5 Ways to Use an Estimation Jar {Plus - a chance to win a $20 AMAZON GIFT CARD!}

Need an excuse to buy a bunch of jelly beans so that you can eat them later?

How about doing an estimation jar in your classroom!

Or - in my case:  Do a post on 5 different ways to use an estimation jar in the classroom, take pictures of the jelly beans, host a fun estimation contest on Facebook, and then eat said jelly beans free of judgement :)  Sounds like a plan.

I was thinking - here I am, the author of the Classroom Game Nook, and yet we never actually play games together!  Well, that ends today.  Let's play a game together, shall we?

Here's how its gonna work:

I filled this mason jar up to the brim with these soon-to-be-in-my-mouth jelly beans.  And now, it's your turn to test your own estimation skills.

1. Observe the two up-close pictures below to help you make an educated guess.
2. Head over to my Facebook page and leave a comment with your estimated amount and your email.
3. You have until Friday March 25th to get in your guess and then I'll look through all the estimations to find the person who guessed the CLOSEST AMOUNT WITHOUT GOING OVER!
4. I'll announce the winner next week and email the winner their PRIZE :)

The person who gets the closest without going over wins a $20 Amazon gift card.  Sounds like fun, right!?

Check out these pictures to help you make your best educated guess (I mean, there is $20 on the line here, you don't want any haphazard guesses!):

Now, that we got that out of the way, let's talk about 5 unique ways to use an estimation jar in your classroom.  These ideas go beyond just having students look at the jar to make guesses.

What's your favorite way to use an estimation jar?

Don't forget to head over to Facebook to make your guess!

Pin this post for later:

Easter Game Freebie for Little Kiddos!

Hi friends!

How was your weekend?  I know many of you are heading back to school today after spring break - my sympathies :)

But, there's nothing like a little freebie to brighten your day, right?

On my weekly game plan for this week, I said that I was looking for ideas on how to use this adorable Easter bunny clip art.  I had a suggestion to make a game for little kiddos (pre-K, early kinders, or students struggling with number recognition).  

So, I made a sweet little number matching game.

I don't make a lot of games for the primary students {sorry - I'm a 4th grade teacher at heart}, so I thought it was time.

Let's have a look shall we:

{game is provided in B&W as well}

Click the picture above to get your own copy.  It will also always be available in my holiday games archive under the Easter category in case you ever want it.  

Speaking of which - my upper elementary readers:  you can find an Easter-themed fraction game over in the archives as well. 

You can have students simply find the matches during an individual center, or have students play a partner game of "Memory."

I'd love to hear what you think if you print and use the game!  Since I'm so used to intermediate learners, any suggestions/feedback from my primary friends would be awesome for any future primary games I create :)

100th Day of School

Happy Monday, friends!  I hope you had a great weekend.  We enjoyed dinner with friends (baby-less) on Friday, a busy Saturday of errands, and then my hubby and I were part of a concert at our church on Sunday.

I'm actually happy that it's Monday.  With such a busy weekend, I'm ready to get back into the daily groove.

AND - I'm REALLY looking forward to finishing (fingers crossed) my colonial unit by the end of the week!  It's coming together very nicely!

Can't wait to show you all the details!

So - have you celebrated your 100th day of school year?  It's getting close for the kiddos around here, so I wanted to share a fun game you can play with your kids on your 100th day of school.

It's called "Close to 100"

Students roll a pair of a dice three times and add up the numbers to see who can get the closest to 100.

It's great practice in number sense, addition (with and without regrouping) and subtraction (with and without regrouping).

Throw in a little friendly peer-to-peer competition and you've got yourself a winner!

You can find this freebie game here with the complete set of directions.  It will also be always available in Math Games Tab under "number sense."

Enjoy, my friends!

Find more activities for the 100th Day of school on this Pinterest board!

PS - in case you missed it - check out these two super bowl games to play this week in prep for the big game :)