Fractions with egg cartons has been around for a while, but I'm not sure how many teachers and parents know how many levels of fractions that can be done with them. You can practice identifying fractions, adding fractions, subtracting fractions, multiplying fractions, and dividing fractions. And while doing those you can talk about fraction equivalents, mixed fractions, and improper fractions. Hopefully I didn't lose you there, but I will be posting specific lessons later on, but here are a few examples of what to do with EGGS and egg cartons.
Egg Carton Fractions: While you work with eggs, you might go with the plastic eggs instead. Also, using a picture of the egg carton may be best when recording your findings.
- Have fun seeing the different ways the eggs fit in the carton. What fraction is that?
- You can add fractions...
- And show how those fractions needed to go to the common denominator first...
- Have fun exploring all the things you can do with fractions using egg cartons!
Adding and subtracting: using plastic eggs...
- Write numbers on your eggs and put that many items inside (jelly beans, blueberries, choose anything that will fit.) Have kids find the eggs and practice adding up their total.
- For subtraction you can write a problem on the egg with a permanent marker (for example: 9-4=_ or 8-_=6) and
- have the kids put that many items inside it. OR...
- have baskets labeled 1, 2, 3, etc. representing the answers and the kids have to put the eggs in the basket.
Cooking with eggs: How many recipes have eggs? Look through a cookbook and see...
- Next time you cook with eggs, put them in a measuring cup for liquids--What's the volume inside 1 egg, 3 eggs, etc.
- Make up word problems to solve involving your family. If everyone has a two egg omelet once a week, how many eggs would you have used over one year?
Have you played math games with EGGS before?
