Conversation Heart Math. A Fun, Hands-On Freebie!

I'm always looking for ways to make learning hands-on and FUN.  Just like all of you, I scour the dollar bins at Target/Dollar Tree/Wal Mart/{insert store name here} in search of the *perfect* hands-on manipulatives/counters.  Don't we all love making learning fun?!  Turning the ordinary everyday things into learning materials for our littles?!  Of course we do!  

And just like you, one of my favorite seasonal counters to use during the month of February are the tried and true...and completely disgusting...conversation hearts.  {Y'all...I'm not a fan.  They have the consistency of chalk and I'm really not into eating anything that tastes like something my 2nd grade teacher used to write with.}  However, I DO love using them for learning purposes!!!  

This week we're spicing up our math activities using these chalk flavored candies.  I also have several bags of conversation heart stickers I picked up at Target, so we're using those, too.  My kids are having an absolute BLAST and really getting into the {commercial} holiday spirit!  Anything to make learning FUN!

My kids are obsessed with ANY activity requiring the use of a bingo dotter. For this activity, the kids got to choose 3 conversation hearts, count the number of letters on each, record the numbers inside the hearts, and dot the greatest number.  I've had several kid-sized requests for this activity to make it's way back into the rotation and I'm happy to comply with that request!

Of course, we'll use any excuse to practice adding and that's just what we did here!  We grabbed two conversation hearts, counted the number of letters on each and wrote them down, then added them together and recorded the sums! LOVE.

We recently introduced subtraction and this is what we have on tap later this week.  A fun little *math path* of subtraction!  My oldest loves coming into my classroom at the end of the day and scouring all the activities I have planned for the week.  He loves all things math, so he tested out this little game for me and FELL.IN.LOVE.  Bless his sweet little heart.

We've had so much fun...and looking forward to so much more!!...with these activities that I thought you might like 'em, too!  Click the pic below to download these activities...use 'em this week or file 'em away for next year!  

PS:  I now have a new obsession.  Parenthood.  I finished Scandal and Revenge so I needed something else to mindlessly occupy my nights.  OMG.  I can't.get.enough.  Somebody please rip me away from Netflix because right now we have a very unhealthy relationship.  My expanding waistline is proof!!!!