Best of times book activity: Spiral game
One simple activity you can do when you are finished reading is to play a fun multiplication game called the spiral game. All you need is a deck of playing cards, a die, and items to use for game pieces. First, place all of the cards in a spiral fashion, like in the picture to the left. Start with your game pieces in the center Each player takes turns rolling the die. The player must multiply the number on the die with the number on the card that their piece is on. If they get the answer right, then the player moves ahead the number on the die. If the player answers incorrectly, then they must stay on their space. Face cards are valued at 10. If a player lands on the same space as another player, they can send that player back to the start. The first player to get to the end of the spiral wins!
Reference: Gaslin, W. (2012, Aug 12). Spiral: a multiplication game. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/activity/article/spiral/?coliid=217
Reference: Gaslin, W. (2012, Aug 12). Spiral: a multiplication game. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/activity/article/spiral/?coliid=217
Math potatoes Book activity: real life multiplying
After reading the Math Potatoes book you can keep on practicing facts by finding things to multiply around the house. Just like in the book, you and your child can look for groups of items around the house to multiply. For example, maybe you have a checkered placemat on the table. Ask your child to use multiplication to figure out how many squares are on the placemat. You can do this anytime, anywhere. It is a great way to show your child how often multiplication can be used in real life.