Free Groundhog Day Math Activities for Grades K-8

Every February 2nd, the beloved groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, emerges from his hole beneath the ground in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania in a time-honored tradition that determines whether or not we will have a longer winter or an early spring.

As the tradition goes, if Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. But, if Phil doesn’t see his shadow, then spring will come six weeks early!

And while Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction skills are actually very poor (according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, he is only correct 40% of the time), Groundhog Day remains a highly anticipated holiday where millions of people are left anxiously awaiting the fate of the weather for the next six weeks (and keeping their fingers crossed in hopes of early spring).

Looking to Celebrate Groundhog Day with Your Students?

If so, today I am sharing three Groundhog Day-themed math puzzles for grades K-8 AND a bonus Groundhog Day “Think-Notice-Wonder” Writing Prompt!

Whether you’re teaching your kids at home, remotely, or in the classroom, you don’t want to miss this opportunity to celebrate Groundhog Day in your math classroom.

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These kinds of activities are perfect for mixing up your instructions, giving your students opportunities to think creatively about math, and adding some fun learning experiences into your lesson plans.

All of the math puzzles and activities share below are opposite day-versions from the puzzles featured in our best-selling workbook 101 Daily Math Puzzles for Challenging Students in Grades 1-8 (Volume 2)

HOW TO DOWNLOAD: You can download any of the puzzles below by right-clicking and saving the file to your computer and/or dragging-and-dropping the file to your desktop.

ANSWER KEY: Scroll to the bottom of this post to access the complete answer key.

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Groundhog Day Math Puzzle #1: Grades K-2

(Keep reading to access the answer key)

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Groundhog Day Math Puzzle #2: Grades 3-5

(Keep reading to access the answer key)

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Groundhog Day Math Puzzle #3: Grades 6-8

(Keep reading to access the answer key)

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All of today’s math puzzles are opposite day versions of the puzzles shared in our best-selling workbook: 101 Daily Math Challenges for Grades 1-8 Volume 2

Here are some samples from the book:

Grades 1-3 Puzzle

Grades 4-5 Puzzle

Grades 6-8 Puzzle

Multiplication Table Puzzle

Helpful Hints Sample

101 Daily Math Challenges for Grades 1-8 Volume 2 is now available as a PDF download. You can get yours today by clicking here.

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Bonus! Groundhog Day Writing Prompt for Grades K-8

The following Think-Notice-Wonder (TNW) writing prompt displays all of the Groundhog Day results since the year 2000. Based on the data chart, what will your students think, notice, and wonder? And what kind of great mathematical discussions will it lead to??

If you are new to TNW math writing activities, click here to learn everything you need to know.

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ANSWER KEY:

• Puzzle #1 (Grades K-2): Groundhog=9 Sun=1 Clouds=3 ?=12

• Puzzle #2 (Grades 3-5): Groundhog=12 Sun=0 Top Hat=6 ?=6

• Puzzle #3 (Grades 6-8+): Clouds=19, Sun=8, Groundhog in Hole=32,
  Groundhog with hat & TV=any two numbers whose sum is 13 (ex. 7 and 6), ?=416

• Bonus Puzzle: TNW activities do not have a single correct answer: Learn More

Have questions or ideas? Share your thoughts, questions, and suggestions in the comments section below!

(Never miss a Mashup Math blog--click here to get our weekly newsletter!)

By Anthony Persico

Anthony is the content crafter and head educator for YouTube's MashUp Math and an advisor to Amazon Education's 'With Math I Can' Campaign. You can often find me happily developing animated math lessons to share on my YouTube channel . Or spending way too much time at the gym or playing on my phone.

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Free Math Activities for Snack Food Month for Grades 3-8!

Are You Ready to Celebrate Snack Food Month?

Did you know that February is Snack Food Month!?

This month-long holiday celebrates popular snack foods—healthy and unhealthy—including chips, popcorn, pretzels, trail mix, fresh fruit, and more!

You can celebrate at home by stocking up on your favorite snacks and learning some new facts about snacks, like the fact that snacks have been around since 50,000 BCE when cave dwellers would create an “ancient trail mix” by mixing pine nuts, chestnuts, wild date seeds, acorns, and walnuts together.

And you can celebrate in your classroom with some brand new and super fun Snack Food Month Two Truths and One Lie! Math Activities for Grades 3-8.

Go ahead and use these activities as warm-ups, transitions, extra credit homework, or just for fun. They are great for boosting student engagement and adding some extra fun to your lesson plans. You may also like our 17 Days of Free Math Challenges and these 10 Super Fun Math Riddles for Kids (with Answers). Enjoy!

