Make Your Own Pattern Pull!

Barbara Novelli, one of the wonderful speakers I saw this weekend at the Northwest Math Conference, briefly showed us what she called a "pattern holder." Basically, it was a sleeve made of stiff paper (think posterboard) that she pulled pattern strips through. The pattern strips were permanent, each created to show a particular pattern. I'm sure she had a lot of them; I would think that each strip could be used in one sitting with one group of kids before being set aside until the next year.

I'm far too lazy to create that many unique strips. So I decided to modify a bit. Like Barbara, I created the long sleeve from posterboard so that I could pull strips through, slowly revealing each picture as children make predictions about the picture(s) to follow. But rather than making a lot of permanent pattern strips, I made a pattern holder. I cut up one heavyweight presentation sheet protector and made a transparent pocket on the front of a strip of posterboard. The pocket is designed to hold little cards.

I then went to my local dollar store and picked up one package of wall borders. I cut them up so that I had a multitude of pictures that could be arranged and rearranged to form patterns. This way, I can insert them into the transparent pocket to form anything from simple ABAB patterns to more complex ABCABC or ABBABB patterns, etc. Additional patterns could be made from photos of children (boy-girl-boy-girl or long hair, short hair) or by cutting 3x5" notecards in half and adding stickers or stamps.

I made a short video to demonstrate. Hope you enjoy. I'd love to hear your comments. ;) And do check out past entries exploring patterns. Especially this one that uses the book Pattern Bugs and includes a bunch of hands-on pattern activities.



And with this post, love2learn2day celebrates the 500th Google Friend follower!! THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE! :)

Math Monday Blog Hop #28

I just spent a fascinating couple of days at the Northwest Mathematics Conference. I have so many fabulous new ideas to try out...and share!!! Can't wait to post more this week!







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Advice for Alexander (...who used to be rich last Sunday!)

In the context of Bridges in Mathematics, we've been reading Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday. This humorous picture book provides ample opportunity to explore the addition and subtraction of money through the life of Alexander and his brothers.

We added money...
The text specifies the coins that Alexander's brothers, Anthony and Nicholas, have. So, for example, we figured out how much Anthony has with "two dollars and three quarters and one dime and seven nickels and eighteen pennies." We first used mental math and then checked with both numbers and money value pieces.

We compared money...
After figuring out how much each brother had, we compared to see who had the most.

We subtracted money...
We followed along, subtracting, as Alexander receives a dollar from his grandparents and gradually loses it in a series of poor financial choices.

Finally, we did some writing...and gave Alexander a little advice. (This letter will make the most sense if you read it in the context of the book.) Here's my son's letter:

Dear Alexander,

Don't buy three pieces of gum. Your friend is not going to buy used gum. Don't try and hold your breath til three hundred. Also, you should have landed on your feet when you jumped off of the stoop. And you should not hide a purple marble from your mom because my mom said moms have special magic. Renting a snake for one hour is not really worth it. Don't say bad words to your brothers. Don't hold money while you flush the toilet and try not to walk on your hands with a nickel. And don't eat a chocolate bar that's left sitting around. Don't give Nick four pennies. He probably just stole them. Don't kick Nick's butt. Don't buy a bear with one eye and a half-melted candle and a deck of cards that you can't really do anything with. Don't try and make a tooth fall out.

Pick up the book and write to Alexander with your own advice. We'd love to see what you include! :)

Throughout both the reading of the story and the writing of the letter, my son laughed and laughed. It's a great book for elementary-age students!

Disclosure: If you purchase this product through my Amazon link, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. I do not keep any money myself; I am hoping to be able to sponsor an additional child in foster care through commissions on this site. 

Swish...a Very Cool Math Game

My husband says that Swish has "coolness factor." He's not easily impressed, so take that into consideration. :)

Swish is a new, transparent card game by ThinkFun. Basically, you layer cards so that "balls" go into "hoops" of the same color. In order to make cards fit together, you have to mentally flip/reflect or turn/rotate. When you call "Swish" you put the cards together to test your theory; if they fit, you keep the cards and earn that many points. If they don't fit, you have to return them and lose that number of cards/points already in your hand.

But there's more...

It's not necessarily that hard to find a Swish with two cards. But you can layer MULTIPLE cards to produce a Swish. Try finding 3, 4 or more cards that go together to form a Swish. The more cards you stack, the more points you get.

