.

Finally, cut each pie along the dividing lines.

Your pumpkin pies are ready!

How can you play with your Pumpkin Pie Fractions?

Use them as puzzles.

Give your kids a pile of mixed up pie pieces and have them put each pie together. They’ll have to match the type of fraction and then make a whole pie. This is a great way to easily see how many of each fraction makes a whole.

Make equal pie wedges (make equivalent fractions).

How many quarter pieces do you need to make a half piece. Use the bigger wedge as a guide to fill in with smaller pieces.

Make a mixed up fraction pie.

Can you make a whole pie using different sized fractions? Let you kids experiment to find different combinations.

Build other fractions with your pie pieces.

Make a 3/8 wedge by putting together three 1/8 wedges. Or make 3/4 with three of the quarter pieces. What other sizes can you make?

Learn all about fractions with this fun Thanksgiving math activity - Pumpkin Pie Fractions. There are so many different ways to play with this math tool.

Let their homework be the guide.

What is your child working on in class? Use your pie as a hands-on tool to supplement their learning at home. If you need more pie sizes (maybe divided into fifths, sixths, or sevenths), just grab a few more paper plates.

Let your kids lead the way.

My girls set up a pie shop and sold all their different wedges. They had no idea how much they were learning along the way! I just sat back and let them have some fun.

How would you use these Pumpkin Pie Fractions?

More Thanksgiving Activities to Try:

Tell Time with a Turkey Clock

12 Turkey Crafts for Thanksgiving

Printable Thanksgiving Word Searches for Kids

Thanksgiving Math Activities for Kids

Turkey Craft using Pattern Block Shapes at Buggy & Buddy

Learn all about fractions with this fun Thanksgiving math activity - Pumpkin Pin Fractions. There are so many different ways to play with this math tool.

My Must-Have Math Resources:

Sometimes, as much as you want to prep a fun hands-on math activity, you just don’t have the time. That why I love having a few math games on hand.

Here are some great options. Your kids will have so much fun that they won’t realize how much they’re learning.

Thanksgiving STEM Projects for Kids

November 2, 2021 By Terri Thompson

Are you looking for some fun Thanksgiving STEM activities?

Well, I’ve got your back.

I’ve got STEM projects inspired by pumpkin pie and some that use cranberries. So, get ready to learn and have fun with these great activities.

Learn and have fun with pumpkins, pie, cranberries, and more with this fun collection of Thanksgiving STEM activities for kids.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

What is STEM?

STEM activities are made up of a combination of different subjects. STEM is an abbreviation for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Most STEM activities combine at least two of these subjects. Many combine three or even all four.

They’re fun and hands-on activities that promote learning by doing.

The STEM projects in this list and all inspired by Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving STEM Projects for Kids

Try some fun Thanksgiving STEM activities inspired by turkeys, pumpkins, pie and more!

Pumpkin Pie Fractions Activity

Practice your fractions with this fun activity inspired by your favorite Thanksgiving pie.

Balloons over Broadway: Book and Craft

Can you design your own parade balloon inspired by the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Making Butter

Make butter for your Thanksgiving table with this fun STEM experiment.

3D Printable Turkey Cone Craft

Photo Credit: www.redtedart.com

Explore cones with this fun 3-D printable turkey.

Magical Dancing Corn

Photo Credit: littlebinsforlittlehands.com

Can you make corn dance? This fun science-based project makes it happen.

Thanksgiving Science Experiments with Cranberries

Photo Credit: jdaniel4smom.com

Grab some cranberries for some fun sink or float experiments.

10 Ways to Use Indian Corn for Autumn Learning

Photo Credit: www.homeschoolingmykinetickids.com

Learn with Indian corn with several fun STEM activities

How to Make a Turkey Drawbot

Photo Credit: inspirationlaboratories.com

Turn a turkey craft into a robot with this fun Drawbot project.

Thanksgiving STEM Building Cranberry Structures

Photo Credit: littlebinsforlittlehands.com

Build with a Thanksgiving favorite when you make cranberry structures.

Turkey Bookmark Corner DIY

Photo Credit: www.redtedart.com

Learn symmetry while doing origami when you make this cute turkey bookmark.

Build the Pilgrims a Tin Foil Boat STEM Challenge

Photo Credit: jdaniel4smom.com

Build a boat for the pilgrims with this fun STEM challenge.

No-Stress Thanksgiving STEM Challenge

Photo Credit: preschoolpowolpackets.blogspot.com

Experiment with feathers and floating when you try this fun STEM challenge.

Thanksgiving Papercraft in 3D

Photo Credit: littlebinsforlittlehands.com

Create a cool 3-D paper craft with this cool STEAM craft.

One to One Correspondence Preschool Counting Thanksgiving Activity

Photo Credit: www.fromengineertosahm.com

Practice one to one correspondence with this fun preschool STEM activity.

Exploring A Pumpkin Activity

Photo Credit: www.adabofgluewilldo.com

Explore the insides of a pumpkin with this fun STEM craft and activity.

Indian Corn Science Experiment

Photo Credit: preschoolpowolpackets.blogspot.com

Explore nature with this fun science activity when you try to grow Indian corn.

Painting Pumpkins with Paintballs: A Quick STEAM Activity

Photo Credit: www.fromengineertosahm.com

Make pumpkin prints with paintball when you try this fun (and messy) STEAM activity.

Which of these fun Thanksgiving STEM activities are you going to try with your kids?

Fun Thanksgiving STEM Projects for Kids

My Favorite Resource for STEM at Home

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!

Get a subscription here.

Printable Apple Writing Paper

August 30, 2021 By Terri Thompson

It’s almost impossible to write without any inspiration.

Inspiration can come from anywhere, such as a writing prompt, picture, a question, an idea, or maybe some pretty themed writing paper.

This fun printable Apple Writing Paper can be a great source of inspiration for your young writers. Combine it with a writing prompt or a brainstorming session and the words will start flowing.

Practice writing with this fun fall-themed free printable Apple Writing Paper. Includes both full color and black and white options.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

What can you write about?

What would you write about on this paper?

Let’s have a brainstorming session!

You could write about a trip to an apple orchard, your favorite apple recipe, or about an animal that likes to eat apples.

Record the results of an apple taste test or record your observations of the inside (or outside) of an apple.

Use this paper for an apple science project.

Or, write a story about a kid (or animal) named Apple.

What are your ideas?

Practice writing with this fun fall-themed free printable Apple Writing Paper. Includes both full color and black and white options.

How to get your printable Apple Writing Paper

It’s so easy to grab a copy of this printable apple writing paper.

All you need to do is click the link(s) below, save to your computer, and print.

I’ve provided two different versions for your convenience. One is in full color and the other is identical, but in greyscale.

Print your full color apple paper here.

Print your greyscale apple paper here.

Please note: This printable apple writing paper is for home or classroom use only. Selling or using this paper as part of a paid product is prohibited.

Practice writing with this fun fall-themed free printable Apple Writing Paper. Includes both full color and black and white options.

If you enjoyed this Apple Writing Paper, the above photo is perfect for sharing on Facebook or saving on Pinterest.

You may also enjoy one of these apple activities:

Apple Counting Rocks

Mini Apple Print Notebook

A is for Apple Print Wreath Kids Craft

Awesome Apple Science Experiments

Apple Browning Science Experiment at Kitchen Counter Chronicle

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