The following Snack Food Month Activities for elementary and middle school students are samples from my best-selling PDF math workbooks: 101 Two Truths and One Lie! Math Activities for Grades 3-5 and 101 Two Truths and One Lie! Math Activities for Grades 6-8.

Two Truths and One Lie (2T1L) math activities revolve around your students being presented with three facts, images, or statements (only two of which are true). The objective is for students to identify which statement is false and justify why (verbally, in writing, or both).

2T1L activities are an excellent strategy for boosting student engagement, sparking mathematical thinking, and opening small-group or full-class discussions. They are great for warm-up and cool-down activities during the first or final minutes of class.

Click here to learn more about how you can use two truths and one lie math activities to engage your students.

Free Snack Food Math Activities for Grades 3, 4, and 5

(keep reading to get puzzles for grades 6, 7, and 8)

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3rd Grade

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4th Grade

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5th Grade

Answer Key: 3rd Grade: 3 | 4th Grade: 3 | 5th Grade: 2

You can learn more about 2T1L activities and access more free samples here.

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Wait! Get 100+ More Two Truth and One Lie Math Activities for Your Students!

Grades 3, 4, & 5

Grades 6, 7, & 8

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Free Snack Food Math Activities for Grades 6, 7, and 8

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6th Grade

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7th Grade

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8th Grade

Answer Key: 6th Grade: 2 | 7th Grade: 1 | 8th Grade: 3

You can learn more about 2T1L activities and access more free samples here.

Looking for more Two Truths and One Lie Math Activities?

You can now share 101 Daily Two Truths & One Lie! Math Activities for Grades 3, 4, & 5 OR Grades 6, 7, & 8 with your kids with our brand new PDF workbooks!

Here are a few more free samples that you can download and share with your kids (right-click to download each graphic and save it to your computer):

• 3rd Grade: Sample A | Sample B

• 4th Grade: Sample A | Sample B

• 5th Grade: Sample A | Sample B

Looking for more for grades 3, 4, & 5? Download your 101 ‘Two Truths and One Lie!’ Math Activities for Grades 3, 4, & 5 eBook!

• 6th Grade: Sample A | Sample B

• 7th Grade: Sample A | Sample B

• 8th Grade: Sample A | Sample B

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Of course, sharing math puzzles with your students is just one effective strategy for boosting engagement in your classroom. Subscribe to our mailing list here to get more free daily resources, lesson plans, ideas, and insights for K-12 math teachers in your inbox every week.

Read More Posts About Math Education:

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By Anthony Persico

Anthony is the lead educator and founder of Mashup Math. He lives in Denver, Colorado and is also a YouTube for Education partner. Follow him on Twitter at @mashupmath.

We Spent All Morning Working on This Rectangle Math Puzzle. Can You Solve It?

The controversial real answer is finally revealed. Can you solve it?

A Post By Anthony Persico

It’s no secret that we are obsessed with math riddles, puzzles, and brain teasers here at Mashup Math. Why? Because there are not many better feelings in life than finally reaching an aha moment after mulling over a brain-bending math brain teaser for a while (sometimes hours!) and figuring out the correct answer.

Like most math fans, we love problem-solving, and, like most math fans, we can be rather hardheaded when it comes to believing that our answer is correct and that any other answer is obviously wrong.

So, it was no surprise that a seemingly simple yet controversial math puzzle forced us to drop everything we were doing and spend an entire morning arguing about who had found the elusive right answer.

We have been sharing the rectangle math riddle with math fans for a while—well, sort of. The original math puzzle was nearly identical, except that it asks How Many Squares? (Not How Many Rectangles). This problem, shown below, is not too difficult to solve and it is appropriate for students at the elementary levels and above.

The Original Problem: How Many Squares?

When squares are involved, most people can figure out that the answer is 14 total squares.

(Hint: if you are unsure of how to solve the Squares Problem, remember that some of the squares are overlapping).

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14 Total Squares

But What If I asked How Many Rectangles?

The How Many Squares Problem? is relatively simple and easy to solve. So, why does replacing Squares with Rectangles cause so much controversy?

This craziness all started when I received a text from a friend asking me if I had a quick math puzzle that I could send her to share with her son, a 4th-grade student, to try and solve before bed. With the How Many Squares? puzzle in mind, I quickly sketched the puzzle on a piece of lined paper using a Sharpie, took a picture with my phone, and sent it over to her. And, since I already had the picture, I also tweeted it out to all of our followers and went on with my evening.

This was the Tweet that launched a thousand different answers:

Got a number? pic.twitter.com/zTWl9WjOjW

— Mashup Math (@mashupmath) January 7, 2021

It wasn’t until the next morning that I saw that the tweet had over 200 replies and that I had accidentally asked How Many Rectangles? instead of How Many Squares?

