I’m still on my blogging break while I hang out with the newest little man in my life. During this time, I have really enjoyed having a few of my favorite bloggers guest post on the blog. Today I bring you the fantastic Melissa from Fireflies and Mudpies. I fell in love with her blog the first time I saw it, and I am now a dedicated reader of hers. She blogs all about the fun she has with her husband and two little boys. I think you will really enjoy what she does over there and highly suggest you stop by!
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Math can be fun! A simple box of Valentine chocolates ($4.99/CVS) can provide a hands-on, sensory math experience for young children.
Prepare the Activity
The Russell Stover box of chocolates that I purchased came with a heart shaped insert inside of it. I used it to trace 13 hearts.
I numbered each heart and drew the corresponding number of hearts below the printed number for my son to count, just in case he didn’t recognize the number.
Estimation
Begin by handing your child one chocolate. Ask:
· What does it smell like?
· What does it feel like?
· Let’s estimate! How many chocolates do you think are inside of the box?
My son guessed that there were 10 chocolates inside of the box.
Counting
He wasn’t too far off! There were 13 chocolates inside of the box. We counted them together and placed them into a bowl, one by one, until there were 0 chocolates in the box.
I placed the number cards into the empty lid of the box. My son read the number aloud and then placed the correct number of chocolates back into the box. He enjoyed this part of the activity because it had an added challenge. Each chocolate was uniquely shaped; therefore, he also had to find the correct compartment for the chocolates – like a puzzle!
Adding
I slipped an addition sign between 2 numbers and helped Colin read it. He added the correct number of chocolates back to the box to find the answer to the addition problem.
Subtraction
After practicing addition problems several times, I switched the addition sign to a subtraction sign and explained what to do. But we soon discovered a better way to practice subtracting; eating the chocolates! The next time we play, we will be starting with 11 chocolates, instead of 13!
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Thanks Melissa!
Isn’t she amazing!? Ok, now make sure you head over to Fireflies and Mudpies to see all her wonderful stuff. You can also find her over on Facebook where she likes to hang out.
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