How 1 st Grade Brain Gym All Began

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2 How 1 st Grade Brain Gym All Began I was interested in finding resources for my classroom that would captivate students and provide challenging fun when they were finished with their assignments. 1 st Grade Brain Gym started as a means to extend my gifted learners. All of my students have benefited from the vast assortment of educational resources I have been able to provide to my students because of the AGATE mini-grant.

3 1st Grade Brain Gym is: An opportunity for students in my classroom to continue their learning after their assignments are completed. Full of challenging games and building tools for creation and extension. Hands on fun while learning and exploring. Promotes perseverance, improved spatial skills, memory, and problem solving on many levels.

4 Goobi is Magnetic Fun!

5 Goobi Magnetic Building Sets Allows students to build with magnetic bars, spheres, and tripods. Endless creative possibilities as students use their imaginations to assemble different projects. Strengthens spatial skills and problem solving strategies.

6 Contraptions Building with Wooden Planks

7 Contraptions Building with wooden planks A ball and wooden track building system Award winning toy Creative Child Toy Magazine, Major Fun Award, and more! Helps children to creatively build with wooden planks Students strengthen team building and cooperation with Contraptions

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9 Crazy Action Contraptions Lego Fun! Lego building game that allows students to create cars, vehicles, or contraptions Includes 16 different building cards Includes all Lego brick pieces Students can also make their own projects instead of following a step-by-step project card Students have demonstrated great concentration with Crazy Action Contraptions!

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11 Perplexus Puzzle Balls Move the metal ball through the mazes of tunnels, twists, and turns. Can be a solitary or a partner activity Helps to promote stronger hand eye coordination Perplexus Rookie, Perplexus, and the more challenging Perplexus Epic have all been class favorites! It has been so fun to watch students continue to work to master these mazes! 4 th graders have even stopped by my classroom to give them a try!

12 ZOOB Mobile Car Designer

13 ZOOB Mobile Car Designer Contains 25 different building cards or students can make their own creations Perseverance, step-by-step direction following, and problem solving skills can be tested by students. Students enjoy collaborating or working solo in this building activity Students have made some very unique and creative projects!

14 Q-Bit Spatial Puzzles

15 Q-Bit Spatial Puzzles Sharpens memory and spatial skills Students focus on recreating the color patterns An award winning educational activity This has also become a class favorite for some even though it can be challenging for 1 st graders.

16 Spirograph Create intricate designs

17 Spirograph Create intricate designs This has appealed to all types of learners and both girls and boys. They are very interested in creating fun, geometrical types of shapes and designs. This does require patience and perseverance to create interesting shapes, which has been very helpful for many of my 1 st grade students.

18 ColorKu Sudoku with colors

19 ColoKu Sudoku with colors Helps students to improve in their logical problem solving skills Clue cards are used to recreate the correct colored ball placement on the game board. Students have enjoyed this activity tremendously!

20 Banagrams Word Building

21 Banagrams Word Building Spelling and Language game Banagrams has been an award winning educational toy nominee Designed to replicate the game of Scrabble Helpful for 1 st graders as they improve in writing and spelling

22 Extreme Mosaics and Extreme Dot-to-Dots - Persevere to find the picture!

23 Extreme Mosaics

24 Electronic Math Facts Practice

25 Electronic Math Facts Practice Builds fluency in addition and subtraction facts which corresponds with Common Core Curriculum Also has options to practice division and multiplication Challenges students to think quickly!

26 Extreme Mosaics and Dot-to-Dots These puzzles have been very fun for students as they work to finish the different pages. They are challenged to find numbers into the 100 s. This aligns with the Common Core Curriculum for 1 st grade. Sharpens students ability to follow directions, improve counting skills, and to follow the picture through to the end. They are so proud when they can complete a picture!

27 1 st Grade Brain Gym My students were in awe each time a package was delivered to our classroom. They were so excited to learn about the next new toy. The resources will encourage and challenge my young 1 st grade students for many years to come. A sincere Thank You to the Montana AGATE organization for providing me with the gift of a 2014 Mini-Grant.