Use the classroom books, games, and manipulatives you already have.
In many cases, you need only to write brief directions for students and slip them in a bag with materials.
Find books of a specific genre and slip them in a bag with easy directions for tasks you're already working on in class to have almost instant skill reinforcement through centers. I use the Amelia Bedelia books multiple meaning words practice. In People Smart, I have biographies: kids make Venn Diagrams to compare their lives to the person in the book, or write a letter to the person (I change the books and tasks depending on current objectives). Drawing books, poetry books, and children's magazines also make for engaging and educational centers when a specific skill is highlighted. (Word Smart).
Believe it or not, these are free kid's meal prizes from Chick-Fil-A! The company is run by a Christian conglomerate and always gives educational or character-building prizes in it's kids' meals. The Brain Quests are trivia questions; the Thinking Games involve geometry and visual-spatial skills. (Thinking Smart).
These are math materials that our school ordered with the bonus money we received for high standardized test scores. I use lots of math manips provided by the school district in my centers. You can also check with other teachers (not just those in your grade level) to see if they have any manipulatives or math games they're not currently using. One caveat: you'll need to persistently model and evaluate how your students care for the materials, or else you'll end up buying a new set for the teacher who owns them. There are some years when you'll have a class that can be trusted, but not all groups of kids can handle it. (Math Smart).
A child donated this to the classroom, but you can pick them up for a few dollars in toy stores. Students press the clear button for each multiplication fact to reveal the answer. (Number Smart).
These are the magnetic poetry words you can find at dollar stores. Students use them to create a poem about a special time in their lives. They can put the magnets on heaters/air conditioners, filing cabinets, cookie trays, chalkboards, etc., then copy the poem in their journals. It's great practice with sentence structure and parts of speech. (Poetry Smart).
Click below to see more EASY center ideas
using kids' magazines and teacher reproducibles!
Back Next
Back Home
Back to Centers