Teach second graders about growth in inches and feet by creating a class growth chart along one wall of the classroom. Have each child start at the beginning of the year and mark his spot on the wall just about his head. Measure them again in intervals and allow them to figure out how much they have grown as the year goes on. At the end of the year, have them create a booklet documenting how much they have grown in inches and comparing themselves to other classmates. Students will also draw themselves both at the beginning of the year and at the end to show their growth.
Give each student in the glass a jar filled with 50 pennies. Have each student draw a random penny, and the student with the oldest coin goes first. Use flash cards with simple subtraction problems. The first student reads off the problem and withdraws the solution from the jar. For example, if the problem is "9-3," the answer is six. He takes six pennies from his jar and puts it the community pile. The person who runs out of pennies first wins.
Second graders are starting to learn simple word math problems. Have some fun with word problems by allowing students to act them out. For example, if a word problem reads: "Jane has five red grapes and adds seven green ones to her basket. John takes two red grapes and two green ones. How many total grapes does Jane have left?" Bring in the grapes, allow one student to be the narrator, one to be Jane and another to be John. As one group of students acts the problem out, the rest of the class figures out the answer.
To teach the concept of time, have students create the ultimate class schedule. They must include a time for each activity, and the times cannot be the same either. For example, all activities cannot occur on the half hour. The students must mix it up and then post their dream schedules on the wall for their class members to see.