Cara Carroll

Summer Fun…Math Style!

I have to say that I’ve been blessed with two kids who LOVE to learn.  Trust me when I say that I know this isn’t always the case so I am very grateful that {at this moment in time} they love it.   My wish is NOT for them to be at the top of their class{es}, read the best, or anything like that, rather I want them to LOVE school and LOVE to learn.  And so far, thankyouJesus, they do.  
As you can imagine with two little boys who love to learn, we haven’t been sitting idly at home doing a whole lotta nothing.  Yes…there are MORE video game moments than I can count….the pool has been their second home….and our neighbor has taken permanent residence at our house…but they’ve been SO excited to try new “games” and extend their learning while they aren’t in the classroom.  I guess the bonus to that is that the majority of the time they don’t even realize they’re learning!  SCORE!!!
One of our favorite summer games so far has been Math Fact Jenga!  They’re finally in the “game phase” of their lives {seems like it took FOREVER for them to get here!!} and they love to play!  
We started out with regular Jenga, but then I decided it was time to amp it up and see if they could rise to a little summer challenge.  Let me just tell you that ANYtime I say the word “challenge”, my boys are determined to prove to me that they can rise to the occasion. I shudder to think what this could mean when they’re in college {deep breath, mom.  Deep breath.}.

To play Math Fact Jenga at your house…or in your classroom…you’ll need a set of Jenga blocks & peel off stickers {I love my garage sale dots!}
As you can imagine, you play this version very similar to the regular version.  When you find a block you want to strategically move, you have to solve the problem BEFORE you can move it.  If you solve the problem correctly, you move the block.  If you get the problem wrong, the next player has the option to solve and move and you lose a turn.  Then you just keep on playing ’til they all fall down 🙂
Of course, using math strategies is highly encouraged!  I can already tell a difference in fact fluency with my 1st grader.  He’s starting to remember some of the addition problems and he’s becoming a much faster player 🙂  
What I love about using the garage sale dots is that I can change out the facts…or activity…as often as possible!  In case you don’t know, I am seriously cheap.  I don’t like to buy more than what I need or already have.  The sticky dots give me the flexibility to change it up whenever I feel the need.  The possibilities are ENDLESS!  
In other news, today’s Christmas in July deal is on two of my FAVORITE math resources!! 
Don’t Forget My Number is an awesome number sense packet perfect for starting the year!  It’s chock full of number anchor charts, games, and printable activities to reinforce number sense!  It’s usually $11, but TODAY ONLY it’s on sale for $8!!
Splash Into Summer is a fun little packet full of printable math practice pages!  Perfect for the summer between K-1 or great for starting out the first few weeks of first grade!  It’s usually $7, but TODAY ONLY it’s on sale for $5!!
I’ll be giving BOTH of these packets away today on my FB page, so if you’re not a fan already, head on over, click “like” & “get notifications” and enter to win!!

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Comments

  2. Sarah Plum says

    This is such a good idea! My little guy who's turning 5 in September is headed to Kindergarten and I have been desperately trying to get him excited about learning. I think my approach — out of my sheer anxiety over him entering school — has been ALL wrong. I think I'll switch your awesome Jenga idea up and label the blocks with upper and lowercase letters so he can identify the alphabet and the letter-sounds!

    Sarah Plum
    There's No Place Like Second Grade

    Reply

  14. Natalie Tanner says

    What a wonderful idea! So clever – love it! This activity will be great for quiet evening hotel time or a rainy day while camping.

    I'm going to link this on my website http://www.theeducationaltourist.com where I write about traveling with the kids and learning along the way. I would love a shout out from you!

    Thanks for sharing such a creative idea.
    Natalie, The Educational Tourist

    Reply

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