If you've ever played SET (a favorite math game for looking at patterns), this reminds me of it in some ways. The cards are dealt onto the playing surface and everyone tries to find a SWISH at once. Last night, we played with two adults, a 9yo, and a 5yo. I was shocked that the 5yo was able to play; he could find SWISHes with two cards. At the same time, my husband and I competed to find SWISHes with three cards or more. I'd no sooner than think I had a SWISH and my 5yo would take a card off the playing surface to complete his own 2-card SWISH.

It's a great group game and would make a terrific Math Station in school (what a great way to explore geometric transformations!!!) and a great Math Workbox at home. Oh...[chuckle]...and it would probably work for a fun family game as well. At least we think so.

Are you starting a holiday gift list? Swish would be a great addition!

Disclosure: I received a free Swish game in exchange for a frank and unbiased review. Thank you to ThinkFun for the opportunity! I was not paid for this review, nor was I required to write a positive review.  If you purchase this product through my Amazon link, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. I do not keep any money myself; I am hoping to be able to sponsor an additional child in foster care through commissions on this site.

Math Monday Blog Hop #27

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Giveaway: Square Cat (Children's Book)

Here's a square deal...that might just made you purrrrrr...

Elizabeth Schoonmaker, author of Square Cat, graciously sent us an autographed copy of her book for a giveaway. (You can read my review here and a lesson we did with the book here.)

**GIVEAWAY**

Enter to Win:

Prize (1): one autographed copy of Square Cat
**U.S. shipping only.**

Contest Details:
Begins today and continues through Halloween, October 31st. (Wouldn't it be fun to dress up as a square cat for Halloween??) Contest ends at midnight on the 31st. I will choose a winner at random using Random.org.

How to enter:
Enter up to three times, using the criteria below. Please make sure that I have a way to contact you...such as janedoe at gmail dot com. If I don't hear back from a real person within 24 hours, I'll draw again.

#1: What problematic situation do you think a square cat might encounter, due to her shape?

#2: Become a follower of my blog. (Or tell me that you already are.)

#3: Blog about the contest and post the link in your comment below.

Good luck!

Square Cat Fun!

I recently mentioned how much I enjoy the new book, Square Cat. This week, before reading the book again, I held up two shapes (below, right) and asked my 5yo to tell me what he knew about them. (Can you tell that I used two pieces from my kindergarten calendar pattern? :) From Bridges in Mathematics, btw.) He named them (circle, square) and talked about their attributes (no sides, round; 4 sides w/ same length, 4 corners, etc.)

We then reread Square Cat. I set out some die cut circles* and squares and asked my boys to pick out shapes to represent each character in the book. (*Note that the characters are "round" in the book and not true circles.) They picked two circles and a square. They then drew their own depiction of the characters. A fun art/math/lit connection!  Linking up to stART!

Disclaimer: If you purchase the book from Amazon, any commissions I make (at no additional cost to you) will be sent to Grace and Hope to provide foster care to orphans in China. I recently received a review copy of the book along with another for a giveaway. 

Math Monday Blog Hop #26

Get ready for a GIVEAWAY!!! It's coming!!







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Versatile Blogger Award

Thank you so much to Heather at mrsrobinsonsclassroomblog,  Janaye at frogsandcupcakes, and Barbara at The Corner On Character for the Versatile Blogger Award! Thanks also to Barbara for the Blog on Fire Award! And to Janaye for the Top Ten Award!

To accept Versatile Blogger Award, I need to:

1. Link back to the bloggers who awarded me. (Done...and thank you! I LOVE your blogs!)
2. Share 7 things about myself.
3. Nominate 15 other blogs.

Wow! Tall order!

So...7 things about me...

1. In the past week, I have canned a little more than 115 jars of tomatoes, tomato sauce and salsa. I am so, so sick of looking at tomatoes. (But grateful!) I also found the top of my desk and the floor of my office. (The tomatoes weren't stored there, but everything else was!)  :)

2. I just finished a summer that included many teacher math workshops...including one to Indiana in the heart of Amish country. I learn so much from working with teachers!

3. Related to #2, my husband has Amish relatives. We visited a great uncle and my kids got a buggy ride.

4. I have 5 children. Last year I discovered why I was so busy all the time. I had one child in each of these levels: preschool, elementary, middle, high school, and college!

