​My kids LOVE the game Hungry Hippos. It is one of our favorite games to play when it's 'game time.' Since I like to look for ways to turn any game into an opportunity for learning, I came up with a simple 'upgrade' to include some math to this fast and fun game. The math focus in this 'upgraded' activity will be addition with multiple addends. This activity is ideal for math practice at home, math centers, or a game corner if you have in the classroom. 

​Like all professions teaching has its ups and downs. It can become easy to forget the reasons why we chose the job in the first place. When you come home after a day of work and nothing went according to plan, you begin to question if you are really making a difference to the young minds in your class!   This week I have collected some of my favourite teacher movies that remind me of why I chose this path. I found that these films really helped me get back in touch with my personal teaching philosophy because I felt I could relate to the struggles, triumphs and ideals of these teachers. Through their determination and understanding these teachers gave their students a sense of empowerment and ability to think for themselves.
 Here are the top five teacher movies that will remind you of why you love what you do!  

Sometimes learning math the traditional pen to paper way can feel a bit bleak. I remember the only time I felt motivated to do math was when it became a game. The gaming aspect encouraged me to keep practicing and persevering to the next level. With more practice I was able to recall answers faster and had a better understanding of the math question.  To save you time this week, this blog post provides six fun online games to practice subtraction; and they are all free to play! 

Gary discovered that his groundhog friend, Chuck, is missing from his burrow.

This particular mystery prompt would be great writing activity to do around Groundhog day. Use this mystery writing prompt to see what ideas your students come up with about 'what could have happened to Gary's groundhog friend?'  

Prep: Print and laminate the image below into a card to use as an early finisher task or writing center activity.
OR
​Display on the board for a whole class writing activity. 

There are plenty of ways you may wish to use this prompt. If you would like some ideas, keep on reading.

I developed math mysteries to be versatile in their use. After being in a teaching role that involved seeing 220 different kids a week across K-6, I initially made this math mystery range to be something that I could quickly prepare, engage, teach,  be mostly self-correcting, and quick to pack up before heading onto the next classroom.. So, if you've seen these math mysteries and ever wondered what you can use them for, keep on reading.