Lemonade-stand math: and eight other ideas for keeping kids' number skills fresh this summer

Instructor, May-June, 2006 by Susan Dillon

What adds up to fun in the summertime? Math, of course! While reading and writing may be at the top of your list for summer shape-up, it's equally important for kids to work with numbers so their minds are sharp and ready for new challenges come fall.

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"Practicing math skills during the summer is incredibly important because it keeps concepts fresh," says Kathryn Power, a second-grade teacher at Clinton Elementary School in Maplewood, New Jersey. "The best activities allow kids to see how we use math in the real world."

With that in mind, we offer nine irresistible summer-themed math lessons. All work with a big group or just one or two students, so you can try them with a group of summer-school charges or send the tips home to families (they're online at www.scholastic.com/instructor, too).

LEMONADE STAND

TARGET SKILLS: Counting, measurements, fractions, and money

WHAT KIDS CAN DO: Making and selling lemonade is a great way to drink in lots of math! Use our lemonade recipe on page 65. (You'll find lots more math ideas there too!) First review the recipe's ingredients and its measurements with your students. Look at a set of measuring cups and compare the various measures. How many lemons make 1 cup of juice? How much of the other ingredients will you need?

Then have fun with fractions right on the lemon rind. With a permanent marker, draw a line down the middle of the lemon to show one-half, then cut with a plastic knife. Draw more lines to show thirds and fourths. Squeeze your fractioned fruit into a pitcher when you're done. Cut another lemon into 1/4" horizontal slices for floating on top of the lemonade.

SUMMER GRAB BAG

TARGET SKILLS: Sorting, colors/patterns, writing numbers (order & recognition)

WHAT KIDS CAN DO: Make a Summer Grab Bag--a shoebox covered in sunny-yellow construction paper and decorated with summery doodles and stickers. Every day, add one new item to the box: sunglasses, sunscreen, compass, sea shells, etc. Then invite children to count all the items and sort by color, size, shape, or subject (beach items, camping, etc.). You can use your Summer Grab Bag items for other math activities (see below) or as writing prompts, too!

SHOP AT THE BEACHSIDE STAND

TARGET SKILLS: Determining values, equivalent numbers

WHAT KIDS CAN DO: What do we need at the beach? Test math skills as you choose! Together, make a chart of merchandise for sale at a beachside stand: bathing suit, beach ball, cooler, even refreshments like hot dogs, soda, and ice cream; students can help assign dollar values. You could also tag real items (see Summer Grab Bag). Now, hand out cash--fake coins and bills--and have the kids go on a spree, recording their purchases and the total spent. You might have students earn their "shopping bucks" as reward for good behavior.

HOTTER/COLDER!

TARGET SKILLS: Number recognition, higher/lower, temperature

WHAT KIDS CAN DO: Hide an object in the room while one student isn't looking. Then invite the student to start walking around the room in search of the object. In the game you probably already know, when the student gets closer to the object you give hints such as "warm," "warmer," "hot," "hotter," "extremely hot," "you're burning up!," etc. Or, if the student is headed away from the object you'd say "cold," "colder," "you're about to become an icicle."

But for our math version, the idea is to give correlating temperatures to "hotter" and "colder": "32 degrees," "40 degrees," "150 degrees," "0 degrees," etc. Periodically, stop the action and ask kids to do the math: "What's the weather like now? How much cooler are you than before? How much hotter?"

SUN-SHAPES VISOR

TARGET SKILLS: Symmetry, colors (matching), patterns, number recognition/order, shapes

WHAT KIDS CAN DO: Make a simple fun-in-the-sun hat for kids to take home! Give each student a foam sheet in the color of his or her choice. Help children to cut their sheets into half-circles. Then invite kids to decorate their visors with colorful foam shapes. The only guiding rule: The design must be symmetrical--the right side of the hat the mirror image of the left side. Once children are finished with their designs, help them to measure a 1" rim from the straight side of the foam half-circles to fold over against their heads. Poke a small hole on each end of the rim with a pencil point or scissors. Tie a piece of elastic through the holes to secure, measured to fit snug around students' heads.

CAMPERS TRAIL MIX

TARGET SKILL: Measurement

WHAT KIDS CAN DO: Headed outside for a nature walk? Pack a healthy snack and get in measuring practice at the same time. Provide bags of raisins, Chex mix, chocolate chips, granola, mini cheese crackers, etc.; plus one paper cup and a resealable plastic bag per student. On each cup, use masking tape to mark 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup, 3/4 cup, and 1 cup. Invite students to make their own special mix with any and all of the ingredients, but specify that it must add up to 2 cups total. After kids measure each ingredient, have them pour them into their bags. Then zip shut, shake the mix, and enjoy!