5. Related to #4, when I was a kid, I said I wanted to grow up to have 12 children.

6. I've gone from high school English teacher to middle school language arts/social studies to elementary teacher to math trainer. My favorite age to teach is always whatever age I'm currently teaching. (Which seems to change on a daily basis!)

7. If I wasn't a teacher, I'd be a child psychologist specializing in adoption issues.

Check out these fabulous math blogs (in no particular order):

Math Mama Writes...

Dr. Nicki's Guided Math Blog

Bookish Ways in Math and Science

Mathwire

Math is Not a Four Letter Word

Guided Math Study Group

Let's Play Math!

Homeschool blogs (in no particular order):

Almost Unschoolers

Joyful Learner

Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns

The Adventures of Bear

A Mommy's Adventures

Jimmie's Collage

Journey to Excellence

The Learning Hypothesis

Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational (an "after school" blog!)

Someday I'll do a post just on teacher blogs. There are so, so many I love that it's hard to choose just a few! But you can find a lot of fabulous teachers linked at:

Teaching Blog Addict

Okay, that's 17. But who's counting??? :)

Quick Image Math - Fluency in Basic Addition

Interested in helping your students (at home or school) become fluent in basic addition? I just read a fabulous article on the topic in the Sept. 2011 issue of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) magazine, Teaching Children Mathematics.

In the article, author Gina Kling asks "what exactly does fluency mean, and how might fluency differ from having instant recall of each and every basic fact?" Great question. And one with which many teachers and parents struggle.

NCTM defines computational fluency as efficient, accurate and flexible ways of computing. Kling writes, "Traditionally, learning basic facts has focused on rote memorization of isolated facts, typically through the use of flash cards, repeated drilling, and timed testing. However, ...drill alone does not develop mastery of single-digit combinations."

The article goes on to describe strategies that fluent students use and suggests several ways that teachers might help students to become more fluent. She talks about ten frames and games. But the concept that jumped out at me was subitizing.

Subitizing is "instantly seeing the quantity." Kling suggests using quick images to show students a representation of a number "with the expectation that they will retain a mental picture of what they saw and then use that image in some way." The key? "...to flash the image quickly enough so that students [can] not rely on counting to determine their answer."

I decided to try it this morning. I put pegs into a mat, gave a 5yo a quick image, and asked him to then replicate the number of pegs in his own mat. The mathematical thinking is apparent in the video below as he decomposes the number four, seeing it as "these two and these two make four." As you can see in the video, he doesn't count the numbers. He knows that it is four because he recognizes 4 as a double of 2 or 2+2=4. Note that we've done no formal work with addition; I've never heard him say,"two plus two makes four."

In the representation at right I asked, "How do you know it's 5?"

"Because 2 of these  and 2 of these [he pointed at two on one side, then two on the opposite side] and 1 of this [pointed to middle] makes 5."

It's quite exciting to see his mathematical reasoning.

We're on our way to learning basic facts. I'd like to try other methods using subitizing. The author suggests one could flash a pattern of dots (think of 5 or 10 frames) or a certain construction of unifix cubes. Watching my boys this morning, it'd actually make a great partner game in a math station at school or in a workbox at home. Each student could make a quick image "puzzle", give their partner a quick peek, challenge the partner to replicate it and then check the work by explaining the mathematical thinking involved. For instance, each child could have a five frame, put pennies on it (anywhere from 0-5) and have the partner try to replicate it after a quick peek. What an engaging way to develop fluency! As I was jumping around the web I noticed that DreamBox Learning has a whole category of games/activities for quick images. (I registered--free--and could immediately access.) Also, while this 5 Frame exercise isn't presented as a quick image, it's also a great resource for fluency practice.

P.S. Want to check out something similar for bigger people? Check out "What's Your Number Sense?" on Mathwire and go take the Panamath Test and check your own Number Sense! It's fascinating!

P.P.S. Just found a couple links:
What is Subitizing and Why Teach It?
Where Will You Land? A Game Focusing on Subitizing
Subitizing: What Is It? Why Teach It?

Math Monday Blog Hop #25

What are you doing this week? Share lessons, books, and resources that you're using in math.








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Math Monday Blog Hop #24

So excited to get back to math with my kiddos!!  What are you doing this week? Share lessons, books, and resources that you're using in math.








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Review: Math Dice Jr.

As of TODAY, my continuing education math workshops for teachers are done for the season. I'm very excited to get started with the school year a bit closer to home. Oh wait...in our home!

