Active Math Games: 5 and 6 — Math Tail Tag; Math Monster

MATH TAIL TAG:

Today after Kindergym I told the kids we were
going to the park to play math games. They
were pretty excited.

Our first game was Math Tail Tag. The kids all had a
strip of construction paper with a number on it tucked
into our shorts. We ran around trying to protect our tail
from being swiped and tried to swipe someone else’s
tail. When we got a tail, we looked at the number
(let’s say 5). LD had to figure out what number made
13 (so he said 5+8=13). DD had to tell me what
number came next when she got a tail. They had to
stand still when working out the problem (so others
might come and swipe their tail). They got to put their
captured tail into a pile, then grabbed another new tail (they
were spread all over the grass) and the game continued on.

MATH MONSTER:

The BIG BIG hit was Math Monster (ie. freeze
tag with a math twist!!).

I was the Math Monster. Before we began we
spread the cards above all around the grass.

Then it started! GO!

*I counted to five…

*If I tagged someone BEFORE they picked up
a math problem they were frozen and the other
player had to crawl through their legs to unfreeze
them.

*If I tagged them and they had a math problem,
they had to tell me the answer.

*If they got the answer correct they were free to
go put their card in a pile and I gave them to the
count of five before I could tag them again.

*If they got the answer incorrect, they were frozen.

**Math Monster would win if she could tag and
freeze both players.

**Wouldn’t you know it?? The kids won!!

**DD begged and begged to play again (I was
wiped out and begged to have lunch instead!)
Maybe tomorrow!

Then we went down to the now mostly dry river
bed. It’s pretty isn’t it??

I stuck bathers on the kids and they tried to catch
little fish (no tadpoles this time).