2024 Puzzle

Time: 1hr+ Each calendar year should start with this great puzzle that gets students to think critically and creatively to find as many different possible solutions for the numbers from 1 to 100 using only the digits 2,0,2 & 4.  Anything goes: exponents, factorials and recurring decimals are allowed!  Student grids, a classroom poster and manipulatives are provided for this ready to use activity.

 Timestables - Alternative Methods

Time: 1hr. Designed for students that are still having significant difficulties with some or all of their timestables. Short (1min) videos show carefully selected, 'memory light' and generally, alternative methods, to those used in schools. The activity provides lots of support materials for students to self-test and for teachers to rapidly produce tailored, classroom resources. 

 Money Multiples Investigation

 The Prime Cicada

Time: 1 to 3 hrs For many years the study of prime numbers was an abstract, mathematical pursuit. In the modern world there are an increasing number of applications. This activity explores an application in nature that is easily accessible (and engaging) to younger students and leads to a need for LCM and HCF. 

Prime Pictures

Time: 1hr+ Students solve puzzles and unravel the mystery of numbers through prime number decomposition in this activity based around the idea of wonderful Primitives manipulative. The activity includes different approaches, lots of rich discussion and culimates in students producing some great work for memory aids and classroom display.

Multiple Factors

Time: 1h. Students form interesting groups using their bodies to get a physical appreciation for factors and multiples. They then create a wide range of imaginative designs using counters, beads, collage etc. to represent numbers in terms of their factors for other groups to decipher. Finish with the multiple factors game. Be prepared for a lot of fun!

 Adding & Subtracting Negatives

Time: 1-2 hrsAdding and subtracting negative numbers are so often misunderstood.  These activities give a simple fool-proof way of getting it right.  Resources include a simple step by step demonstration likening adding and subtracting negative numbers to adding coldness to a drink, games and a self checking spreadsheet.   

 Divisibility

Age: 11+ Time: 1hr. This is a classic divisibility problem. Students are asked to solve it by creating a spreadsheet. As such this is good practice for programming spreadsheets with formulae, place value as well as divisibility. As a whole, the task is very good for developing problem solving skills. In short, arrange the digits from 1 to 9 such that the first digit is divisible by 1, the first 2 digits by 2 and so on.

 The Rice Show

Time: 1 - 3hrs This activity is inspired by 'Of All The People in All the World' from 'Stan's Cafe'. Use grains of rice to represent different numbers of people! How can we make a pile of rice with 1,000,000 grains in it? Do the estimation then use some statistics to make a powerful display!