Money, Money, Money

Happy Thursday!

This week my firsties began counting money. They've been doing pretty well because we have incorporated it into calendar math since the beginning of the school year. However, the kids often mistaken nickels and quarters and have trouble adding on with larger valued coins.

So, on Tuesday in math small group we sorted coins using these great yellow mats from my second grade friend across the hall. The kids thought this was SO fun! (which made me laugh inside...) 

After they sorted all the coins in front of them, we practiced skip counting. We counted by 1's to find the value of the pennies. We counted by 5's to find the value of the nickels. (You get the picture.) We also compared the total amount on each child's mat. They were very excited to discover who had the most money!

This is one of this week's favorite math centers. It's called Scavenger Hunt Riddles.

Kids take a recording sheet (there are 8 varieties). They then choose the cards that match the color indicated on the recording sheet. For example, the recording sheet pictured here is for the GREEN cards, so kids choose the money cards with the green background. They count the coins inside the magnifying glass and then match it to the same number on their recording sheet. They write the word on the card under the correct amount of money. If they correctly identify and count the coins, they will answer the riddle!

Let me tell you. This is a HUGE hit! You can find this adorable center for FREE here!

Enjoy!