Cool Maths websites

These are some cool websites to practise Maths:

http://www.primarygames.com/math.php

http://www.coolmath4kids.com/

http://www.mathplayground.com/

Maths Relays results - CAL 1

Maths relays – CAL 1

Grade/Tribe-place	1st 50 points	2nd 40 points	3rd 30 points	4th 20 points
2nd Grade	Incas	Pipiles	Mayas	Aztecs
3rd Grade	Pipiles	Incas	Mayas	Aztecs
4th Grade	Pipiles	Aztecs	Incas	Mayas
5th Grade	Incas	Pipiles	Mayas	Aztecs

Fun ways to introduce young children to Maths!

Everyday situations:

·         Sorting things out and putting things away, e.g. shopping, toys, cutlery, clothes. Talk about which things go together and where things go, giving clear instructions for position such as ’in the cupboard, on the bottom shelf‘.

·         Matching pairs of socks, shoes.

·         Ordering and sequencing when getting dressed, going to the shops, having a shower etc. Talk about what you do first, what you do next, … and last of all.

·         Comparing objects according to size, weight or capacity, e.g. the longest spoon, the lightest shopping bag, the cup which holds the most, the shortest person, the widest hand, the bottle which is half full.

·         Matching and counting when setting the table, preparing food, sharing out food, etc.

·         Counting, weighing, measuring capacity and timing when cooking.

·         Talking about time, referring to the clock at different times throughout the day, (preferably a clock with hands), setting times for certain events, e.g. ‘We’ll have lunch at 1 o’clock.’, timing events, e.g. ‘How long will it take to wash the dishes?’

·         Handling small amounts of money when shopping, counting small totals.

Play activities/games:

·         Talking about directions when walking around or playing with toy vehicles etc. (e.g. forwards, backwards, straight on, turn left/right.)

·         Making models with building bricks, Lego, boxes etc. Talk about shape and position, count the number of similar shapes etc.

·         Playing games involving matching, recognising numbers and shapes or counting such as snap, pairs, dominoes, board and dice games (e.g. snakes and ladders).

·         Counting particular things on journeys, e.g. red cars, fields with cows in, churches etc.

·         Sharing books. Sit together when you read to children so that they can follow the pictures. Go back over the story and talk about the order of events, the number, position and shape of things in the pictures etc.

Mental activities:

·         Counting in 1s, then 2s or 10s, e.g. as you climb stairs, walk to the local shop etc.

·         Simple addition/subtraction calculations, e.g. 5 + 2, 10 – 7. Or 15 + 2, 25 + 2, 25 + 12, 20 - 7, 30 - 7, 30 - 17. ‘What’s 32 + 14? How did you work it out?’

·         The answer’s 5, what’s the question?

Activity for all ages!

This activity is one very good idea and is appropriate for any level. Ask the question:

'The answer is 10 (or any number), what’s the question? '

Possible responses:

·         8 plus 2

·         5 x 2

·         25 - 15

·         2.5 times 4

·         the number before 11

·         9999 subtract 9989

This is a brilliant activity because: there's no failure; it stimulates thinking and it stretches knowledge of numbers and mathematical relationships; it's good fun.

Welcome to a new year at the ABC!

This year promises to be an exciting one full of Maths!

In this blog you will be able to find different activities and ideas that can help you and your child develop your Maths skills in a fun way!

Always remember this golden rule when you work with your child: Whatever you do, make sure your children enjoy it!

Some advice when working with them is:

·         Talk about the use of maths in your everyday life;

·         Play games involving numbers and/or logic, such as card games, dominoes, darts, chess etc.;

·         Stimulate their thinking at times of boredom, (such as when travelling), with mental activities;

·         Check with the school about the methods they are teaching for any specific content, such as written methods of calculating.

Common Denominator - Card game for 5th Grade

This activity will give children plenty of practice in figuring out the lowest common multiple of two numbers.

What You Need:

• Index cards
• Permanent marker

What You Do:

1. Write numbers on at least 20 index cards, making sure that most of the numbers are not prime. For example, you might choose numbers such as 8 (which has the factors 2 and 4) or 9 (which has 3 as a factor) more often than 7 or 11, which are both prime. Most of the numbers should be between 1 and 20, with a few larger ones that have a lot of factors (e.g., 20, 24, 30).
2. Divide the pile of index cards in half into two smaller piles, and give each player one of these smaller piles.
3. Both players call out “1, 2, 3…war!” and simultaneously turn over the top card in their piles and place it between them.
4. The goal: as quickly as each player can, calculate the lowest common multiple of the numbers on the two cards, and call it out.
5. The first player to call out the correct lowest common multiple wins the round and gets to add both of the cards to the bottom of her pile. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for the next round.
6. The game ends when one player runs out of cards. The other player is the winner.

