Activity
Easter Egg Estimating
Sweet, springtime math activities: estimating, 10-frame, nonstandard units of measurement and digital skills!
Estimating is simply a ‘clever guess’. Remember that jar filled with candy that everyone had to guess how many pieces of candy were inside? Guessing the candy in a jar is a favorite activity to introduce estimating. Did you pick up the see-through jar and try to count the candies that were visible to give you an idea on the number of pieces?
While students who are visually impaired can still use their deductive skills (size of jar and size of candy piece) to take a guess at the number of candies in the jar, is there another way to introduce estimating when the class has a student with a visual impairment? Try using a solid container than requires the student to estimate by listening rather than looking.
Easter egg estimating
Since it is springtime, let’s use plastic Easter eggs! These colorful eggs can be filled with pieces of candy (or other small objects). Allow the student to shake the egg; the student must use other senses to try to identify how many pieces of candy are in the egg.
Let’s start by using jellybeans to fill the eggs. Have a basket of eggs with different amounts of jellybeans. Use different colored eggs, number the eggs with a permanent marker (for adult to call out the name) or use a braille stick-on number label.
Note: Make sure that the egg does not easily open. If necessary, tape the egg to keep it closed.
Game play
- Name the egg (color or number) and give the student an egg filled with 9 jellybeans
- Ask the student to estimate or give his/her ‘best guess’
- Have the student record his/her answer
- Name the second egg and give the student an egg with 16 jellybeans
- Ask the student to estimate the number of jellybeans
- Have the student record his/her answer
- Name the third egg and give the student an egg with three jellybeans
- Ask the student to estimate the number of jellybeans
- Have the student record his/her answer
- Ask the student how he/she determined the estimated number of jellybeans. (Did the student shake the egg and listen to it rattle? Did the student pay attention to the weight of the egg? Did the student use another method?)
- Ask related math questions, such as, which egg has more candies, which egg has less?
Challenge rounds
- Estimate how many jellybeans will fit inside the egg. (maximum number)
- Use a different type of candy and different number of pieces in each egg.
- Does 16 M&Ms sound the same as 16 jellybeans?
- Try using random number of wrapped candy pieces
- What’s different? Is it harder or easier to determine light-weight candy or wrapped candy? Why?
- Using candy that larger than jellybeans and estimate how many pieces will fill the egg.
- Apply logical thinking. Did the student guess a smaller number? Do you think the (name larger candy) will have more or less pieces than the jellybean?
- Have three filled eggs. Which egg has 1/10/25 pieces of candy?
10-frame activity
Teaching 10-frame number sense? Use a tactile 10-frame (box with squares – 2 rows and 5 columns). Place a plastic egg filled with random pieces of candy in each box. Create a raised line 10-frame worksheet and provide braille number stickers. The student can estimate the number of candies in each egg and place the braille number in the associated box on the worksheet. (No braille number stickers? Insert the tactile 10-frame worksheet in the Perkins Brailler and the student can line up the Perkins braille writer head with the desired box on the worksheet and braille the number.
If the student is working on tech skills, create a digital table (2×5 grid). The student can type in his/her estimate into the digital table. (If using an iPad, create the table in Pages by inserting a table and choosing 2 rows by 5 columns. A spreadsheet application can also be used to create a table.)
Resources
- Google Docs Table Activity: Warm/Cold Blooded Animals
- Halloween Suduko Puzzle: Grids and Tables (Step-by-step instruction on how to create a table in Pages and how to navigate the table with VoiceOver)
- Creating an Accessible Table in Word
Nonstandard units of measurement
Nonstandard unites of measurement is part of the number sense math skills. Young students are asked to start measuring before they can read numbers on a ruler or before they can understand standard units of measurement such as inches, feet, or miles.
Use candy to estimate and measure tactile lines. Use the PIAF-ready egg graphics from the Eggs-citing Tactile Graphic Activities! post or create your own using tactile materials you have on hand. Create different lengths of tactile lines leading to a tactile egg; use a black marker with the PIAF ready eggs or use a tactile material such as rainbow tape. The photo below has a raised outlined egg with a short line below the egg and a raised ‘cracked egg’ outline with a longer line. Three colorful M&Ms are used to measure the short line. On top of the worksheet is a green plastic Easter egg cracked open with colorful M&Ms spilling out.
Resources
- Eggs-citing Tactile Graphic Activities!
- Candy heart math: Estimating, measuring and graphing
- “Ish” book: Drawing, estimating, and digital activities
By Diane Brauner
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