Showing posts with label estimating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label estimating. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Soda Math - Kid Style

Split students up into groups. Give each group some sugar packets to experiment with multiplication strategies. How many packs do they have? Tell them that each pack has 4 grams of sugar. How can they figure out how many grams of sugar they have?

Once they have figured it out, give each group a different can of soda. Can they figure out how many packs are in their can of soda? First, have them estimate! Then, they solve! They could use their multiplication strategies. More advanced students might figure out that they can get their answer faster by dividing. Students collaborate and problem solve to get the solution! Was their estimated number close to the final result?

Check out Dan Meyers' 3 Acts for videos to go along with this lesson!

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Raisin Math

This activity comes from Learn NC!

Give each student a small box of raisins.
First, kids estimate the number of raisins in their box.
Then, they count up their raisins and write down the number.
They graph their answer on a line plot.
You can create a line plot with post-it notes or have kids use round stickers to plot their number. Check out Teaching to Inspire to see kids in action!
Once all the numbers are on the line plot, find the mean, median, mode, and range!
How many raisins are more likely to be in a mini box?!
Then, observe your raisins! Do some boxes have plumper raisins? Why do some boxes have less?

Compare Raisins
Divide students up into teams of 2. One member gets one brand, the other gets a different brand.
First, kids estimate the number of raisins in their box.
Then, they count up their raisins and write down the number.
How did the brands compare? 
They graph their answer on a line plot (use 2 different colored stickers or post-its to keep track of each brand).

Monday, July 22, 2013

Paper Chain Gang

Kids are given 5 strips of paper. They write something they are really good at on each of their strips. They link their strips together to create a small paper chain. Then, they measure it!

As a class, they help link all the chains together. Use blank strips of paper in between each child's chain. Have kids estimate the length of the giant chain. Then, as a class measure it! Did anyone come close to guessing the actual length of the chain?!

Discussion:
Look at the variety of talents in the room! (Compare the length of their chain to the giant class chain.) If we all work together, we can accomplish anything!

Friday, April 19, 2013

Wind Powered Balloon Squid

Explore the power of air and wind energy by constructing a balloon squid to play with in the pool! Estimate the distance you think your squid can swim. Then, measure the actual distance he travelled. Build more than one and have a balloon squid race! Click here for how to instructions from Monkey See Monkey Do!

materials: balloon, snap top from water bottle, ribbon, sharpie

Click here to learn how to make an air powered balloon boat!

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Map the Solar System

Cosmic Neighborhood (above) - Construct a scale model of the distances in the solar system with toilet paper: Astro Society / check out the site (here) for more playful lessons! They even have decoding an alien message!!!

If Earth Was The Size Of A Cherry Tomato - The Solar System with food or candy!

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Egg Carton Flyer

Save your egg cartons to construct a flying wing! It soars with the help of a penny inserted in the "cargo bay!" Click here for the template and instructions!

integration:
geometry: angles (best angle for distance)
estimating: distance
measuring: distance
science: potential / kinetic energy / wind

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

1 minute

What Can You Do In One Minute? This activity is from Mixing in Math! When introducing time to kids, explore 60 seconds. Have them choose three activities (example: drawing stars, jumping jacks, hopping on one leg, etc.) Then, have them estimate how many they can do in one minute. Did anyone choose the same activity? How did their score compare? What activity could they do the most of? Which activity did they do the least of?

For older kids, have them do 5 activities. Then, have them find the mean, median, mode, and range. They use their score for each activity. (Example: 60 hops, 50 stars, 40 jumping jacks, etc.) They find the m,m,m,and r of 60, 50, 40.....

- or - Choose one activity for the entire class to do in one minute. Then, write their scores on the board and have them figure out the m,m,m, and range.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Fruit Snack Math

The wrapper tells you how many fruit snacks are in the bag. Estimate how many of each flavor is in your bag before opening it.

Write a fraction for each flavor. Then, graph your flavors. How did your bag compare to your peers? Do you think that the flavors are evenly distributed?

Lay your fruit snacks out an a straight line. Can you find something that is the same length? (measure)

Find a friend and compare your fruit snacks. Who had more cherry? Did you have the same amount of cherry? Compare each flavor using greater than, less than, or equal to signs.

Create a multiplication array with your fruit snacks. Then, practice division. How can you divide your snacks evenly if you shared your bag with your mom and dad?

Write addition and subtraction number sentences: What is the sum of your strawberry and grape (2+3=5)? If you ate all of your orange and lemon, how many fruit snacks would be left (12-5=7)?

Make different patterns with your colors. Did you have any difficulty because of the colors in your bag?

More fruit snack activities:
Fruit by the Foot Ruler - measure by the foot
Chopsticks! - practice place value with swedish fish
Growing Gummy Bear - grow a gummy in water and measure!
Gummy Worms - How long can a gummy worm be stretched?
Fruit Roll Up - Area/Perimeter

Monday, February 18, 2013

Kid Engineering

Design Squad Nation - Lots of hands on projects, and a great place for kids to collaborate with other students from around the country.
Featured above:
Treasure Grab - Kids investigate magnetism with this measuring construction project!
Indoor Slingshot - Angle Exploration and potential / kinetic energy! Kids measure the distance their object is propelled. What angle worked best? 
Air Cannon - Estimate and measure, while exploring air pressure. Kids blow up a bag, smash it, and a pom pom ball goes flying! 

WYE_Lance has a special showcase of kid engineering projects featured on Instructables: Project-Based Engineering.
Featured above:
Truss Bridges - Kids explore symmetry and angles as they create a unique popsicle stick structure.
Rubber Band Helicopter - How high will it go? How long will it stay up?

Sophie's World - Balloon Boat (top right image)
Kids investigate the power of air, as they estimate and measure the distance their boat floats!

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Matter Race


Give each child a sandwich baggie with an ice cube in it. Kids race to melt the ice cube in the bag, transforming their solid into a liquid. Once they have a liquid, the teacher adds a piece of an alka seltzer tablet to their bag - presto: gas (their bag will expand and the contents in their bag will fizz and bubble)! Math - Estimate how long they think it will take them to melt their cube.



Above is a recording sheet for students to use as they are melting their ice cube. Click here to download! Click here for a checklist to assess your students. Also, check out Bag Bomb!

Friday, February 8, 2013

Cloud Racing

Integrate science and math with cloud racing! Lay a large, long sheet of blue paper down. Kids blow (wind) cotton balls (clouds) across the race track (sky) using straws. 

Try making other types of cotton ball clouds (cirrus and stratus by pulling the cotton ball). Click here for an example. Have kids predict which cloud they think will go the fastest. If cirrus went up against a cumulus cloud, which one would win?!

Next, have each kid predict which cloud will go the farthest: Go out into a large hall way. Blow each type of cotton ball cloud using a straw. Measure the distance each cloud traveled. Which cloud traveled the farthest distance?

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Mardi Gras Bead Geometry

First, have kids make an inference about what they think each color of Mardi Gras stands for (green = faith, gold = power, and purple = justice). Next, have kids estimate how many beads they think are on the necklace. Who had the best guess?

Geometry: Split students up into teams. Have students make 3 shapes out of the necklaces (triangle, circle, and rectangle). Next, have them measure their shapes with a ruler. Then, have them figure out the area and perimeter (or circumference).

Sand Castle Experiment

This surface tension experiment comes from The Indianapolis Public Library Kid Blog! Students explore measuring by adding different amounts of water to 1 cup of sand to see what water to sand ratio makes the ideal sand castle. They investigate fractions when measuring their water (1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 1 cup). They construct a total of four mini cup castles (using different amounts of water for each one). Then, they estimate how many pennies each "castle" will hold. Which castle do they think will be the strongest? They count out the pennies, as they lay them on top of each cup castle. Can any of their mini castles hold 25 pennies? Which castle was the strongest? Visit IPL Kid Blog for the scientific explanation behind this experiment!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Guess Who?! - Teeth

photos via cc: mouth 1 - Dana Beveridge, mouth 2 - Chris Penny, mouth 3 - Izik

This fun idea comes from Fall into First! Take photos (or have students take photos) of students' toothless mouths (showing their teeth). Next, ask kids to estimate the total number of teeth that have been lost in the class (sum of all their teeth lost). Have students go around the room and tally how many teeth each of their peers has lost. Have them count all of their tally marks and figure out the total. Whose prediction was the closet? Then, as a class, create a graph of how many teeth each child is missing. Hang the photos up, as well as the graph. Students try to guess who's mouth is whose based on their knowledge of how many teeth each of their peers has lost, as well as their keen observation skills.

Science experiment - Brush your teeth! - Part 1 and Part 2

Paperclip Math

1. Hands on Math: Paperclip Equations (also can be done with fact families)
2. The Longest Chain - First, have students estimate how many paperclips they think they can link in a certain amount of time. Then, set a timer and have students make a chain as quickly as possible! Measure the paperclip chains. Who created the longest? Who's guess was the closest to their actual number? 
3. Just my size - Have kids estimate how many paperclips it would take to create a chain the same height as them. 
4. Mean, Median, Mode, Range - Race to make a chain! When time is up, kids count how many clips they linked. Write down the number of clips they linked on the board from lowest to highest. Next, find the mean, add up all their scores and divide the sum by how many teams there were. Then, circle the number that falls in the middle (median). Mode - did anyone have the same number of paper clips on their chain? Finally, find the range: subtract the lowest score from the highest.
5. Paperclip patterns: link colors to create a pattern.
6. Floating Paperclip! - Visit Science Bob for a paperclip science experiment about surface tension.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Stuffed Pets


monkey via cuddle works
My Pet Pal - Revised
This is a lesson I'm creating for one of my education courses. You can view the original post I wrote here.

Have students bring in a pet stuffed animal from their home. Ask students if they think they can determine an object’s weight and size without using standard tools. Write the children’s answers down on the SmartBoard. Then, try out their answers to see if they are right. Next, read the book Measuring Penny by Loreen Leedy to show students ways to measure a pet without standard tools. 

Have students predict which pet is the longest, tallest, shortest, widest, and thinnest. Choose a nonstandard tool for measuring. Have students record their pet's measurements (ear, eye, nose, mouth, head, paw, arm, leg, tail, body). Also, have them write down the name of the longest, tallest, shortest, widest, and thinnest pet in the class.

Next, they will estimate which pet is the heaviest and which is the lightest. For science, construct a balancing scale. Provide the materials and have students infer how they can use the material to create a weighing device. Then, weigh your pets! Have them write down the pets' names in order from lightest to heaviest. Afterwards, have them weigh their pet and compare it with pennies. What does their pet weigh in pennies?

Then, students will describe their pet’s attributes using a bubble map. What makes their pet unique? Then, they will compare their pet to a friend's pet using a Venn diagram. Once they compare with one friend, they will create a fraction by finding other peers whose pets have similar and different attributes.

For writing, have students write down how they think their pet’s attributes might help their pet (animal adaptations). Why does their pet have large ears? How does long shaggy hair help their pet? Where would their pet live? After they've made an inference, they will work in teams to research all of their pet’s attributes on the computer or ipad to find out how certain attributes (like large ears) help animals.

Friday, January 4, 2013

Popped vs. Unpopped

Younger students: You will need 1 single serving (mini) bag of popcorn. Have students predict how many kernels will pop. Do they think they all will pop? If not, how many will stay a hard kernel? Microwave the bag. As a class, count the corn. Write a fraction for popped and unpopped. Whose guess was the closest? Optional: Compare with a different brand of popcorn.

Older students: Which brand pops the most kernels?! Split students up into four groups. You will need 4 single serving (mini) bags of popcorn (2 different brands). 
1 group - brand x
2 group - brand x
3 group - brand y
4 group brand y

First, have students estimate how many pieces of popcorn will pop in their group's bag. How many kernels won't pop in their bag? Microwave each bag for the same amount of time and give each group their bag. Have them count the popcorn (split popcorn into groups, so each person is in charge of counting; then, they combine their number to figure out the total). Next, have them write the fraction for popped and unpopped. Which group's guess was the closest? Which brand reigns supreme? Did the groups with the same brand have similar results? Did one of the brands have completely different results? Which brand is most reliable? 

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Leaf Investigator





Kids find a leaf, investigate it, then paste it in the square! (save to desktop to print)
Visit Education.com to find out how to figure out a tree's age by its circumference.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Slingshots and Catapults

Demonstrate projectile motion, exertion, force, velocity, potential / kinetic energy, and angles with slingshots and catapults! How much force is needed to project objects of different weights? What angle will fly your object the farthest? 

As a class, or an individual homework project, have kids design a catapult or slingshot. Experiment using different amounts of force. What angle creates the best launch? Try launching objects of different weights. Did heavier objects need more force and require more energy? Measure the distance of the objects you launch!

Featured above with how to instructions:

Slingshots
Hand Held Classic Slingshot - The Risky Kids. You can also make a pvc pipe hand held slingshot, click here for instructions!
Chair Slingshot - Kitchen Pantry Scientist
Pyramid Slingshot - Visit DIY Life
Construct an oversized slingshot for water balloons, balls, toys or anything else you'd like to launch! Visit Instructables, click here and here for two different designs! You can also purchase one from SSWW (featured above).
Indoor Slingshot - Design Squad Nation

Catapults
Ping Pong Ball Scoop Catapult, as well as a wide assortment of designs, click here
Popsicle Stick Bottle Cap Catapult - Do It and How
Tissue Box Pencil - Disney Family Fun

There are tons of different designs for slingshots and catapults! You can use different components from various designs to create your very own unique launcher!