Math Workstations

Last year I read on several blogs about this fabulous book out there called Math Workstations: Independent Learning You Can Count On K-2. I'm sure you've either seen this book out there in blogland or you've read it yourself.  

Well it helped me figure out how I wanted my math time to run.  I have been struggling for YEARS trying to decide how best to present math skills to my students and still work with small groups like I do with reading.  So thank to several teachers out there who have taken their precious time to come up with awesome workstation games, I now have a system down that works for me and my kiddos!

Last year I used white plastic baskets I had to put the workstations in.  It worked, but I found that small pieces fell through the slots and some of the game boards were bending up.  So after talking with Sarah, who decided she was going to use the plastic Sterlite drawers, I decided to do the same thing...until I came upon these beauties at JoAnn Fabric.

 http://www.joann.com/iris-scrapbooking-cart/xprd74098/

They are scrapbooking paper carts and I fell in love with them because the drawers can be taken out and they snap close!  Perfect!!   Not only could my game boards lay flat, but all the materials would stay put and not fall out. They were kinda pricey at first, but with the great deals JoAnn Fabric gives, along with my teacher membership, I was able to buy two for less than the original price of one!!  This is what they look like in my classroom now...

I added numbers to them, and the students know what workstation they are working on by whichever number is by their picture.  

It works great for me and now I can work with small groups while the rest of my class are working on beefing up their math skills!  I use several of Sarah's workstations she has created and are available at TPT as well as stations from Lory Evans, Cara Carroll, Math Coach's Corner, and many other great teachers.  I also love the K-5 Math Teaching Resources website, it has great games and activities.

I will end this long post with a couple of pic of my kiddos working for you to enjoy!