A fun math activity you can do on a monthly basis is a Guessing Jar! Depending on your grade, you can make it easier or more challenging. Each month, fill a jar with an item and have the students guess how many items are in the jar. This teaches them: Estimation, prediction, counting and skip counting. At the end of the month, count the items in the jar as a class. I usually start by giving each student 5 or 10 of each item. Pass out the items until they are all gone, then count them as a class. If every student has 10, count by 10's and so on. The student closest to the correct number can win a certificate and any left over items in the jar (if you use candy). I usually place candy in the jars and then the students can eat the candy after we are done counting. Here are some ideas for candy:
- January - Marshmallows (snow balls)
- February - Candy Hearts
- March - Gold Coins
- April - Jelly Beans
- May - Gumdrops
- June/July - Summer Break!!!!
- August - Cereal
- September - Gumballs
- October - Halloween Candy
- November - Candy Corn
- December - Mini Candy Canes
You can also use any seasonal M & M's for a certain month
Ideas for non-edible items:
Beads Buttons Pasta (colored or plain) Shells Smooth Pebbles (Arts and Crafts stores have these) Pom Poms Math Counters (teddy bears, etc)Dried BeansMarbles
Here is a picture of my Guessing Jar at Open House!!!
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