Acorn Addition with Hundreds Chart

What could be more fun than a cute, bushy-tailed squirrel? I think you would be hard-pressed to find something that my 8-year-old loves more than squirrels (and chipmunks), unless you happen to have a kitten in your possession. And if you do, keep it far, far away from me because I’m totally allergic. Squirrels, however, don’t seem to bother me. Mostly because I’ve never actually gotten that close to one. If it weren’t for the fear of rabies, my daughter would have a collection of squirrels… So when it comes to motivating her to do her schoolwork, squirrels are totally the way to go. This week’s 2nd grade bloggers theme is Squirrels! (and acorns…) I have a super cute acorn addition with hundreds chart activity for you. Then, be sure to check out the other posts from the team to get some more awesome activities!

So, a couple weeks ago we went on a family walk and a tiny, baby squirrel decided he wanted to walk with us. He followed us for almost a full block as we explored our new neighborhood. I think he sensed Jaida’s love for all things squirrel-y…lol! Though it was my husband’s feet that he was obsessed with. Totally random, I know, but your life is better for knowing that we had this cute little friend. *wink*

Back to addition…

Jaida does not, however, love doing school. Even though her teacher is flat out awesome. Queue eye roll… because that’s what she would do…

Getting her to practice her addition skills is not at the top of her to-do list.

But pretend to help squirrels gather nuts for the winter, totally doable.

To prep: Create a spinner using the paper fastener and the paper clip. If you do not have a paper fastener, you can hold the sharpened tip of a pencil to the middle of the spinner with the paper clip instead.

To use the acorn addition with hundreds chart, simply start at “1”. Spin the spinner and add that number to the “1”.

1+2=3

Put acorns in the number of spaces on the hundreds chart to equal the product. Then, continue from there.

3 (answer from the last problem) +5=8 (We add five more acorns to the hundreds chart to check our work.)

Continue until you reach 100.

This activity is great (not just because of the squirrels…) because it allows the kids to practice adding different numbers. Some with regrouping and some without.

And it offers instant feedback on whether the answer was correct or not. By adding the number of acorns to the hundreds chart after each spin the kids can see right away what the correct answer should be.

For additional reinforcement, you can have the kids write out the addition problems that they solve in a notebook. This will help you see if there are any issues that need practice.

Plus, writing things down provides another way for kids to engage their minds and will help them to remember them more than simply reciting an answer.