Pineapple and cactus oh my! Who doesn’t love pineapples and cactus? They’re so fresh and fun! So why not bring some of that fun into the classroom with these cactus classroom ideas and pineapple classroom ideas!
For these activities, we used reusable ice cubes and silicone baking trays from Wal-Mart. We also used ping pong balls from Amazon and bead containers from Amazon.
Cactus Classroom Ideas
First up, we made a cactus letter recognition or matching game. This allows students to use their fine motor skills to practice letter recognition.
I love using these silicone trays in my classroom because they can be used in a variety of ways. For this activity, we focused on letter recognition. We used a Sharpie to write the uppercase letters on the tray next to each cactus.
Then we wrote the lowercase letters on mini ping pong balls from Amazon. Students choose a ball, identify the letter and match the letter by placing the ball in the cactus. I would also add some mini-tongs to bring some fine motor work to this activity.
Grab your mini ping pong balls here:
For this cactus classroom idea, we focused on math and counting. We used numbers from our Year Long Cactus creation, re-usable cactus ice cubes and plastic bead storage containers.
Students choose a card, identify the number and use the cactus to build the ten frame. They can also make the ten frame on the recording sheet. You can grab a FREE ten frame sheet on the Freebies page!
Click here for our freebies page!
Grab your bead storage containers here:
Pineapple Classroom Ideas
We found these silicone pineapple trays at Wal-Mart. For our pineapple classroom, we made a sight words game and a counting game!
Pineapple Sight Words
To make this game, we wrote sight words on dot stickers. Then we stuck the stickers inside each pineapple in the baking tray. Using the stickers allows us to re-use the tray! We can pull the stickers out and make a new game!
We wrote the sight words on the mini ping pong balls. Students choose a ball, read the word and match the word. To add more challenge, we can have students write or build the sight words!
Pineapple Math Ideas
We are always wanting to give students hands on practice with counting. These plastic bead containers make perfect ten frames. The re-usable pineapple ice cubes make great manipulatives!
We used number cards from our year long Pineapple centers! Students choose a card, say the number and build the ten frame! Students can then make the ten frame on their recording sheet!
For more pineapple and cactus resources, check out these creations:
