Free printable math activities, math manipulatives, crafts, games for Pi Day

March 14 celebrates Pi Day and math! (3.14 is pi, a Greek symbol and commonly used math quantity). The best way to teach math is with real-life applications. The best way to explain math concepts is with hands-on materials that are multi-sensory. These tools are called math manipulatives because kids can touch and interact with them. They're not just paper and pencil activities or textbook lessons. Math manipulatives include real or play money (for market math), clocks for telling time, fraction bars, pattern blocks, parquetry blocks, peg boards, base ten blocks, Unifix cubes and Cuisinaire Rods. Here are websites with free printable math manipulatives for homemade materials.  Free printable math activities, math manipulatives, crafts, games for Pi Day 

Free printable Despicable Me Minions crafts, masks and games

Despicable Me continues to be a hit cartoon, thanks in large part to the yellow (and sometimes purple, yikes!) Minions. Gru's capsule-shaped assistants are cray-cray popular! We're going to see a lot of Minions trick-or-treating as they're a top 10 Halloween costumes of 2014. Here's a DIY Minion Halloween costume. How about some free printable Minion masks and crafts?  Free printable Despicable Me Minions crafts, masks and games