Holidays Archives - Beyond the Worksheet with Lindsay Gould

Sweeten Up Math Class with Valentine’s Day Fun

Lindsay — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 21:49:07 +0000

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and it’s the perfect time to bring some love (and fun) into your math lessons.

With a few creative ideas, you can keep your students engaged while reinforcing important skills. Let’s dive into some sweet, Valentine’s Day Math activities that will keep your students engaged!

Valentine’s Day Math Activities

Heart-Shaped Fractions: Use heart templates to teach fractions. Have students color sections of the hearts and write the corresponding fractions.
Candy Count Graphing: Provide candy hearts or similar treats and have students graph the different colors, analyze the data, and calculate percentages.
Math Love Letters: Create word problems with a Valentine’s Day twist, like figuring out the total cost of Valentine’s cards or the distance Cupid has to travel.

Festive Shirts: Looking for something festive and math related to wear that is sure to get some eye rolls from your students? Check out this one and this one!

Featured Resources: Want more Valentine’s Day Math inspiration? Check out the variety of Valentine’s Day activities in my TPT Store. If you want to get super detailed and have incredible engagement – consider the Valentine’s Day Math Escapes Template!

Quick Tip: Encourage creativity by having students design their own Valentine’s-themed math problems to exchange with classmates. It’s a great way to reinforce skills while spreading the love!

How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day in your classroom? Leave a comment or DM me on Instagram and let me know!

Have an extra sweet week!
Lindsay

This post includes affiliate links.

The post Sweeten Up Math Class with Valentine’s Day Fun appeared first on Beyond the Worksheet with Lindsay Gould.

Winter Math Challenges – Keep Students Engaged Post-Break

Lindsay — Mon, 13 Jan 2025 21:21:23 +0000

Winter break is over, and we all know how tough it can be to get students back into the groove.

But don’t worry—I’ve got you covered! With some creative winter-themed math challenges, we can make that transition smoother and keep our students engaged and learning.

Why Winter-Themed Activities Work
Let’s face it: post-break vibes can feel sluggish. That’s why adding a little seasonal fun can reignite students’ energy and focus. Winter-themed math activities combine creativity with curriculum goals, making learning feel fresh and exciting.

3 Winter Math Challenges to Try

1. Snowflake Symmetry
This is a perfect way to incorporate geometry while having fun. Give students templates to design their own snowflakes, focusing on symmetry and patterns.

What You’ll Need:
Printable snowflake templates.
Scissors and colored paper.

Bonus Tip: Hang their creations around the classroom to double as winter decor!

2. Hot Cocoa Word Problems
Let’s make math delicious! Create real-world word problems centered around hot cocoa.

For example:
“If one packet of hot cocoa serves 3 people, how many packets are needed for 15 people?”
This activity reinforces multiplication, division, and fractions.

Optional Add-On: Bring in actual hot cocoa mix for a fun classroom treat!

3. Build a Winter Wonderland
Challenge your students to design and “budget” a winter festival. They’ll calculate area, perimeter, and costs for different booths, activities, or attractions.

What You’ll Need:
Graph paper
Printable or student design ideas for booths.

Free Resource Alert!!
Want something ready to go? Check out my FREE Snow Day Logic Puzzle. Engage your students with this no prep activity!

Why These Activities Work
They’re hands-on. Perfect for visual and kinesthetic learners.
They’re engaging. Seasonal themes make math feel less like work and more like fun.
They’re versatile. Use them for individual practice, group work, or even as a mini-project.

Make It Even Easier
Don’t have time to create all these activities from scratch? Check out my Editable Winter Coloring Page resource. Simply add in your own questions and BOOM. A winter themed activity is ready to go!

Remember…
Winter doesn’t have to mean a slow return to routines. With a little creativity and a seasonal twist, you can keep your students engaged and ready to learn.

What’s your favorite winter-themed classroom activity? Share it in the comments below or DM me on Instagram here. I’d love to hear your ideas!

Stay Warm,
Lindsay

This post contains affiliate links.

The post Winter Math Challenges – Keep Students Engaged Post-Break appeared first on Beyond the Worksheet with Lindsay Gould.

