summer math

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summer math
By Jessica

DM-
I just finished summer school and agree that it should be exciting,especially in the summer!!
When studying measurement, one activity we did was a "Mini Olympics". There were 6 stations (outside works best). 1)"Javelin"
throw-which is just a straw--the kids throw a straw, they have to estimate the distance, actually measure the distance in inches, and calculate the difference.
2)Paper Plate Discus throw--same thing.
3)Cotton Ball Shot Put--same thing.
4)Left Handed Sponge Squeeze--kids have to use left hand only to squeeze water from sponge into bowl, estimate mL.,then actually measure

the mL with measuring cups.
5)Right Handed Marble Grab--use right hand to pick up a handful of marbles, estimate the weight in pounds or grams, then actually weigh the marbles.
6)Big Foot--the kids trace their foot (they get a kick out of this)onto graph paper, then estimate the area, and actually count the number of square inches the foot covered.

With a class of 12,it took us an hour to do this,but we had so much fun and they forgot that they were learning. There estimation skills improved as we played.

*Another game I play with my class is "Who Wants to Be a Mathematician?" I get one student in a "hot seat" and ask math related questions, they have the choice to "phone a friend", "poll the audience", etc.

*If you want them to use technology, these 2 sites are great for math skills
1) www.kidsmath.com -- excellent site, competitive, scores and times the kids while they are working.
2) www.funbrain.com --math car racing and math baseball

*Hope any of this helps