Spiders for Math

I went to Dollar Store. We don't celebrate halloween, however...I found some neat little things we could use. The orange tray is an silicone ice cube tray that will make little pumpkin shapes. The spiders came in a package of 50. Put these together, add dice, and you have a great math manipulative. 

Addition
Charles is working on adding columns of numbers and writing number sentences. So we made it a little game. Each of us has a tray. We each take a turn by shaking the die and adding that number of orange spiders to our tray. On our second turn, we collect black spiders. We are trying to get exactly 10 spiders in our tray. So if the number we shake is too high and we don't have enough room for that many spiders, we simply lose our turn. After our tray is full, we have to write our number sentences. By alternating between orange and black spiders, it is easy to see the numbers we have added. (Above Charles has 5 + 1 + 4 = 10.)

Our number sentences could be as simple as 6 + 4 = 10 if we have had some lucky shakes. Or it could take a number of turns and be 3 + 2 + 1 + 4 = 10. 

This game was actually much too easy for Charles, but he enjoyed the attention of being the first one to use the new spiders.

I will have to play this game with Jacob and Wesley this week for their math time. They need practice writing their numbers so it will work well for practicing that.

It will also work well for showing the boys the combinations possible for making ten.

Counting

I will also use it with the little ones for counting. Diana and Aaron will enjoy shaking the die and adding spiders to the tray and counting their collection.

All in all, this was a good buy...a fun math manipulative for $3 (two trays and a bag of spiders). Thank you, Dollar Store!