Introducing Addition with large T-Shirt and balloons

Today we introduced addition with the PLUS sign (thanks for the suggestion Tracie).  We had a great visual using a large T-Shirt with a plus sign.  We added 1 balloon at a time to show how "it grows" or "gets larger" when we add.

 Once we completed the activity I hung the shirt up so the class will remember what it look like. Tomorrow we will label the shirt with key words such as joining, combining, all together.

When we introduce subtraction, I plan on having the minus sign on the back and we will pop the balloons to show how the amount gets smaller!  I will post pictures soon!

Please comment on other ways that you introduce addition.  Thanks in advance!

Head Band Game 1 More 1 Less

We played the Head Band Game 1 More 1 Less for numbers 11-20.

Materials Needed: number cards 11-20, cards that read 1 More1 Less, head bands, recording sheet (I copied each students picture and drew a line beside it- if your students can read names easily, pictures aren't necessary)

Objective: Each student was given a head band, a number card and a 1 More or 1 Less Card.  Each student was responsible for recording their peers answer.
I gave them an extra challenge:  Who can fill in all the blanks before the music stops?

They could look in the mirror to try and figure out their correct answer.