Over 1,000+ flash cards
12 different topics
ABCs & 123s
Shapes, Colors, & Patterns
Time, Money, & Fractions
Animals, Rhyming, & Opposites
Welcome to Pop Thinking- an ambitious endeavor by a small group of educators and unschooling home parents. Our goal is to grow to provide innovative educational content for American public, private, and home schools!
The Victorian educator, Charlotte Mason, well observed that a child’s desire for knowledge shows itself in his/her curiosity about things. Thus we understand curiosity drives a child’s desire for knowledge. When children are curious and engaged, their pursuit of knowledge blossoms and is duly rewarded.
Our simple recipe is to create curriculum infused with the silly and absurd antics of our beloved platypuses that invite children to engage and explore their peculiar, yet seemingly familiar world. Using a mixture of our decades of experience as educators, game designers, and app developers, we busily design and experiment with content that our own children use day to day.
We are delighted to watch them be entertained by their very own curiosity as they seek to decipher what these furry, duck-billed monotremes of many shapes, sizes, colors, and dress are doing. In like stride, we hope you will join us in this adventure and dive right into our first foray into the educational app world. Until then, beyond preparing printable activities for you do download. We are transitioning out of our elongated cocoon stage to revealing Phase 1 our our K-5 educational gaming prototype.
With those parents that have young kids, you can check out our Platypus ABC’s and 123’s Apps on Amazon or selection of Printables on Teacher Pay Teachers.
-DAK Prefect, Lead Game Developer
Our Latest Activities & Printables
Platypus Math: Fractions
This fraction pack could be introduced as early as 1st or 2nd grade, but is designed to help with topics in grades 3 and 4.
In this fraction pack, students will begin by looking at figures to determine equal and unequal parts. It will develop the connection between parts of a whole and fractional sections, as well as compare fractions by reasoning about their size.
Next, it will have students analyze parts of a group and parts of a whole with larger denominators (the words numerator and denominator are introduced).
Finally, this pack will ask students to read and interpret word problems as they apply to fractions. The last two pages allow for differentiated instruction for students who need to be challenged.
In addition to our fractions pack, you can download our Platypus ABCs on the Apple App Store. It includes an IAP for our Fractions Deck that supplements this workbook.
Platypus Math: Money
This money pack should be introduced in the 1st grade, and could be used to either differentiate for more advanced 1st grades or as part of a 2nd grade curriculum.
Students will begin by looking at coins to determine values of pennies and nickels. It will develop the connection between the value of a coin and how many coins it takes to create the next higher value.
Next, it will move into introducing dimes, quarters and then fifty cent pieces.
Finally, this pack will ask students to begin learning the value of one dollar bills, five dollar bills and ten dollar bills. The final pages take the students through adding together both coins and bills (introduction of decimal points also occurs).
In addition to our money pack, you can download our Platypus ABCs on the Apple App Store. It includes an IAP for our Money Deck that supplements this workbook.
Opposites
Includes activities, word search, crossword, and flash cards
Teach 40 different opposites:
heavy / light, hot / cold, hard / soft, high / low, big / small, here / there, long / short, wide / narrow, light / dark, good / bad, left / right, near / far, open / closed, same / different, old / new, rough / smooth, noisy quiet, right / wrong, true / false, empty / full, sweet / sour, fat / thin, strong / weak, young / old, clean / dirty, sick / well, wet / dry, before / after, alive / dead, slow / fast, straight / crooked, difficult / easy, curly / straight, front / back, happy / sad, prickly / smooth, tight / loose,on / off, deep / shallow, many / few
Beginning Blends
This is a continuation of our growing Platypus Phonics packs.
Includes activities, word search, cut & paste, and spelling tasks.
Teach 10 different ending blends:
ld, nd, lk, nk, sk, mp, ft, lt, nt, and st
Ending Blends
This is a continuation of our growing Platypus Phonics packs.
Includes activities, word search, cut & paste, and spelling tasks.
Teach 10 different ending blends:
ld, nd, lk, nk, sk, mp, ft, lt, nt, and st
Flash Cards
This collection of flash cards works well with our Beginning Blends phonics packs or as a stand alone deck for phonics.
● For classrooms, after being introduced to consonant blends via our activities, students can make their own flash cards. Afterwards, they can break into groups to study, review, and quiz one another on their blending knowledge!
● For homeschooling, parents can cut-out and laminate the flash cards to add to their library of flash card decks.
Includes 54 Flash Cards covering 20 different beginning blends:
bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl, br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, tr, sk, sm, sn, sp, st, sw, and tw