Fractions + Snacks = Recipes (and Math...shhh...don't tell them!)
Kids are naturally attracted to snack foods. If you have been reading here for awhile, you have probably seen how I have incorporated food ideas in many of the activities. It is because it draws their interest and then you can wrap this natural interest around some nugget of a concept you want them to learn. It could be the layers of the earth or how the Romans made roads or it could be fractions. I have talked about how I have used measuring cup fractions with cooking on more than one occasion. Today's activity, however, was not them following a recipe but around them making up their own recipe. And, therefore, their own fractional problems to answer.
How empowering is that?
1/4 + 1 + 1/2 +1/4 = 2
This is one student's mix, that we called it El Blano, as it looked so white. His recipe is 1/4 cup white chocolate chips, 1 cup popcorn, 1/2 cup mini marshmallows and 1/4 cup chocolate candies. |
Here is my youngest student's variety mix of 1 cup popcorn, 1/4 cup mixed nuts, 1/4 cup raisins, 1/4 cup chocolate candies, and 1/4 cup white chocolate chips. 1 + 1/4 + 1/4 + 1/4 + 1/4 = 2 |
And what goes better with a math snack than a choice of hot chocolate or tea? |