Learning Math With A Snowman Friend

Sam the Solution Snowman is a fun way for your students/child to enjoy learning to count, sequence, match numbers with number words, as well as do simple addition and subtraction.

Run off the templates on construction paper.

Students cut out their snowman and hat.

Students color their snowman’s face and glue on their hat.

To expedite things, you might want to have the arm pieces pre-cut and hole-punched.

Hole punch 6 holes in the middle of the snowman and 6 holes in the bottom of the snowman.

You’ll have to fold one side to get the hole punch to the middle.

Fasten the arms to each other using brass brads and then attach them to the snowman with 2 more brads.

Position the arms so they look like they are holding a snowflake.

Cut a 1 x 12 inch strip of black and white construction paper.

Lay the white strip on top of the black strip and paperclip them together in the middle.

Pull the white strip down a bit so that you can tape the black strip to the back of the snowman’s head.

Students roll two dice; count the dots to see how many buttons they will reveal on the snowman by pulling the white strip down so that the buttons appear black.

They then find that numbered snowflake and position it in the snowman’s hands.

Students flip the red hat sash to reveal the number word that matches the number on the snowflake.

If you want to make this an addition or subtraction activity, have students roll the dice.

The largest number will reveal the top buttons; the smaller number on the dice will reveal the bottom buttons on the snowman.

In order to do addition/subtraction, you will need a black rectangle “side cover”.

You reveal the bottom buttons by this extra black side strip.

Fold it in half horizontally to reveal buttonholes 1-4.  Keep it open to reveal number > 4.

Have students write their equations on a sheet of scratch paper.

You can eliminate the number-word sash for younger children as well as the side-cover for addition/subtraction, keeping the snowman simple.

If you want to make a class set to use every year, laminate your snowman parts and then assemble them.

If you’re only doing a few for a center or making one with your child, you may want to use Velcro on the snowflakes and put the opposite Velcro piece on the snowman’s tummy.

The snowflake squares make the perfect pages for a cute Itty Bitty Booklet, so I made a cover for them. This is a great way to practice sequencing!

I've also included 6 snowflake "What Comes Next?" skill sheets with this activity and a blank one for you to fill in for numbers/letters that you want to work on, + a certificate of praise.

Your students are sure to have "snow" much fun learning with Sam the Solution Snowman.

Click on the link to view/print Sam.

Thank you for visiting today. Feel free to PIN anything you think others may find helpful.

"Cheers to a new year and another chance to get it right!" -Ophra Winfrey

Let's Play A Math Game!

Dominoes are an inexpensive and fun math manipulative to help your students practice simple addition and subtraction facts.  Dominic the Domino Snowman makes it even more interesting.  He needs buttons for his belly! 

Here's how to help him:

• If you want all of your students to play as a whole group, run off a class set of snowmen. Have students play in groups of 2-4 so they can share dominoes.  They sell them at The Dollar Store.

•  If you don’t have dominoes, use my template and print off a class set, or some for your students so they can have a Dominic and dominoes to practice at home.

•  You can color the snowmen, or have students color them and then laminate the playing boards so you can use them every year.

•  Children will use dry erase markers to record their answers and then wipe them off with a wet wipe.

• Write the directions: Roll, Find, Place, Write, Solve on the board.
• Demonstrate how to play the game.

• Students obtain the dominoes by rolling 2 dice twice and finding the appropriate dominoes.
• i.e, If they roll a 1 and a 5, they find the domino with one dot and five dots and place that to the side.

•  The student then rolls the second time and rolls a 2 and a 3.
• They find that domino.

• Since the first domino has larger numbers, they put that domino on top so that they can subtract. They put the smaller numbered domino on the bottom.

• Students add the “buttons” of the domino to get the first number to add and and then later subtract and then add the “buttons” of the second domino to get the second number to add and later subtract. 

•  Students write these equations vertically on their snowman and solve the problem.

• On a sheet of  paper, students write the equations horizontally and solve the problem.

• Set a timer to ring after about 10 minutes.
• The student with the most correct answers wins the game.

• Click on the link to view/print Dominic the Domino Math Game Snowman

Do you have a math game that you play with your students? I'd enjoy hearing from you! diane@teachwithme.com and if you use one of my freebies I'd really enjoy a comment.  Thanks in advance.

Be sure and pop back tomorrow for more creative teaching tips.

Build A Tree!

I like to dream up games that double as art projects and review report card standards so that I’m multi-tasking during busy December days.  The Strip Tree Dice Game fits the bill.

Here’s How To Make It:

• Run off the strips on green construction paper and cut on a paper cutter.
• One side will make one tree the other another tree.

• You can laminate the construction paper before you cut the pieces out and make this an in-class game you use every year, or skip the lamination, and simply have it as a game your students can take home.

• This makes a fun activity for the day before vacation or for your class party day.
• If you want to do it now, it also makes a lovely December bulletin board! Simply staple them to a black background with the header: "Tree-mendous work!"


• As a game, students can play with a partner.
• I like to play with large foam dice.  They don’t make any noise and they stay on the tables.

• If you don’t want the students to re-use the pieces as a game, and you want to turn it into a lovely art project, have students glue the pieces down as they roll the dice.
• I use a star punch to expedite cutting out this piece.
• Make sure you remind students to put the glue on the side with the NUMBER on it.

• A royal blue construction paper background looks awesome.
• Give students a dollop of white paint and a Q-tip and they can dab on a flurrie of flakes to add a bit more pizzazz.

• So that their tree turns out with the appropriate proportions, students must decide to build it from the top down or the bottom up depending on what number they roll first.  i.e. if they roll a 1 they will start from the top and go down.

• They glue the star first and then they must roll 2 more 1’s to be able to glue the other two small green pieces down.
• If they roll a 6 they will start from the bottom and go up.  They would start with the brown trunk and then need to roll another 6 to put the longest green #6 strip down after that.

• If they roll anything else they must skip their turn until they roll one of those numbers.
• After they roll all three 1’s then they must roll a 2 then a 3 and so on.
• When they roll their 2nd 6 and start from the bottom, they must then roll a 5, 4, 3 and so on.

• Children glue their red heart on last and write their name on it.
• Demonstrate how to play the game by showing students an example of both top down and bottom up examples so that they understand.

• Have a completed sample so that they can see the shortest to longest pattern.
• Point out that there should be a space in between each rectangle.

• Review the shapes with your students.  How many rectangles are there?  Did they count the big blue one? How many squares?  What other shapes do they see? 
• Click on the link to view/print the Christmas Tree Dice Game