Using Math Journals and other hands-on activities

Learning through play, movement and using your hands is fun. Also, this type of exploration helps students, particularly younger students, to learn better. From learning the alphabet to math to science, hands-on activities are effective and engaging. 

 



Hands-on activities to teach basic math skills are often used in the classroom, for example, dominoes, linking cubes and counters. Making number art is a perfect hands-on activity. Math has itself been described by math lovers as an art motivated by beauty. Coloring, gluing and cutting numbers and examples of numbers is a great way to ensure not only beautiful results but also number awareness. 



Themed math learning material can help you ensure that your students and young learners are focused. Math is often seen as only a subject filled with numbers. Yet, math is a universal language you can find math in the most unexpected situations. The sharing of a pizza can be transformed into an engaging geometry lesson!

By using math journaling rather than relying on worksheets, your students will be provided with opportunities to connect math learning to communication and discussions as well. A math journal is a great chance to showcase the thinking behind their solution rather than simply providing an answer.

Working on prompts in a math journal goes beyond basic facts or using simple procedures. A deeper understanding is required to complete the task using for example drawings or writing to explain the thinking. Math journaling and hands-on activities also help to link math to language. 

Math prompts can be used with students of all ages. Starting with simple prompts gives you valuable insight into your students' understanding and thinking about math. Providing students with a chance to regularly use math journaling, means that their responses will be more detailed, which will help you get an even deeper insight into where each student is in their learning process. Like all educational material, the prompts must have interesting questions and prompts. Providing your students with room to explore and draw their solutions is vital. Fun and engaging images will make it more fun to get started with the journaling.  

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2024 March Products

It’s March! Make your planning easy by looking at special things to recognize and celebrate. Using special days for developing ideas to begin a day is a remarkably easy way to keep the students engaged. 

Pig’s Day may sound like a new idea but the idea to devote a day to these charming farm animals started in 1972. Two sisters, Ellen Stanley and Mary Lynne Rave, thought that pigs should be recognized as one of the “most intellectual and domesticated animals”.  Today, fun events like pig parades and pig-themed crafts activities are part of the celebrations on the 1st of March. Pigs have lived on farms and zoos for many years and they have been kept as pets. Pigs are popular themes in books, movies, stuffed animals and piggy banks. . . Your students will love learning more using my Fact Booklet about pigs. 

Celebrate dentists on March 6th.  National Dentist Day is a great opportunity to talk about the important work that dentists are carrying out to prevent, diagnose, and treat oral diseases.  Dental health is an important way to keep our bodies in great shape. My fact booklet is filled with engaging crafts and ideas to make sure that your students will enjoy learning and reading about our teeth.  Towards the end of the month, there is National Doctors Day, March 30th. The celebrations started in 1933 to honor Dr Crawford W. Long, the first doctor who used ether as an anesthetic. Fact Booklets about Dentists or Doctors are great for projects. Designing a dentist or doctor's office is a wonderful way to implement hands-on learning. 

Learning about different cultures is a vital part of education and it will help your students not only understand the reasons behind the celebrations but also help to show them that you are supportive. The way Muslims observe Ramadan may vary but it often includes a period of fasting and praying. Books about Ramadan can be used as a starting point for engaging conversations. Learning about the meaning behind different words is also a great help if you are using a Fact Booklet about Ramadan in your classroom. The start and end dates vary annually and this year it runs from March 11 to April 10.

One of the most famous scientists, Albert Einstein, was born on the 14th of March. Scientists Day is celebrated on Einstein’s birthday. This day is important since it honors the hard work of scientists. Many of their discoveries have been crucial in helping to make our lives easier.  Learning about how they help save lives, cure diseases and learn about planets far away from ours. 



Easter is celebrated by thousands of Christians around the world. The date varies each year, and in 2024, the celebrations begin on Friday the 29 March - Good Friday. Today, many people celebrate Easter by giving and receiving chocolate Easter eggs and sometimes going on an Easter egg hunt. Activities involving eggs are perfect towards the end of March. Using How to Draw Easter is an easy way to ensure that your students can make stunning Easter decorations and Easter cards. 



I hope March in your classroom is full of engaging learning, fun and festivity!

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