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I have so many routines and procedures in my first grade classroom, so when fun holidays like Valentine’s Day roll around I love to break out of our normal routine and mix in some fun and cute work stations!
I knew this FREE Penguin Number Bond Activity would be engaging and easy for my kiddos to understand.
Getting Ready:
To prep this math activity, I just printed out the free download.
I also laminated the pieces. I do this for almost everything because I teach first grade (Kinder teachers you KNOW) and because the Scotch brand pouches I use are much thicker than my school’s giant shared laminator.
I always just laminate the full sized sheets first and then cut out the pieces.
I used to be a CUT, laminate, CUT AGAIN kinda lady (very type A), but once I bought my own personal laminator I’ve never gone back!
The Activity:
Once I had everything prepped, I gathered my first graders on our classroom carpet to show them the new math center I had made for them. I popped the penguin cards under our Hovercam and showed the students that the two “parts” are already on the cards, and they would just have to place the heart of the “whole” on the tummy of each penguin.
I also set out some mini erasers for my few low-babies who would need manipulative counters to double check their work. It’s SO important to always tie it back to more concrete objects for those kids who need it!
Since we had a Valentine’s party already planned (grab the FREE editable party letter), I just set the Penguin Number Bonds out as an option for our “math free choice” time.
The “NEW” factor coupled with the fact that I have like 6 students who want to play “school” 24/7 meant that this activity was a HIT!
I hope it works for you as much as it did for me and feel free to comment if you have any questions or ideas to share! Plus, you can check out these other fun penguin activities for kids (linked below) and snag yourself another freebie from one of my friends!
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT
Penguin Alphabet Clip Cards // Kindergarten Connection
Penguin Short Vowel Sorting Center // Mrs. Jones Creation Station
Penguin Research // The Primary Post
Free Penguin Number Bonds // The Simplified Classroom
Penguin Writing Craftivity // Literacy with the Littles
Penguin Color Clip Cards // Fairy Poppins
Penguin Cut and Paste Sentence Writing // The Letters of Literacy
Penguin Addition Games // Sara J. Creations
Penguin Spin and Write // Recipe for Teaching
Penguin Playdough Mat // Teach Me Mommy
Editable Penguin Board Game // Fun Learning for Kids
Penguin Emergent Reader // A Dab of Glue Will Do
Other Resources to Check out: