Maths Fun for Everyone

Maths Puzzles:

Age Hunt:

Find someone’s age:

Ask the person to multiply the first digit of their age by 5.

Tell them to add 3.

Ask them to double this number.

Finally, ask them to add the second digit of their age to the number and then tell you their answer.

Subtract 6 and you will have their age.

Activities:

2.     

 2. Who Am I?

One player thinks of a number and gives the clues while the other tries to guess the number from the least number of clues. E.g.

·         I am less than 20

·         I am an even number

·         I am more than 10

·         I am 2 x 8

‘How Much is My Name Worth?’

To play the game calculate: A = $1 and Z = $26. Have children calculate how much their first and last names are worth. Repeat, using the names of Australian cities, or vary the amount allocated to each letter, e.g. $2, $4.

Choose a Net

Provide several ‘pairs’ of boxes, e.g. two identical cornflakes boxes, two Weetbix boxes, etc. Open out one of each box and display the nets. Hide the labelling and ask children to match each net to its box.

1.     Stringing It Together

Give each child a 50 centimetre length of string; ask them to arrange it so it appears as ‘short’ as possible. Review how to make a long line look short.

2.     Hefting Time

Fill four milk cartons with a different mass of sand and ask your child to order them from lightest to heaviest. Allow each student only twenty seconds to heft all four and make their decision.

3.     Name Fun

Ask each member of the family to predict how many times they can write their first name in 60 seconds. Test predictions. Repeat with a 30 second time limit.

4.     Shape inside a Shape

Have your child follow instructions, e.g. ‘Draw a triangle inside a circle, inside a square, inside a pentagon.’ They can then make up their own instructions for you to follow.

What’s the Time?   

Tony’s watch gains 30 minutes every day. If Tony sets his watch at noon one day, how long will it be before it next correctly shows 12 o’ clock again?

                  Two

           + Three

              seven

           Twelve

Replace the letters with numbers to make the sum true.

Same letter, same value.

1.    $100 to Zero

Have children start with an imaginary $100. Provide junk mail catalogues and calculators. Ask children  to subtract the cost of various products until they reach zero dollars. Allow only three minutes. Shorten the time available as students become more proficient.

2.    Birthday Countdown

Ask children to calculate how many days have already gone this year and how many still to go. Repeat, asking children to work out how many days since their last birthday, and how many days until their next birthday.

Maths Internet Links: (keep checking this is added to all the time!)

www.mathletics.com.au/

nrich.maths.org/forstudents

www.makingcents.com.au/money_topics_for_parents.php

www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/

www.education.vic.gov.au/child

www.abc.net.au/countusin

www.abc.net.au/children

www.rainforestmaths.com/

http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/

www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/maths/mathscontinuum/default.htm