This year’s Cherry Avenue Annual Math Carnival added merriment to mathematics in the form of games and activities.

With this year’s theme "Math Measurement Carnival; No Clowning Around," the students in Grades K - 5 had enormous fun engaging in the wide variety of events that at the same time focused on the NYS standards for measurement.

During their PE classes, the students were met by a bunch of “clowns” ready to take them through the hoops of hilarity; Using their Circus Clown data-collection sheets, the students compiled the statistics of their progress throughout the Carnival and spent some extra time estimating the quantity of assorted goodies within the Estimation Jars.

Among the activities that drew measurable smiles to everyone’s faces were:

-        Are You a Rectangle or a Square?

Students measured their height and arm span to see if they fall into the category of a square (equal measure), tall rectangle (taller than wider), or wide rectangle (more wide than tall).

• WHERE’S THE MATH? Extension Activity

Kindergarten / First grade:  Make a graph of your class.  Do you have more squares or rectangles?

-        A Minute to Win It! (Timed event)

Students were given 3 tries to balance either a feather or (swimming pool) noodle using their hand for a minute.  Students could choose which item and could change their minds, but will only have 3 tries in total.

WHERE’S THE MATH? Extension Activity

  4th Grade :  Did any of your classmates succeed with this task?  What was their strategy?  Have them complete this sentence: 

To be successful with balancing a feather / noodle you have to _________________________________________________________.

-        Bowled Over (Accuracy and points totaled)

Students set up the bowling pins and rolled a bowling ball from a specified distance.  Students totalled  their point for 2 tries.

WHERE’S THE MATH? Extension Activity

 2^nd Grade:  Add the total number of pins that your class knocked down

-        Ring Toss

K-2 Students tossed 5 rings and added their total score. 

Grades 3-5 Students tried to come as close as possible to a score of.  After tossing each of the 5 rings, they added or subtracted their score. 

WHERE’S THE MATH? Extension Activity

 3^rd Grade:  Compare your scores.  Who was the closest to 50 in your class?  How far away from 50 was the person with the furthest score?

-        Handful of Puffs

With one arm behind their backs,  students grabbed a handful of cocoa puffs with their free hand.  They will then measure the weight using the balance scale and the gram weights. 

WHERE’S THE MATH? Extension Activity

5^th Grade:  Record the weight totals of your puffs that were grabbed by your classmates.  What was the mean, median, and mode of your results. 

-        Tea Cup Race

Two students sat on a large scooter.  They must spin the scooter continuously as they travel on the outside of the black line.  The students must go down, round the cone and come back to the start line. Their score is the time it takes them to complete the course!

The sum total and overall goal of all these activities was that the students would have great fun while applying math principles in real-life situations! !  Mission accomplished!