As a Kindergarten teacher, Math center time was a valuable and constant part of my day. Learning how to move through centers and work independently was one of the first things students learned.
When I moved to 2nd grade, I desperately wanted to bring center time with me. It didn’t happen my first year. I was overwhelmed and unprepared. The curriculum was different and I was lost. I really struggled to find the perfect fit for 2nd grade.
My 2nd year in 2nd grade was better. I was familiar with the curriculum and developmental levels of students, but I still struggled with math centers. There were some great weeks of math centers… but more weeks without.
I spent some time in deep reflection over centers and developed a plan. Part of my problem was time. So I decided to tackle Back to School season first. This meant creating, printing, laminating, cutting and organizing 17 math centers.
The creation part was simple. I enjoy making activities for my class.
Here came the problem. I had 160 pages to print for the first few weeks of school! I started doing a little research and discovered the HP Instant Ink program. My first step was buying a new printer. Mine was old and wasn’t one of the printers on the list. You can find all the details, including printers and plans, here.
This is my HP OfficeJet 4652 All in One. My favorite feature is the hassle-free 2 sided printing!
After buying the printer, I went to the website to set up my account. It was pretty easy and just required some basic information.
HP Instant Ink made my math center dreams come true! After printing a large chunk of centers over the span of a couple days, I got an email that I had ink on the way. WHAT? Yes, that’s right. My printer ordered its own ink and told me it was on its way!
If you’re interested in checking out the HP Instant Ink program, you can use my referral link. Click here or enter fvcRw in the referral box.
My friend Kayla from K’s Classroom Kreations shared a tip with me that made a HUGE difference. You can sign up initially for the 300 page package. It costs $9.99 and sounds like a lot of printing BUT you can use the code FREEINK to get a free month. If you use a referral link, you can get even more free months!
The HP Instant Ink program has a lot of features that make it a win in my book!
· You can change your plan at any time. Need more prints one month? Less?
· Color prints are treated the same as black/white. No paying extra!
· If you go over your plan, it’s only $1.00 for 25 print outs- much cheaper than a print center.
· Signing into your account lets you check your print count.
· Did I mention the PRINTER orders the ink? Usually before you even know you need it!
· Roll over prints! You can roll over as many pages as there are in your plan.
One thing I want to point out is that I had to wait for my welcome kit with official HP Instant Ink to start the program. I bought my printer at WalMart and then enrolled in the program. If you buy a new printer through the website you may not have to wait.
If you would like to check out the math centers I created for August and September, you can find them by clicking on the pictures below. You can also find other math activities I have created here.
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Thank you so much! I look forward to reading what you have to say!