What would you do with an egg plate?

So I found these cute little egg pans at Walmart a while back for only 97 cents a piece and I knew I had to do something with them, but what?

I think there are about a 1000 ideas that ran through my head, but in the end I decided to make a little differentiated math activity for my upcoming change in math stations.

I know that one of the strategies for differentiating is using different kinds of materials so I’m always looking for new and interesting ways to use items I find.  Probably just like everyone else out there. 

Since my kinders are working on subtraction, I wanted to make a BUMP-like subtraction game.  Some of my students are still working on basic subtraction with 0 through 5.  So for them there are some numbers that I wrote twice.

And for my more advanced students I used numbers 0 through 11 on the spaces.

I’m sure you could use any numbers you would like and make it a recognition or addition or use dice and use doubles, but since I wanted them to focus on subtraction as their essential skill for this activity, I made up two different sets of subtraction cards (24 cards for each set).

Cut and laminate the cards and put them in a pretty little basket. 

 Now give each player their own color of egg.  If a player gets a card and the answer is three, then they can put HALF there egg on that spot.  Of course, if another player gets three, they can always BUMP the second player off.  If, however, the first player gets another card for the answer of three again, then they can put the rest of their egg on the space and they are safe.  Cards always go back into the basket after they are played.  I always tell my kinders to bury them down deep.

Of course you can always use an egg carton if you don’t have an egg plate.  Make sure you give your students options for solving the problems.  I offer number lines or students can use cute little seasonal counters like the ones shown above.  Even using these simple little, interesting counters can often mean the difference between having engaged and  . . .well, not so engaged students.   

What?  You say you don’t have any subtraction egg cards and really wish you had a set because you have a couple of egg cartons/ or egg plates laying around?  Well, of course, I have the cards ready for you to download.  Just click HERE or on the egg cards picture above to be linked to my google docs for your copy.

So, just for fun, tell me . . . what would you have done with these egg plates?  Drop me a note on my facebook page . . . (check out my link in the top right corner  . . .hint, hint . . . you could ‘like’ me while you’re there too and that would be better than ok) and give me a couple of your ideas.

Check out other great Easter ideas at Sharing Kindergarten’s Easter Linky Party.

Just click below: