Math Center Project

Rationale: This center provides a way for students to understand the quantity that each number represents, by allowing them to count out the proper number of fish to place in each compartment. This words on fine motor skills and contains manipulatives making it easier for the students to learn counting and addition.  It can also be used to teach addition, by having the students fill two respective compartments and them counting the total fish between the two.

Materials:

• Egg Carton
• Blue paint
• Stickers or images of sea animals (optional)
• Goldfish crackers (or other small item to count with)
• Markers
• Container to store the goldfish crackers.
• Dice

Motivation:

Today we are going to practice our counting/addition by using one of my favorite snacks (not for eating!) and some egg cartons. In the egg carton you will see numbers in each of the places where the eggs are stored.  You will count out the correct amount of goldfish and place them into the right number area.  If you want a challenge, roll two dice and fill the two number areas with the two numbers that you rolled.  You can then count the total goldfish to see what the two numbers add up to!

Steps:

Cut the lid off of your egg carton.

Paint the egg carton blue.

Once the paint is dry, decorate the outside of the egg carton with sea life stickers. If you don’t have stickers, you can cut sea animals out of construction paper and glue them to the carton.

Write the numbers 1-12 on the inside bottom of each egg cup.

Use the carton to practice counting with your student! Count out the correct number of fish crackers for each egg cup. For example, count out 1 fish and place it in the cup labeled “1,” 2 fish for the “2” cup, and so on.

To practice addition, play this game:

— Start with your egg carton empty.

— Roll two dice. Place that number of fish in the egg cups. (For example, if you roll a

4 and a 2, place 4 fish in the “4” cup and 2 fish in the “2” cup.)

— Count your fish to see how many you have in all.

— Clear out your egg carton “ocean” and roll again!

 

Source:

http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/general_content/free_resources/teachers_corner/projects/fishSeaCountingGame.jsp?f=math