Buttons, buttons, everywhere!!!

 
Buttons, buttons and more buttons!
 
Today for math, we sorted buttons! 
And I think the kids were rather amazed at my bucket full of buttons. 
 I think some kids didn't have a clue that there were so many different kinds of buttons. 
Of course, I had to give them a minute to explore and compare the buttons before we could get started.  Their curiosity was just killing them!!!
 
The best 'math tool' that I've found at the dollar store are veggie trays! They are just perfect for sorting buttons!!! I put the buttons in the middle and then they use the side parts for all the different sorts! They trays are the perfect size for this activity and the best part is that a class set to use (1 per table) will only cost you $5.00-$6.00!  I like cheap! :)
 
Once we started the lesson, we started talking about all the different way to sort buttons.  One child immediately came up with the idea of sorting them by their sizes. 
 
So I told the kids, go ahead and sort them into 2 groups-- big buttons and small buttons....

 
After analyzing everyone's tray, the kids put all of the buttons back in the center of the tray and we went on to the next sort.  Another child suggested that we could also sort them by their color!  Since we didn't have enough compartments to sort EVERY color, I had the kids sort them by the colors white, black, red and all other colors. 
 
They did so well with this.....
 

 
And lastly the kids suggested that we sort the buttons by how many holes they had!
Here they are....

 
And I just love this picture....it's hard to see the buttons but I love that the kids were so eager to work. Look all of their busy little hands! That's some little working minds right there!
 
We also made sure to make a list on the board of all the ways we sorted:
 
Next week, I'll be putting these buttons and a sorting tray into a math work station box. 
I know it is sure to keep the kids engaged!
 

6 comments

  1. My pre-k students love sorting buttons, I'm going to have to see if my dollar store has trays like that.

    Jenna

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    1. I hope they do! Ours has different ones too...ones with 4 slots and some with 5 and 6 too!

      Elizabeth

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  2. Cool. That's a great activity for the kids. Thanks for sharing it. I bet they all had fun while learning.

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    1. Yes, they really love it! Who would have thought you could do so much with buttons! lol...

      Elizabeth

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  3. Elizabeth, I LOVE, LOVE buttons! They have always been my passion even when I was a kid! So when I get them out, it is such great fun! From the pictures, it looks like your kids had a great time! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. I'm really starting to see the beauty in buttons. Each one is so different! The kids had a blast!!! Thanks for stopping by!

      Elizabeth

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