5 Little Muffins and teaching coins and values.

Rhymes and finger plays are great ways to introduce and reinforce content topics.  I found the following rhyme and finger play very useful for teaching subtraction and money.

So, There were 5 little muffins on the bakery shop, (Hold up 5 fingers)
You know, the kind with the honey and the nuts on the top. (Pretend to sprinkle honey and nuts on top of a muffin)
Along came (name a child) with a (name a coin), (Point to child)
And bought 1 muffin and ran away. (Hold up 1 finger and pretend to run away)

Final verse after all 5 muffins have been purchased the last line is.
What!? No muffins today!
Oh well, I guess I'll have a doughnut.

I created this visual manipulative game, a book and a rhyme card.
I used a metal muffin tin (test it first as not all muffin tins are magnetic).
I created muffins using foam sheets, permanent marker, hot glue and round magnets.
I created magnetic coins by hot gluing plastic coins to magnets.  I made 5 pennies, 5 nickels, 5 dimes and 5 quarters.  I introduce 1 coin at a time and as we recite the poem the child named trades a coin for a muffin.
After each verse count the coins and their values.

SUPERKIDS Class books

If you use the SUPERKIDS reading program here are some class book ideas for each of the characters.

Up, up and away! Theme to start the year.

When I need to feel inspired for the new year I like to find a theme to focus my creativity.  This year I decided to use hot air balloon.  I had so much fun with the colorful balloons. I labeled each balloon with the student's name, using permanent marker.   I had each student color a coffee filter with washable marker.  Then I sprayed them with water to disperse the colors.  Those became the hot air balloons.  The baskets are cardboard squares also labeled with student's names.  When the students arrive at school they have fun finding their name and balloon and then those of their friends.