Last year, my youngest attended preschool two days a week. This year, at 5.5yo, we'll be doing some minimal kindergarten work. Recently, we were excited to receive a game that we can use as he begins learning more about MATH.


MathDice Jr. is designed to be used with ages 6 and up. At 5, my son is on the young side. To play, the rules say to roll the 12-sided Target Die and the five 6-sided Scoring Dice. All are large, chunky and bright...fun playing pieces for young children.

The Scoring Dice can be combined to make addition or subtraction problems that equal the target number. So, for example, in the picture below, you could use 6 + 2 to reach the target of 8. Since my son isn't ready for subtraction, we added another element...  If one of the colored Scoring Dice exactly equals the Target Dice, that dice can also be used to achieve a match. My son spent a lot of time counting the dots on each dice to see which matched the target. It was nice for counting practice.

The original instructions call for players to move one space on the track for each die used. Again, we played an easier version (our invention) to meet my son's developmental level. Player #1 (whomever rolled the dice that game), got the first opportunity to make the number, either through addition of several dice or by one-to-one correspondence, "matching" a dice to the target number. If he found a way to make the number, he called "Math Dice," showed his results, "captured" the dice he used (removing them from the play area) and moved one space on the track. Then, the next player in the circle could try to reach the target number from whatever dice remain. If he can match the target number, he also calls "Math Dice" and gets to move one space on the track. We continue around the circle until no possible combinations for the target number remain. Then the player who did not roll the last time gets to roll. Using this method, the play stays pretty balanced; no one is able to get far ahead of others on the track.

The first few times we played, I tried to let my 9yo son play using any operation (add, subtract, multiply, divide) to reach the target number. This left my younger son at a significant disadvantage. So I'd "help" him...again using any operation. But this meant my younger son got very little out of it. So I told everyone that for now, we'd only do one-to-one correspondence or addition. As my youngest learns more math, we'll add more operations...which will make it more of a family game. Right now it's mostly a counting game for the youngest.

The game itself comes with a nice little canvas game board and all pieces fit into a convenient drawstring bag. It was a nice compact game to carry along on a campout. No game markers come with the game but my boys have enjoyed picking out buttons (note the long button in the middle photo!) to use. On the MathDice webpage, you can pick up a pdf for a game board and some pretty cool looking game markers.

My opinion in a nutshell? This is an inexpensive, fun, educational game that could be used by teachers (a great math work station!) or by homeschoolers (a great math workbox!)


Disclosure: I received a free Math Dice Jr. game in exchange for a frank and unbiased review. Thank you to ThinkFun for the opportunity! I was not paid for this review, nor was I required to write a positive review. Frankly, I love the ThinkFun products I've had the opportunity to try...most of which I've purchased myself. :) If you purchase this product through my Amazon link at right, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. I do not keep any money myself; I am hoping to be able to sponsor an additional child in foster care through commissions on this site.

Math Monday Blog Hop #23

First, the giveaway winner for a new children's book, How Big is a Million, is Kim @ the Learning Hypothesis. Congratulations!

Join in the Math Monday Blog Hop! We'd love to see what you're up to this week in MATH! :)







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What's a.... Purpllinker ?????

When I initially read about Purpllinker on Timberdoodle, I was intrigued.

What's a Purpllinker?
It's purple. It has 7 sections of 5" plastic "arms" that are jointed together at each end. Extended, it creates a purple "stick" that is about 2.5' long. But bend the joints and you can create any number of creations: letters, numbers, pictures, shapes, and more.

I asked to review it, thinking it would be great for my 5.5yo to use to explore letters. After I opened the package, we did that for about 5 minutes. Then, other family members started coming into the room. My 9yo grabbed it to make pictures. My teenagers took it and started twisting to see what shapes they could make. My husband snatched it and tried to make fancier letters. In essence, it made its way around the room, and the family, with each age level intrigued in different ways.

Always looking for quiet church toys, I stuck it in my bag on Sunday. My youngest made his own inventions with it, forming letters in his name as well as a variety of pictures. It was a great quiet toy. I just had to encourage him to make creations below the top of the bench so other congregants weren't distracted by a bobbing purple wand. :)

Over the last few days, Purpllinker has been sitting on my desk, waiting for me to review it. When my 5yo comes in and starts climbing on my back while I'm typing (not an unusual occurrence!) he'll often see the toy, pick it up, and start creating.

