Organized Learning

Snack Time Math

Many classes in the younger grades have a snack time between morning and lunch. These times can be made educational. Have students sit in a circle on the rug and have helpers pass out plates and/or napkins. Give each student an equal number of the snack, such as peanuts, pretzels, popcorn, carrots, etc. Have students arrange the snack on their plates in at least two different piles. Start with one student and continue around the circle having the students give a math sentence representing the "problem" they have made with their snack. For example, "two plus three equals five" is what they should say if they were given 5 pretzels and they arranged them in one pile of 2 pretzels and one pile of 3 pretzels.