Grocery list - 4th Grade Activity

What You Need:

• Grocery list
• Pencil
• Calculator (optional)

What You Do:

1. Write your weekly grocery list, leaving space next to each item for a dollar amount to be written.
2. Ask your child to look over the list, think about what each item probably costs, and “guess” a total price for all of the groceries.
3. Head to the grocery store with your child. On the way, explain that she will be rounding, adding and estimating the total cost of the groceries as you shop. Surprise her by telling her that she will get a prize if her estimate comes within $10.00 of the actual total.
4. As you begin shopping, hand over the shopping list to your child. Every time an item goes into the cart, she should write the actual price and then round it to the nearest dollar (e.g. peas: $2.89 = $3.00). When you finish shopping, ask your fourth-grader to add up her list of rounded amounts and get an estimated total (bring a calculator or help her do mental math). Compare her estimated total with her “guess” from home.
5. After checking out and paying for your groceries, give the receipt to your child and have her compare her estimated total with the actual total. If she is within $10.00, offer her a small prize. If she doesn’t “win”, offer a “participation prize” to keep her motivated.

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Addition and Subtraction game - 3rd Grade

What You Need:

• Deck of cards
• Pencil and paper for every player (to add up scores)

What You Do:

1. Place a well shuffled deck of cards, face down, in the center of the playing area.
2. Each player begins by drawing one card and placing it face up in front of themselves. Players write the value of this card down at the top of their papers. (Aces are worth 1, and face cards are all 10.)
3. When all players are ready, everyone draws a second card. They add the value of these cards to their totals.
4. Keep playing until one player reaches 100.

Variations:

• Play until the deck runs out. The player closest to 100, without going over, wins.
• Add jokers into the deck. If a player draws a joker, their score drops back to zero.
• Start with 100 points, and subtract your way to the finish.
• Need a challenge? Use multiplication to reach 1000. (This is a good adaptation for a fourth grader!)

Counting up to 10 Hopscotch - Prepa

What You Need:

• Large cardboard box
• Sidewalk chalk, markers, or dark crayons
• Scissors
• Beanbag

What You Do:

1. Flatten the boxes. An adult may want to cut or trim the boxes to an appropriate size or shape to fit the indoor space being used.
2. Have your child draw the hopscotch board using the chalk, markers, or crayons. Concentrate on the lines and shapes (squares). Ask him to name the shapes he makes to you. If you are using sidewalk chalk take extra caution when it comes to dust and mess. Also remember that the chalk may wipe off onto clothing or skin. If this is a concern try using large crayons instead.
3. Ask your child to help draw numbers in the squares. If he is not ready to write numbers alone, try lightly drawing the numbers first and then encourage him to trace over them.
4. You are now ready to play! Your child can throw the beanbag (starting at the number one) and hop his way through counting as he goes along.

Crayon shapes! - Pre Kinder

What You Need:

• White drawing paper
• Crayons
• Watercolor paints
• Paint brushes
• Small container for water

What You Do:

1. Get started by taping a piece of white paper onto a worktable, or the tray of a high chair.
2. Give your child a selection of crayons to use, and encourage him to fill his paper with shapes of all different sizes and colors. This is a great opportunity to introduce him to some new shapes that he may be unfamiliar with, such as stars, moons, and ovals! Show him some examples on a separate piece of paper.
3. Once his paper is filled with shapes, remove the crayons and place a small cup of water, a paintbrush, and watercolor paints within reach. Invite him to paint over the crayon shapes he drew with watercolor paints, and watch the crayon shapes pop through the paint.
4. Next, encourage him to continue dipping his paint brush in water and a color of paint. This fine tunes his color recognition and hand-eye coordination!
5. Urge him to to continue painting until his entire paper is covered with paint, without any white paper showing through. Your child’s finished pattern resist can be proudly displayed in a colorful frame for everyone to see!

Examples of Mental Maths questions!