Thoughts:

1. I'm not sure that I'd use this for teaching the alphabet. If you look at the suggested formation of letters inside the cardboard packaging, many of them look quite different than what a child would be taught. You simply cannot make every traditional letter--at least "normal" looking letters--using this tool. However,...

2. If a child was familiar with many letters (as my son is), it is a nice challenge to get him to try to come up with a way to form any given letter. You might say, for instance, "Can you come up with a way to make the letter S?"

3. I would use it for creative play. Ask the child to invent his own picture. It's a nice quiet toy that folds very compactly to take along to appointments or long car rides.

4. It remains to be seen if this is what I call a "long lasting" toy/learning tool. I'm going to put it with our school tools and use it for a preschool workbox item; I hope it will continue to intrigue my 5yo.

5. I loved the minimal packaging. It came in one small plastic bubble with a small cardboard overlay. I was surprised, however, that the reference chart for how to make the shapes was on the inside surface of the cardboard packaging which didn't come off cleanly...at least for me it didn't. In our house, that chart isn't likely to last long. Since we won't likely use the number/letter visual models much, it's a minor issue, but if families buy it expecting their children to frequently refer to the chart, they may be disappointed in its ability to last over time.

6. I'm most excited about using this as a tool to explore geometric shapes. Ask the child to make a square. Then ask him to tell you about the properties of the square as he touches the model. "It has four corners. Four sides." Or a more advanced child might say..."It has 4 right angles." The teacher could do higher-level challenges such as, "Can you make a model of a hexagon?" For this purpose, it seems like it could be used in endless math extensions in a homeschool or public school classroom...at a variety of levels/grades.

I asked my boys to rate it. My 9yo gave it a 3 out of 5. My 5yo gave it a 10 out of 5. Maybe we need to do some number work with the Purpllinker. :) I'd give it a 4 out of 5. It definitely fills a unique nitch.

Get your Free Timberdoodle Homeschool Catalog to view the Purpllinker and other fun educational items.

Disclosure: As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team I received a free Purpllinker in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.

Math Monday Blog Hop #22

It's Math Monday! What math-y things are you considering on this Labor Day? Also, don't forget to enter the giveaway for a new children's book, How Big is a Million.





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Review: Math Dictionary for Kids

Whenever possible, I integrate the use of mathematical terms in daily lessons. This year, however, I intend to expand student exploration of terms through Math Notebooking. (That post will come soon!) I was happy to receive a review copy of Math Dictionary for Kids as it appears to complement my plans.

The first section of the dictionary is organized by mathematical strand:

• Whole Number and Operations
• Measurement
• Algebraic Ideas
• Geometry
• Decimals, Fractions, Percents, and Ratios
• Statistics and Probability

Along with textual definitions, examples are often given. I especially appreciate the colorful visuals models that are frequently used. In some instances, multiple strategies are presented. For example, in "division strategies," the reader sees examples of strategies using multiples tables with larger numbers (if you've never seen this, it's often a very efficient strategy to use as an alternative to traditional long division), repeated subtraction, and the use of manipulatives. With the increasing amount of information that people need to process, it's essential that children learn to use a variety of strategies, considering which is most efficient for the problem at hand. For adults (and children) who've never been exposed to multiple strategies, the "Quick Reference Guide," gives a brief overview.

I'm especially partial to a section of the book called "Learning with Manipulatives." Again, for students or adults new to manipulatives--or for those wanting a review--this information clearly shows a variety of uses for manipulatives in mathematics. The visual models look very familiar after using similar models in my favorite curriculum, Bridges in Mathematics. I frequently lead workshops for teachers on how to use base ten pieces and grid paper for teaching multiplication and division, which leaves me feeling like the content is very up-to-date. Since most adults didn't have the opportunity to use manipulatives in their own math education, it's not unusual to see manipulatives set aside in classrooms (both at home and at school) or used as little more than playthings. This guide would be very instructive in helping adults and kids to see the value in using such tools to solve problems. After learning strategies for multi-digit multiplication with manipulatives, I can now do many problems in my head that used to take me significantly more time on paper.

Any negatives? Not really. I found one error. (p. 139 the array shows one dimension as 22 but in the problem it shows 21.) If anything, I'd love to see a book that pushed the exploration of strategies even further, encouraging people to look beyond the standard algorithm for the methods that are truly the most efficient. But this is a very nice start.

I wouldn't hesitate to use this book with students. Or to keep it nearby as a good reference for the teacher. The cover says it's for grades 4-9, but I'd use it with 3rd graders as well.