And so, the controversy began.

Dozens of different solutions were being shared and several arguments breaking out.

I could have spent my entire day reading Twitter replies, but instead, I shared the puzzle with some friends who happen to be self-proclaimed Geometry wizards to see if there was a consensus solution. And I myself was on a quest to figure out why such a seemingly simple math puzzle had caused so much controversy.

Want to try the problem on your own? If so, don’t go any further. Stop here and try to solve the puzzle and come on back when you’re finished.

Gee, that was pretty quick! Are you ready to see the solution?

Unlike many popular math riddles and brain teasers that are purposely ambiguous and can have multiple answers, this math puzzle has one single, undeniable answer, and it’s 36 total rectangles.

Before we look at why 36 is the solution, let’s take a look at some of the most common responses on Twitter:

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As you can see, there is a wide variety of answers and only a small percentage of people found the correct answer.

Some people even went as far as to claim that there are actually zero rectangles and blamed my inability to draw straight lines freehand…

I'll be sure to use a ruler next time.

Anyways, here is one more notable Tweet that will launch our discussion into why the actual answer is 36 rectangles:

How to Solve the Rectangles Math Riddle

Miri’s tweet is notable because she draws attention to a very important math fact that many people are forgetting or unaware of—that a square is a rectangle.

What!?

It’s true. By definition, a rectangle is a plane figure with four straight sides and four right angles, especially one with unequal adjacent sides.

And a square certainly fits this definition. In fact, a square a special kind of rectangle (check out the Is a Square a Rectangle? video below for a more in-depth explanation.

Now that we know that a square is a rectangle, we can use the same approach to How Many Squares? problem to solve the Rectangle Math Puzzle.

Here’s a handy diagram of how to find each possible rectangle:

Rectangle Math Puzzle Solution Breakdown

Start by counting all of the squares, in which there are 14 in total (shaded in pink). Did you remember to count the large perimeter square?

Squares: 14

Then move onto counting ALL of the rectangles:

1x3 Rectangles (Blue): 6

2x3 Rectangles (Green): 4

1x2 Rectangles (Orange): 12

Finally, find the sum of all of the rectangles:

14 + 6 + 4 + 12 = 36 Total Rectangles

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Do YOU Want More Fun Math Riddles, Puzzles, and Brain Teasers?

Wasn’t that fun? If you want to take on more brain-bending math puzzles to sharpen your mind and improve your problem-solving skills, check out the links below:

The PEMDAS Rule Explained! (Examples Included)

The PEMDAS Rule Explained!

What is the PEMDAS Rule and how does it apply to the math order of operations?

A Post By Anthony Persico

What is the PEMDAS rule for math order of operations and solving problems? When studying math, you learn about a process called the order of operations. This process is a rule that must be followed when solving math problems that have multiple operations such as subtraction, addition, multiplication, division, groupings, and/or exponents.

There are many memory tricks for remembering the math order of operations in the correct order, but the most popular is the PEMDAS rule.

The PEMDAS Rule is a mnemonic that stands for:

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P: Parenthesis

E: Exponents

M: Multiplying

D: Dividing

A: Adding

S=Subtracting

The operations included in the PEMDAS rule are performed left to right.

Additionally, the PEMDAS rule for recalling the math order of operations has a few important sub-rules that must also be followed if you want to use PEMDAS correctly (and get the correct answers to math problems). These important sub-rules relate to the relationships between multiplying/dividing and adding/subtracting.

These important PEMDAS rule sub-rules are explained in detail in the next section:

PEMDAS Rule: Key Points

The PEMDAS rule has been around for decades as a tool for helping students to remember the math order of operations. Many prefer to simply remember the mnemonic PEMDAS (pronounced PEM-DAHS), while others choose to remember the phrase Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally.

However, you choose to remember the PEMDAS rule is not as important as remembering the previously mentioned sub-rules? Why are the sub-rules to the PEMDAS rule so important? Because the sub-rules often make the difference between getting a correct or incorrect answer to a math problem.

The PEMDAS rule may not be perfect, but if you can remember the sub-rules, it can be a useful tool for helping you to correctly apply the math order of operations and getting correct answers on both simple and complex math problems provided that you know the important sub-rules.

Important Sub-Rules to the PEMDAS Rule:

1.) P: Perform operations inside of parenthesis or groups before you do anything else (if there are no groups or parentheses, you can skip this step).

2.) E: Next, after performing operations inside of parenthesis and groupings (if there are any), apply any exponents (if there are no exponents, you can skip this step).

