Activity #1: Calculator Nim

You Will Need: One Calculator

Nim is a traditional math game. It has been updated to play on the calculator.

Open your calculator.
Press the "AC" key to clear the screen.

Game One: 21 Nim (For parent and first grader.)

Player one enters either 1 with +, 2 with +, or 3 with +.
Player two does the same.
Players take turns until 21 is displayed on the screen.

NOTE: 0 is never used in Calculator Nim.

The Winner is: The player who enters the number that results in a total of 21. A player who enters a number that results in a total higher than 21 loses.

Game Two: 47 Nim (For parent and second grader.)

Played the same as 21 Nim with the following changes:

The 1,2,3,4,5, & 6 keys are used.
The winning number is 47.

Game Three: 73 Nim (for parent and third grader and above)

Played the same as above with the following changes:

All keys 1-9 are used. (0 is never used in Calculator Nim.)
The winning number is 73.

Reach for the Stars

Vary the games by changing the winning numbers. Start with a high number and subtract until you reach some lower number. For example, begin with 86 and take turns subtracting until you reach 7.

On the Job

All kinds of jobs require calculator skills: bookkeeper, accountant, clerk, farmer, carpenter, homemaker, small business owner, or anyone who has to keep track of money or stock. Scientists and engineers use calculators to help them design everything from space ships to houses and toys.

Activity #2
Guess What!

You Will Need:

Uncooked pasta in 3 colors
Paper
Pencil
A bag you can't see through.

Game One: (For younger children.)

You will need several pieces of pasta in 2 different colors.

Player one puts 7 pasta pieces in a bag. The pieces can be any combination of the 2 colors: 0 & 7, 1 & 6, 2 & 5, 3 & 4.
Player two dips his or her hand into the bag and, without looking, pulls out one piece of pasta. Player two then records the draw and replaces the piece of pasta in the bag.
Player one shakes the bag.
After 4 rounds of pulling, recording, and replacing, player two makes one guess about the combination in the bag. If the guess is wrong, player two plays 3 more rounds and guesses again.
If still not successful, player two pulls 2 more rounds and guesses again.

NOTE: This game can be varied by changing the total number of pasta pieces and the possible combinations.

Game Two: (For older children.)

You will need several pieces of pasta in 2 different colors.

Player one puts 12 pasta pieces in a bag. the pieces can be any combination of colors such as 0,3,9; 4,4,4; 2,5,5; etc. There are many more possibilities.
The rest of the game is played in the same way as for game one.

On the Job

Probability is the chance that a certain thing will happen depending on the conditions. A weather forecaster uses probability to predict the chance for rain. A dietician uses probability to predict how much of a certain food to prepare for your school cafeteria. A store owner uses probability to figure out how much stock to order.

Activity #3
Here, There, Everywhere?

You Will Need:

Three types of beans, such as lima, kidney, or black beans. You can substitute macaroni or some other types of foods that vary in color, shape, and size.

There are many ways to separate beans. Have your family group the beans by color.
To compare your information, write in the numbers of beans of each color in a chart like the one below.
Beans that are the same color can also be separated by shape.
What other ways can you sort the beans?
Here are some other things you can sort: cars, shoes, clothes, furniture, toys, and food. Try one. Can you think of others?

Reach for the Stars

Look in each room of your house. What colors, shapes, and sizes of objects do you see in the bathroom? In the bedroom? In the kitchen? Are there similar colors in all the rooms? Are there similar shapes? Why do you think there are similar colors, shapes, and sizes in each of the rooms?

On the Job

Separating things and objects is a way of sorting and classifying. All kinds of jobs sort and classify objects. Here are a few: landscape architect, farmer, pharmacist, medical lab technician, forestry land manager, and scientist.

Activity #4
Toothpick Measures

You Will Need: 10 Toothpicks

Lay your toothpicks end to end to completely cover the top side of the paper from one end to the other. Count the number of toothpicks it would take to cover the top of the paper, and trace them.

How many toothpicks do you think it would take to make one line of toothpicks from the top to bottom of the paper? Write down your answer. Then try it.

How many toothpicks did it take? How close was your estimate?

How many toothpicks would it take to measure a book end-to-end (the width) and top-to-bottom (the length)? Write your estimates down and then try it. Try measuring other objects using toothpicks. Are your estimates getting better? Why?

Reach for the Stars

Try the same activity placing your toothpicks side-to-side. How many more toothpicks do you think it will take to cover the paper end-to-end (the width)? Top to bottom (the length)? Write down your answers, and then try it.

On the Job

Estimation is used in some way in every job. Some occupations that use estimates are: doctors, engineers, scientists, mathematicians, farmers, chefs, artists, salespeople, homemakers and teachers.

Activity #5
What's Your Wingspan

You Will Need:

A Tapemeasure

Have each person in your family spread their arms out on either side of their body as shown.

For each person, measure in inches the distance from the tip of one finger to the tip of the other. This measurement is called your wingspan. Write down each person's name and wingspan in the boxes below.

Now measure how tall each person is in your family. Write down the measurement in the column marked height.

Put a check next to the name of your family member that has the same wingspan and height measurement. For the rest of the family members, how different were their measurements? More than an inch different? More than two inches?

Reach for the Stars

Measure your wingspan and your height using the centimeter side of the tape measure.

On the Job

We measure things to give us different types of information. Doctors might use the information you found in this activity to examine children and compare their growth to other children. A special type of scientist might measure the wingspan of animals to give them information about animals that lived in the past, such as dinosaurs.