Spooky Math: Halloween-Inspired Activities for Grades 5-9

Lindsay — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 16:58:52 +0000

Ah, October! The month of pumpkin spice, cozy sweaters, and of course, Halloween. But did you know that Halloween can also be a fantastic time to bring some spooky fun into your math classroom? Halloween isn’t just about candy and costumes; it’s also a great opportunity to engage your students in some bewitching Halloween math activities.

So, dear math teachers, grab your broomsticks and cauldrons, and let’s dive into some spook-tacular math ideas for the middle grades!

1. Pumpkin Geometry

Materials: Pumpkins, measuring tape, string, calculator. (Free student worksheet included at the bottom of this email!)

Activity: Have students measure the circumference, diameter, and height of different sized pumpkins. They can then calculate the volume and surface area. For an added challenge, ask them to estimate the number of seeds inside based on the pumpkin’s measurements!

2. Candy Corn Fractions

Materials: Candy corn, paper plates, markers (Free student worksheet included at the bottom of this email!)

Activity: Distribute a set number of candy corns to each student. Ask them to represent various fractions using the candy. For instance, what does 3/4 of their candy corn stash look like? How about 2/5?

3. Witch’s Brew Proportions

Materials: Cauldron (or a big bowl), various ingredients (like water, food coloring, vinegar, baking soda)

Activity: Give students a “recipe” for a witch’s brew, but make sure the measurements are all out of proportion. Have them adjust the recipe to make a certain amount of brew, practicing their skills with ratios and proportions.

4. Spooky Symmetry

Materials: Paper, markers, Halloween-themed stencils (like bats, ghosts, pumpkins)

Activity: Students can trace or draw Halloween figures and then fold the paper to find the line of symmetry. They can also design their own symmetrical monsters!

5. Graphing Ghosts

Materials: Graph paper, markers, ghost stickers or drawings (Free student graphing page included at the bottom of this email!)

Activity: Students can plot ghosts on a coordinate plane. You can give them specific coordinates, or for an added challenge, provide equations they need to solve to determine where the ghosts belong.

6. Zombie Word Problems

Materials: Paper, pens, your imagination

Activity: Create word problems that involve zombies! How many zombies are left if a hero defeats a certain number? If zombies multiply at a certain rate, how many will there be in a week? The spookier, the better!

Remember, the key is to make math fun and relevant. Halloween offers a unique opportunity to do just that. So, embrace the season, and watch your students’ enthusiasm for math come alive… or should we say, rise from the dead?

Happy Haunting and Happy Calculating!

The post Spooky Math: Halloween-Inspired Activities for Grades 5-9 appeared first on Beyond the Worksheet with Lindsay Gould.

Spice Up Your Holiday Teaching with Editable Puzzle Stations!

Lindsay — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 16:45:28 +0000

Teachers, get ready to make some holiday magic in your classroom with our Editable Puzzle Stations! They were a runaway success for Back to School, and now they’re here to brighten your holiday season. Why settle for the same old drills when you can add a dash of festive fun to your teaching?

These stations are the ultimate in teacher-friendly resources—they’re 100% customizable to fit any subject, from 3rd grade all the way to 8th, covering Science, Spelling, Math, and more. All you need is PowerPoint, and you’re set to customize your content, station titles, and even the color schemes!

Here’s where the fun begins: You can opt to use the accompanying coloring page as a traditional color-and-pass-along activity, or amp up the engagement by cutting it into puzzle pieces. Imagine your students buzzing from station to station, collecting pieces and piecing together their holiday masterpiece. The possibilities are endless!

Ready to transform your classroom into a holiday haven of learning? Hop over to my TPT store and grab your Christmas and Thanksgiving sets. And don’t forget, I absolutely adore seeing these stations come to life in your classrooms—send over your photos and share your festive learning journey!

Get set to deck your classroom halls with interactive joy and snag these innovative puzzle stations today!

Could you use a webinar that dives deep into Making Stations Work in the Middle Grades? CLICK HERE for more information!