3.) M/D: Next, after the parentheses and groups and the exponents, perform multiplying/dividing from left to right based on whichever operation is first).

★ Just because M comes before D in the PEMDAS rule doesn’t mean that you will always perform multiplication before division.

4.) A/S: Finally, after multiplying and/or dividing, perform adding/subtracting from left to right based on whichever operation is first).

★ Just because A comes before S in the PEMDAS rule doesn’t mean that you will always perform addition before subtraction

★ = Extremely Important

PEMDAS Rule Examples

Now that you know what the PEMDAS rule for remembering the math order of operations stands for, it’s time to learn how to use the rule to solve math problems and get correct answers.

Why? Because there is zero educational value in remembering what the PEMDAS rule stands for if you have no clue how to apply it to math order of operations.

Remember that the PEMDAS rule is only useful if you also remember the key sub-rules that were displayed in the last section.

With the sub-rules in mind, the next section will work through several examples of how to correctly apply the PEMDAS rule when it comes to math order of operations and problem-solving.

PEMDAS Rule Ex. 1: (3+1) x 4

First, solve whatever is in the groupings (parentheses):

3+1=4

Next, multiply: 4 x 4 = 16

Final Answer: 16

PEMDAS Rule Ex. 2: 27 ÷ (8-5)^2

 Again, perform operation inside of the groupings first.

Inside parentheses: 8-5 = 3.

The next step to evaluate the exponents: 3^2=9

The last step is to divide: 27÷9 = 3

Final Answer: 3

PPEMDAS Rule Ex. 3: 10 x 6 + 1

Notice that this example does not include groupings or any exponents. Therefore, you can skip the P and E in the PEMDAS rule and start with M/D.

Since multiplying/dividing comes before adding/subtracting, you can solve this problem by moving from left to right as follows:

 10x6 = 60

60 + 1 = 61

Final Answer: 61

PEMDAS Rule Ex. 4: 75 - 10 x 5

According to the PEMDAS rule, multiplying/dividing comes before adding/subtracting so you can NOT solve this problem by moving from left to right.

The PEMDAS rule requires you to multiply first and then perform subtraction second as follows:

10 x 5 = 50

75 – 50 = 25

Final Answer: 25

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PEMDAS Rule Ex. 5: 8 x 8 ÷ 16

Are you ready to apply the important sub-rules?

Notice that there are only two operations in this math example: multiplication and division.

Before we move forward, let’s revisit sub-rule #3:

3.) M/D: Next, after the parentheses and groups and the exponents, perform multiplying/dividing from left to right based on whichever operation is first).

★ Just because M comes before D in the PEMDAS rule doesn’t mean that you will always perform multiplication before division.

In this problem, you can solve by performing multiplication fist (the left-most operation) and then division second as follows:

8 x 8 = 64.

64 ÷ 16 = 4

Final Answer: 4

Note: If you followed the PEMDAS rule strictly and solved from left to right, you could still have ended up with 4 as the correct answer. However, this will not always be the case as we will in the next example.

PEMDAS Rule Ex. 6: 42 ÷ 7 x 3

Let’s start by saying that many people will get this simple problem wrong because they forget the key sub-rules to the PEMDAS rule. They will make the mistake of strictly following the PEMDAS rule and performing multiplication before division (since M comes before D in PEMDAS).

Don’t make this mistake!

Remember that ★ Just because M comes before D in the PEMDAS rule doesn’t mean that you will always perform multiplication before division.

In this case, the only operations are multiplying and dividing. This time, division comes first, which is ok. You still solve the problem by moving from left to right as follows:

42÷7=6

6x3=18

Final Answer: 18

Why is 2 not the final answer? If you failed to apply the PEMDAS rule correctly, you may have made the mistake of performing multiplication before division as follows:

7 x 3 = 21

42 / 21 = 2 (THIS ANSWER IS WRONG!)

(Pro Tip: If this was a multiple-choice question, both 18 and 2 would both be choices. So, be careful!)

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PEMDAS Rule: Why Is It Good to Know

It’s impossible to consistently solve math problems (both simple and complex) correctly without understanding how to apply the math order of operations and PEMDAS is an effective tool for recalling them in the right sequence—provided that you also remember the important sub-rules described above.

 The PEMDAS rule and the math order of operations have gained tons of attention in recent years because of viral social media posts sharing seemingly simple math problems that garner thousands of responses (and incorrect answers) due to the fact that many adults can remember “PEMDAS” but not how to apply the actual PEMDAS rule (and corresponding sub-rules).

Since many people can’t figure out the right answer to these simple problems, they are inclined to leave comments and tag friends, which only makes the most more popular on social media.

