1-2-3 Come Do Some Columbus Day Activities With Me!

This blog article will be a bit longer, as I have LOTS of Christopher Columbus "stuff" that I've been busy designing.  I hope you find something to do with your kiddo's on Columbus Day.

I've had a few more requests for shape activities that include the hexagon shape, so I designed Columbus' "Oceans of Fun." Children choose a partner and take turns spinning.  Whatever shape they land on, is the shape they name and trace. 

The object of the game is to get Christopher Columbus and his ships to San Salvador, by tracing all of the shapes.  Click on the link to view/download the Columbus Day Shape Game. 

Likewise, I've had requests for activities involving place value.  I've never made a place value game, so I thought I'd figure out one for Columbus Day.  Since most students learn that "Columbus sailed the blue in 1492"  I decided that would be a great number to figure out place value for. 

You can use real place value cubes and rods, or run off my pattern pieces for students to play with.  If you want to use this every year, laminate the 1492 mat, manipulatives and spinners.  You can also laminate just the spinners, and give each student their own 1492 map, with place value pieces to glue to it. 

Add more fun to the activity, by making this into a game.  Students choose a partner and take turns spinning the place value spinner.  The object of the game is to be the first to collect enough 1's, 10's, and 100's cubes/rods + the 1,000 cube, to make the number 1492.  Click on the link to view/download the Columbus Day place value game.

Getting students interested in writing every day is a big challenge.  I found that if I changed things up and followed monthly themes, children got into WANTING to write.  Click on the link to view/download the Columbus Day Writing packet. 

You'll find 2 class books, several adjective activities, a venn diagram, a Columbus Day KWL, a trace-cut-& glue booklet, + some fast-facts about Columbus, to test reading comprehension, and give students background information, so they can do some of the Columbus Day writing prompts.

The "craftivities" I post on TeachWithMe are very popular, so I wanted to make a few for Columbus Day. 

You can set these up as independent centers or tuck them in students' take home folders to do 1 or 2 as a homework assignment. 

Completed projects make lovely bulletin boards and hallway decorations.  Click on the link to view/download the Christopher Columbus paper chain, the Columbus Day pop-up card, and/or the "Let's Sail!" Columbus' ship craftivity. 

While I was doing research (so enjoy this; I learn lots of new things every day) I found all sorts of awesome clip art images that lent themselves to my popular Number-Strip Puzzles. 

This Columbus Day Puzzle Packet is a whopping 38 pages, with 14 different puzzles. Each set includes numbers from 1 to 10, counting backwards from 10 to 1, as well as skip counting by 10's.  

Print, laminate and trim, or run one off for your kiddo's to take home.  I've included blank templates for strip placement.  You can also use the templates to make "Flip and Find" booklets that combine 3-4 puzzles in mixed up fashion. For a cool "craftivity" print off a variety of puzzles for students to choose from. 

Have them trim and glue to a sheet of black construction paper, leaving a bit of a gap between pieces.   Click on the link to view/download the Columbus Day Puzzle Packet.

To cover more math standards on Columbus Day, click on the Counting With Columbus packet.  These pages can be laminated and cut up into puzzles, or run off so that each student can make their own number booklet.  To reinforce sequencing and writing numbers,

I've included trace & write pages for numbers 0-120, + skip counting by 3's & 10's.  Use as separate mini-worksheets, or staple them together to make a Columbus Day booklet.  Click on the link to view/download the Counting With Columbus packet. 

For more table top lessons for Columbus Day click on the link.  These worksheets are quick, easy to implement, and cover a nice range of standards. There's a Happy Columbus Day bookmark to give students when they've completed their lessons. 

If you count all of the individual activities in all of these packets you have over 50 lessons to help celebrate Columbus Day!  Hopefully you'll find just the right thing to plug in.  

Since this article was already so long, I whipped together a short one that includes several special requests. Scroll down to take a look at the Columbus-themed 10 frames and alphabet cards. Enjoy!

"I went to sea from the most tender age and have continued in a sea life to this day. Whoever gives himself up to this art wants to know the secrets of Nature here below. It is more than forty years that I have been thus engaged. Wherever any one has sailed, there I have sailed." – Christopher Columbus