Math facts practice kit activities for portable math learning centers

Here's a homemade mini math learning center. Use this shoebox math facts practice kit for independent, on-the-go learning. Retention of math facts and operations is vital for higher math. Use this math homework practice kit to reinforce addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts.

 Children should practice 5-10 minutes 4-5 times a week. In a shoebox or plastic lidded box, place these items 

--color-coded list of digits. For example: 0-yellow, 1-blue, 2-red, 3-orange, 4-purple, 5-green, 6-brown, 7-pink, 8-black, 9-gray. Some 1,983 would be written blue-1, gray-9,black-8 and orange-3. Color coding helps many students visualize and organize numbers, learn place value and memorize math facts, 

--set of dice. Practice math facts by casting die and adding or multiplying two numbers shown. 

--set of dominoes (base 12 set is best) or homemade "domino" flash cards made from index cards. Write domino dot configuration in number color from chart. Student selects a domino and adds, subtracts or multiplies the two numbers. Write answers on back for self-checking. Here are free printable dominoes. 

--deck of playing cards--student chooses two cards and adds, subtracts, or multiplies them. Face cards are valued as such:(ace-1, jack-10, queen, 12 and king-0) Here's a free printable deck of playing cards. 

--math flashcards for each fact family. Purchase at Dollar Tree or discount store. Here are free printable math flashcards. Make flashcards by writing math fact (problem) in color code on one side and the answer on the back. 

--pencil, eraser and scrap paper squares--student writes out a fact family, or writes story problems, illustrating with items to represent (three apples times seven apples). Use for pop quizzes also.

 --tablet of small stickers or mini-stamper marker-- Child makes his own flashcards with stickers and scrap paper, for the math facts family on which he's working. 

--100 chart or cheat sheet. Student uses to skip count by different numbers (multiply), look for patterns, or practice facts. Here are free printable 100 charts. 

--yarn strung with 100 plastic beads. This homemade abacus is a great visual for math operations. Give student a problem, like 7x8, She counts out and add seven groups of eight. 

--food snacks with little pieces; fish crackers, breakfast cereal, raisins, candies, pretzels. Students demonstrate math facts with food while eating it. 

Keep math facts practice kit in the car. Use travel time for homework reinforcement.

Montessori learning centers: preschool dramatic play and dress up activities

Preschool classrooms function best when organized into Montessori style learning centers. Learning centers are rotational play areas where children perform tasks related to specific content areas: math, reading, science, art, practical life, dramatic play or preschool dress-up areas. Homeschool parents, why not create learning centers in your child's play room? Here's how to organize Montessori preschool dramatic play, or preschool dress-up learning areas. mom designed an at-home dramatic play area.

Encourage young thespians. Dramatic play is the performing arts learning center. This is where costumes, puppets, theater stage and props are kept. This is where kids play dress-up in occupational uniforms, hats, masks, animal costumes, cartoon characters and others. This learning center doesn't have to be extensive. Hang costumes and preschool dress-up clothes, hats, masks and accessories on hooks or coat racks. 

Collect costumes. Go to secondhand stores and look for old Halloween costumes, uniquely patterned and brightly colored clothes, vintage clothing, costume jewelry, funky shoes, wigs and interesting hats. Stock dramatic play learning centers with uniforms, occupational accessories, hats and helmets. These are great for preschool dress-up. Keep an eye out for multicultural, historical costumes. Check for sales at opera companies, theaters and theater costumer sales. Ask senior family members and friends for homeschool contributions. Remember to wash and disinfect all secondhand costumes. 

Make a collapsible cardboard stage for your homeschool. Get a portable ballet barre for dance. This can be taken down and stored easily. Make a puppet theater out of a large cardboard refrigerator box. Cut a window at child height. Hang a curtain on a long shoelace or piece of rope and staple it across the opening. To store, simply collapse the box. For full scale productions, a curtain draped across the room makes a great stage. Let kids improvise with on-hand props. 