PEMDAS Rule for Math Order of Operations: Conclusion

The PEMDAS rule is a popular memory tool for recalling the math order of operations. The rule stands for P: Parenthesis, E: Exponents, M: Multiplying, D: Dividing, A: Adding, S=Subtracting.

In general, operations are performed from left to right, but there are very important key sub-rules, namely (1) perform multiplying/dividing from left to right based on whichever operation is first), and perform adding/subtracting from left to right based on whichever operation is first).

Without understanding these sub-rules, the PEMDAS rule becomes extremely unreliable and can lead you to get the wrong answers to simple math problems (see PEMDAS Rule Ex. 6 above).

PEMDAS may not be the best way to remember how to correctly apply the math order of operations, but it can be a reliable tool if and only if you also remember the key sub-rules as well.

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The PEMDAS Rule is Good, but the GEMS Rule is Better!

Why is GEMS the Best Way to Teach Order of Operations?

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More Free Math Resources for Grades K-8:

Do Not Celebrate Opposite Day with These Boring Math Puzzles

Opposite Day is January 25th! Are YOU Ready to Celebrate in Your Math Classroom?

This silly holiday is a favorite among elementary and middle school. If you want to channel some of their opposite day enthusiasm into fun math learning experiences, then definitely do not share today’s fun opposite day-themed math puzzles for grades K-8 in your upcoming lesson plans!

Today is Opposite Day!

Actually, check that, today is not opposite day.

Or is it not not opposite day?

Confusing? Yes. But either way, Opposite Day, celebrated on January 25th each year, is a day when kids across the country rejoice as they get to indulge in fun and silliness, claim broccoli as their favorite food, and math as their least favorite subject ;)

Since my students love to make silly statements only to claim that the given day was indeed opposite day, I wanted to do something extra fun and special for them. So, I created some super fun (I mean extremely boring) Opposite Day Math Puzzles for Grades K-8, plus a very special Bonus Opposite Day Math Puzzle for Grades 4-8 that has two solutions (one when solved right-side-up and another when solved upside-down!).

These kinds of activities are perfect for mixing up your instructions, giving your students opportunities to think creatively about math, and adding some fun learning experiences into your lesson plans.

All of the math puzzles and activities share below are opposite day-versions from the puzzles featured in our best-selling workbook 101 Daily Math Puzzles for Challenging Students in Grades 1-8 (Volume 2)

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HOW TO DOWNLOAD: You can download any of the puzzles below by right-clicking and saving the file to your computer and/or dragging-and-dropping the file to your desktop.

ANSWER KEY: Scroll to the bottom of this post to access the complete answer key.

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1.) Opposite Day Puzzle #1: Grades K-2

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(keep reading to access the answer key at the end of this post)

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2.) Opposite Day Puzzle #2: Grades 3-5

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(keep reading to access the answer key at the end of this post)

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3.) Opposite Day Puzzle #3: Grades 6-8+

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(keep reading to access the answer key at the end of this post)

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3.) Opposite Day Bonus! (for Grades 4-8+)

This special opposite day puzzle has two solutions! Solve it once right-side up, then flip it and solve it again upside-down. Can you find both answers?

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(keep reading to access the answer key at the bottom of this post)

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All of today’s math puzzles are opposite day versions of the puzzles shared in our best-selling workbook: 101 Daily Math Challenges for Grades 1-8 Volume 2

Here are some samples from the book:

Grades 1-3 Puzzle

Grades 4-5 Puzzle

Grades 6-8 Puzzle

Multiplication Table Puzzle

Helpful Hints Sample

101 Daily Math Challenges for Grades 1-8 Volume 2 is now available as a PDF download. You can get yours today by clicking here.

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ANSWER KEY:

• Puzzle #1 (Grades K-2): Day & Night=5 Balloons=7 Toilet=4, ?=1

• Puzzle #2 (Grades 3-5): Day & Night=12 Up & Down=18 Balloons=2 Toilet=12, ?=44

• Puzzle #3 (Grades 6-8+): Day & Night=91 Up & Down=37 Balloons=9 Toilet=91 , ?=46

• Bonus Puzzle:

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Did I miss your favorite math holiday riddle for kids? Share your thoughts, questions, and suggestions in the comments section below!

(Never miss a Mashup Math blog--click here to get our weekly newsletter!)

By Anthony Persico

Anthony is the content crafter and head educator for YouTube's MashUp Math and an advisor to Amazon Education's 'With Math I Can' Campaign. You can often find me happily developing animated math lessons to share on my YouTube channel . Or spending way too much time at the gym or playing on my phone.

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