P.S. At the moment, this book is a good deal on Amazon.


Disclaimer: I received a review copy of Math Dictionary for Kids. I received no other compensation and this review is my opinion...good, bad, or otherwise. :) If you purchase this book through my Amazon link, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. I do not keep any money myself; I am hoping to be able to sponsor an additional child in foster care through commissions on this site.

Giveaway: How Big is a Million? (children's math book)

This past year we did a big penguin study. Always looking to make math connections, we especially enjoyed How Big is a Million?, an Usborne book. I'm excited to work with Jen at Chestnut Grove Academy to offer this book in a back-to-school giveaway!

The book...
Pipkin, a young penguin, wants to know How Big is a Million? He finds ten fish, 100 penguins, and 1,000 snowflakes, but he cannot find a million. Finally, his mother takes him outside to look at the starry night. In a pocket in the back of the book, the reader finds a poster depicting exactly one million stars. In contrast to some other "million" books where the quantity is distributed throughout the book, this picture allows the reader a glimpse of a million of something in one shot. Sweet book for exploring the concept of one million.

As a side note, I wondered if the book actually shows 1,000 snowflakes. I knew it depicts 10, 100, and a million, but I wasn't sure about 1,000. A friend of mine found some information from the author, explaining how the book developed. Fascinating! (I was glad we didn't have to count all 1,000 in order to check for accuracy!)


**GIVEAWAY**

Enter to Win:

Prize (1): one copy of How Big is a Million?
**U.S. shipping only.**

Contest Details:
Begins today and continues through September 10th. Contest ends at midnight on the 10th (U.S. Eastern time) and a winner will be announced on that week's Math Monday Blog Hop. I will choose a winner at random using Random.org.

How to enter:
You may choose as many as you like from the following, leaving a comment (in the comment section at the bottom of this post) being mandatory (unless you think I have superpowers and can figure out your contact info by osmosis.)

#1: Become a follower of my blog. (Or tell me that you already are.)

#2: Become a follower of Jen's blog, Chestnut Grove Academy.

#3: Visit Jen's Usborne page and comment about one Usborne book that interests you.

Please make sure that I have a way to contact you...such as janedoe at gmail dot com. If I don't hear back from a real person within 24 hours, I'll draw again.

Good luck!

Dealing with Difficult Behaviors, Especially ANGER

Over at Fun in First, Jodi wrote a post about Dealing with the Difficult Child. As a teacher and mom of five kids, I've certainly dealt with my share. Over the past few years, I've sometimes worked as a respite care provider for kids with significant behavioral issues. Whether you're dealing with a difficult child in the classroom or at home, here are a few ideas...

1. Working with a kid that quickly goes from 0-60 on the anger scale? Maybe he shuts down entirely? Chances are, the child's brain has shifted from the cortex (the front, thinking part of the brain) to the lower brain, sometimes dubbed the "reptilian brain," and entered into fight, flight, or freeze mode. Unfortunately, you can't really reason with someone in this mode. It's akin to reasoning with a lizard. So you need to do whatever it takes to get the child out of the lower brain. Usually, that means using few words. Instead, try...
2. Jumping. If you've got a mini-trampoline, all the better. You won't be the first one to have one in your home or classroom for that purpose! If the child is able to repeat a positive phrase while jumping, great! Something like "I make wise choices," can help. As I understand it, the joint compression involved with jumping can produce seratonin or "happy hormone." Pushing hard against a wall (I tell kids to try to push the wall down!) can have the same effect.
3. "Steel and spaghetti." I learned this technique from an incredible child psychologist. (Same with #2, actually!) Have the child tense every bit of his body as tight as he can (steel) for several seconds and then completely relax every part of his body, bending forward so that his fingers are dropping toward the ground (spaghetti.)
4. Try doing the Brain Gym PACE sequence.When I took Brain Gym training, we were told to use this with students to prepare for new learning. So it's good for many reasons! 

Are you interested in learning more about dealing with difficult behaviors? If so, let me know so I can post more. It's a topic that greatly interests me.

Math Monday Blog Hop #21

It's BACK TO SCHOOL time!!!!

To celebrate, I'll soon be hosting a giveaway! (Hopefully later this week, so check back.) In the meantime, join in the blog hop for math lessons and resources. I've been getting some fabulous ideas from you all. Thank you!







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