The post Spice Up Your Holiday Teaching with Editable Puzzle Stations! appeared first on Beyond the Worksheet with Lindsay Gould.

Make Math Count Before Thanksgiving Break

Lindsay — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 15:51:52 +0000

Heading into Thanksgiving can be a whirlwind in middle school classrooms. With students (and let’s be honest, teachers too!) eyeing that five-day break of feasting and sleeping in, attention in class starts to wane. It’s a challenging time for educators—do you push through with assessments when half the class is already on vacation in their minds? Not the best move. Rely on worksheets or “fluff” work? Definitely a no-go. Students can sniff out busywork faster than a turkey sandwich, and that’s a surefire recipe for classroom chaos.

Here’s a fun twist to keep those pre-holiday days productive: Enter the Holiday Shopping Madness Project. It’s a real-world application of math that’s perfect if your students have tackled percent change. They get to play detective with real or virtual sale ads, digging into the math to figure out which bargains are truly doorbusters and which are just duds disguised with big “SALE” signs.

But here’s the real treat: students design their own shopping ads. Unleash their creativity with markers and paper or digital tools—whatever they’re most comfortable with. They’ll calculate and display new and old prices, percent discounts, and percent changes, turning your classroom into the most mathematically savvy marketing firm around.

Why you’ll love this project:

Fresh Material: The ads students create and use will be unique each year, so you’re spared from the monotony of grading the same old assignments and seeing the same old things.
Time-Friendly: Designed to span two class periods, this project has your lesson planning covered for Monday and Tuesday. If you’ve got shorter periods, just tweak the project expectations to fit.

Want to skip the setup and dive right in? Grab this ready-to-go project for just $3 and make those pre-Thanksgiving classes count. Your students stay engaged, you stay sane, and everyone learns something valuable. It’s a win-win!

Check out the Holiday Shopping Madness Project and bring some math joy to the holiday hustle. Enjoy, and happy Thanksgiving!

The post Make Math Count Before Thanksgiving Break appeared first on Beyond the Worksheet with Lindsay Gould.

Unlocking the Magic of Seasonal Learning in Middle School Math

Lindsay — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 15:39:38 +0000

There’s a prevailing myth that as students grow older, they outgrow the charm of seasonal resources. However, the truth is quite the opposite. Picture this: It’s October, and a worksheet adorned with a pumpkin captures a student’s attention. Come December, a reindeer graphic does the same. There’s undeniable magic in weaving seasonal themes into educational materials, especially for middle schoolers.

Why Seasonal Resources Matter

Seasonal resources have the power to reignite a student’s fleeting interest. It’s not just about the festive spirit; it’s about leveraging that brief moment of heightened engagement. Holidays, irrespective of which one, offer educators a golden opportunity to infuse a dash of excitement into their teaching methods.

Color Matters: Consider printing your math stations on vibrant orange paper during October. It’s a subtle nod to Halloween, but it can make a world of difference in how students perceive the activity.
Thematic Graphics: Even something as simple as adding a pumpkin graphic to a homework sheet or incorporating a ghost-themed coloring activity can spike interest. While there might be a few students who remain indifferent, the majority will appreciate and engage more with these thematic touches.

The Power of Matching Activities

One of the most effective ways to break the monotony of routine problem-solving is through matching activities. Not only do they encourage students to move around (especially if set up as stations), but they also promote collaborative learning.

The beauty of matching activities lies in their inherent self-checking mechanism. If a student makes an incorrect match, it invariably affects another match, prompting them to revisit and rectify their errors. This not only reinforces the learning process but also instills a sense of accomplishment once all matches align correctly.

For those keen on exploring, I recommend this scientific notation matching activity and the combining like terms matching activity. Both are designed to challenge and engage in equal measure.

Exclusive Seasonal Freebies for You

As a token of appreciation for the teaching community, I’ve created some FREE Halloween and Thanksgiving themed resources. Elevate your teaching game this festive season by downloading them here.

Incorporating seasonal elements into the middle school math curriculum isn’t just about fun; it’s about strategically harnessing moments of heightened student interest. So, the next time a holiday rolls around, remember: there’s always room for a little festive magic in the classroom.

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