Money, money,money

We have had so much fun learning about money in math. We are playing games that help us count up coins. We start with the largest value coin we have then count the next largest value coin, and so on. We are trying to remember how to skip count by 25's so that we can count 1, 2, 3, or 4 quarters. Then we have to know how to count by 10's starting at 25, 50, or 75. Next we have to change from skip counting by 10's to 5's with nickels. The last step in counting a pile of coins is counting up by 1s with the remaining pennies. The more practice children can have with real coins the better. Counting coins every day in realistic situations help children know the value of money. So if you go to the store or get change back when buying lunch let your 2nd grader count it for you. One of our favorite games is Dollar Dice Game. Find the link to it on the left side of our blog. All you need is a pile of coins and 1 die. Then see who gets exactly $1.00 first.

Maker space

On Friday we went to Maker Space at the end of the day.We played with Snap Circuits. Two students built a motorized propeller that popped off when the motor was stopped. 

Two students are working together and using the manual to build their snap circuit machine. 

Many of the students had fun building the propeller launcher. 

This was the kit that we used. We did not have enough time to build all of the 100 exciting projects. 

Hint, hint... this might be a great gift idea. 

These students built a speaker that played Happy Birthday and if they clapped near the speaker it played on its own. It was the perfect song for our class because 2 students were celebrating their 8th birthday on Friday. 

We love going to Maker Space on Fridays.