Design interchangeable scenery. Have kids color pictures depicting different backgrounds (home, forest, lake, city). Affix scenery to the inside back of the box using putty so the scenes can be changed. To make hanging backdrops (like those in real theaters), kids can draw pictures on white pillowcases, sheets or tablecloths. Attach shoelaces to each side and hand theater backdrops as you did the curtain (only across the back). Draw scenes on both sides so that the backdrop can be changed. 

Make dramatic play learning centers portable. Store costumes in easily accessible tubs. Keep a few costumes on a small free-standing coat tree. Hang a hats, dress up clothes and accessories on it. You might also use coat hooks. Choose costumes that reflect homeschool unit, theme, season or subject. 

Rotate dramatic play themes. Group dramatic play costumes and preschool dress-up accessories according to theme: animals, cowboy, pirate, fashion, Bible, occupations. Coordinate costumes with seasons and holidays. Match them to homeschool lesson plans. Around Labor Day, set out uniforms. Near Thanksgiving, pull out Native American costumes. You will have fond memories of the many impromptu performances your young actors put on for you.

Montessori math manipulatives from recycled trash: Easy, free DIY math activities

Educational wisdom says hands-on learning works best for kids. Here are hands-on Montessori math activities using homemade Math Their Way type manipulatives from recycled trash. Make easy, free or cheap eco-friendly math lesson plans for learning centers Homeschool parents, keep Montessori math activities on hand for homework help and summer enrichment. Use these math manipulatives to teach place value, addition, subtraction, carrying, borrowing, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, percent, story problems, sorting and classifying, even basic algebra. 

Milk rings from recycled trash. Use milk rings in different colors to teach place value. Bundle in groups of ten like Montessori base10 blocks. Teach math operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. 

Twist ties and bread tags from recycled trash: As with milk rings, bundle different colors together to show groups of ten or one hundred. Use like Montessori golden beads. Math Their Way uses milk rings, twist ties and bread tags for place value, sorting, counting and classifying. 

Play dough math manipulatives. Save play dough scraps and give each child a tub. Have students make clay numbers or clay balls to count. Students can also roll clay out and cut with cookie cutters to create shapes, patterns and Montessori style geometric solids. 

Dice math activities: Keep these as car games for math facts practice, homework help or summer enrichment. Play multiplication, division, subtraction and addition games. Shake two die and add, subtract, divide or multiply the two numbers. 

Recycled game pieces. Save old game pieces, bingo or poker chips and game tokens to use for counting, like Montessori Teddy Bear Counters. Play Math Their Way sorting, classifying and organizing math games. Use to demonstrate story problems. Teach ratio, percent and fractions lesson plans. 

Domino math games . Dominoes make great hands-on math manipulatives. Use as car games for homework help and summer enrichment, practicing times tables and math facts. Have students add, subtract or multiply the dots shown on the domino. 

Playing cards. Recycle and repurpose mismatched playing cards as flashcards. Have students play math games like war, only they add, subtract or multiply the cards drawn. These make great car games for homework practice and summer enrichment. 

Stickers for DIY flash cards and math worksheets. Repurpose partially used sheets of stickers to make DIY math flashcards and math problems. Students create math problems by writing numbers on blank stickers. Students can also use picture stickers to show story problems. 

Yarn and straws. Cut straws into equal pieces and have students "string" straw pieces like beads.  Use for counting and patterns, abacus math and fine motor skills practices. 

Beads. String mismatched beads from broken jewelry and use like a DIY abacus, golden beads or base 10 blocks. 

Cardboard. Cut cardboard strips to make rulers for measurement, base 10 bars (like Cuisenaire Rods). Teach place value, geometry, multiplication, division. Make fraction bars and fraction pies from recycled cardboard. Make flashcards and file folder games. Here are some free printables for file folder games. (From ABCs to ACTs blog)