1. Write in figures the number 69. 

2. Write the missing number: (64 = ? + 4) (60)

3. What number is halfway between 9 and 13? (11)

4. What is the nearest 10 to 33? (30)

5. How many corners has a triangle? (3)

6. Five add three add two. (10)

7. Twelve take away four. (8)

8. What is 2 times 5? (10)

9. Divide 6 by 3. (2)

10. How many centimetres are there in 1 metre? (100)

11. I have £14. I am given another £9. How much do I have now? (£23)

12. How many days are there in the month of December? (31)

13. Frank buys a T-shirt for £5.99 and a pair of socks for £1.99. How much do they cost altogether? (£7.98)

Maths vocabulary - Four basic operations

Additon:

Addition – Increase by… - How many altogether… - Plus – Total – The sum of…

Subtraction:

Take away – Difference between – How many more… - Minus – Less than… - Decrese

Multiplication:

Times by… - Product of … - Mutiplied by … - Multiple of… - Lots of… - Times as

Divide:

Shared between – Share – Shared by – Divided by… - How many groups of… - Shared among

Subtraction is fun! 2nd Grade activity

Careful subtraction is an important skill. Flash cards can get repetitive and your child may lose interest in practicing. Try this fun game for an exciting change! Roll the dice and hope for big numbers! Players begin with 99 points. On each turn, they'll subtract the total they roll on the dice. The first player to reach or pass zero wins! Subtracting has never been so fun, and the competitive spirit of this game will keep your child engaged and ready to learn.

What You Need:

• 2 dice
• Paper and pencil for each player for keeping score

What You Do:

1. Have each player write "99" at the top of their papers, as the starting number.
2. Players take turns rolling the dice, finding the dice sum and then subtracting that sum from the starting number. After computing their result, the score is recorded and the dice pass to the next player.
3. Play continues until one person reaches or goes below zero.

www.education.com

Patterns with Paper beads - PreKinder activity

What You Need:

• several colors of construction paper
• a pencil or knitting needle
• glue
• scissors
• yarn
• masking tape

What You Do:

1. Cut the paper into strips (5 inches long and ½ inch wide). Roll each strip of paper around a pencil or knitting needle. Once you’ve formed the shape, slide the paper out and put a drop of glue on the end to hold the paper in place. Press firmly until the glue dries. Repeat using at least two colors.
2. Once the beads are dry, they’re ready to use. Cut a piece of yarn into the appropriate length for your child’s necklace or bracelet, wrap a piece of masking tape around one end to make stringing easier, knot the other end, and set them to work!

Teach your child to string a simple sequence of A-B-A-B. Make sure to say the pattern aloud to help her make the connection between what’s on her piece of yarn, and what she hears. You can say, “This is an A-B-A-B pattern” or “This is a red-yellow-red-yellow pattern”.

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4th Grade - Addition game with a deck of cards!

It's a race to see who can hit the target first by working math problems faster than their opponent.

What You Need:

• A deck of playing cards

What You Do:

1. Remove the 12 face cards from the deck and set them aside.
2. Shuffle the rest of the deck and deal four cards face down to each player. Turn the next card face up in the center of the table. This is the target number.
3. At the count of three, all players turn their cards over at the same time. Then they add, subtract, multiply, or divide the numbers on their cards (Aces = 1) and try to equal the target number. All four cards must be used!
4. The first player to equal the target number wins a point, and 3 points wins the game.
5. If no one can equal the target number, turn over another card for a new target number, or deal again.

Here's the winning strategy: keep rearranging your cards until you see the right combination. Also, try to group a pair of cards together.

Another variation would be to put in some of the face cards. They could be wild cards and used in your hand as any number. If the four-card game is too easy, deal five cards to each player.

www.education.com

Prime Numbers - Fun activity for 5th Graders!

What You Need:

·         Colour felt-tip pens

·         A hundreds chart

Review: A prime number is a whole number greater than zero that has exactly two different factors, one and itself. For example, the number 3 is a prime number because its only factors are 1 and 3. In contrast, a composite number is a whole number greater than zero that has more than two different factors. The number 6 is a composite number because its factors are 1, 6, 2, and 3.

It’s important to note that the number 1 is neither prime nor composite. It is not prime because it does not have exactly two different factors. And it is not composite because it does not have more than two factors. 1 is a special number.

What You Do:

1.     Cut or fold the hundreds chart in half if you only want to focus on the prime numbers through 50.

2.    Take a moment to review what makes a prime number. Then let the game begin!

3.    To play, tell your child that you will be competing to cross out all the composite (non-prime) numbers, and circle all the prime numbers. Designate one colour marker for the prime numbers, and another to cross out composite numbers.

4.    Each player will take turns crossing out a composite number (1 point), circling a prime number (3 points), or “passing.” The game will get easier as more number are crossed and circled, but the bigger numbers may present more of a challenge to your child. You may need to take your child through the definition of prime numbers a few times as you look at different numbers.

5.    The player with the most points at the end wins!

After you have played the game, check your answers. The prime numbers through 50 revealed from this activity are: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, and 47.