7 Engaging Halloween-Themed Math Activities

7 Engaging Halloween Math Activities for Grades K-8

Image: Mashup Math MJ

Halloween is the first big holiday of the school year and an exciting time for students and teachers alike.

As we approach the second half of October, math teachers would be ghoulish not to take advantage of their students’ enthusiasm and Halloween spirit.

There are countless opportunities to creatively incorporate fun and engaging Halloween-themed math activities into your lessons. By tapping into the October excitement, your students will have a more meaningful learning experience.

Looking for ideas? Try adding one of the following fun and engaging Halloween-themed activities into your upcoming lesson plans:

1.) The Hershey Kiss Memory Game

Is there any better motivator than Hershey’s chocolate? This math game from Kids Activities Blog requires you to put a small garage sale dot sticker on the bottoms of Hershey Kisses along with corresponding multiplication facts. Students then take turns flipping them over looking for a match. When you find one, the chocolate is yours to keep! Try using this as a warm-up exercise at the beginning of a class period to get students engaged immediately.

Image Source: www.kidsactivitiesblog.com

2.) Sample Space, Probability, and M&M's  

Photo by Oksana Zub on Unsplash

Candies like M&Ms can be used as an engaging tool for students to explore sample sizes and probability. Try placing students in groups with a large bowl of M&M's. After sorting the candies by color and creating a tally chart, give them each a fun-sized pouch and have them predict the frequency of each color based on their data collection. Students will love making reasonable predictions and exploring why or why not their results made sense.

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3.) Exponential Growth...With Zombies!

Exponential growth and decay are often taught in the context of human populations, but what about zombie populations? This Halloween-themed video lesson explores the concept of exponential growth in the context of a zombie apocalypse. The video touches on concepts such as growth and decay, exponential functions and why they never pass through the origin, and how to apply the population growth formula. Middle school and algebra teachers can use the lesson in an introductory context, while higher level teachers can have students work through all of the practice activities.

Video Source: www.youtube.com/mashupmath

4.) Graveyard Frequency Tables

Image Source: http://missgiraffesclass.blogspot.com

This simple activity from Miss Giraffe's Class Blog gets students to practice collecting and analyzing data using manipulatives. Students are given cotton swabs, black construction paper, and cups full of small Halloween erasers (you can purchase these in large quantities at most party stores), which they will categorize with a frequency table using bones (cotton swabs) as tally marks. Teachers can extend the activity by having students graph their results in a bar chart.   

5.) Halloween Bone Bridge

This Halloween STEM project from Plans for a Better Tomorrow Blog is highly exploratory and hands-on. The lesson can be modified for elementary or secondary math lessons. Students will use materials including cotton swabs, clothes pins, rubber bands, and pumpkin-shaped candies to build a “bone bridge” for length, strength, and/or capacity. Teachers can assess these attributes by having students demonstrate how many pieces of pumpkin candy that their design can support. Watch the video below to learn more about this project and the variations of assessment for different ability levels.  

6.) Counting Hands Dice Activity

Image Source: www.jdaniel4smom.com

Now this is what I call a hands-on activity! This spooky idea from JDaniel4's Mom Blog has students create a seriously scary manipulative for exploring math operations using rubber gloves, uncooked beans, rubber bands, a measuring spoon, and dice. The physical nature of this activity helps students to visualize math facts and strengthen their number sense through engaging in a hands-on learning experience. It's a fun activity to do in the classroom or at home.

7.) The Halloween Place-Value Poem   

This short video is for elementary level students and teaches the concept of place value in the form of a PG Halloween poem. With over 10,000 views, this popular YouTube video and its silly and spooky sound effects will have your students reciting the place values from the ones all the way to the millions and laughing a whole lot in between. You can access the lyrics to the poem here so that students can read along while they watch.

🎃Have another idea for an awesome Halloween math activity? Creep it real and share yours in the comments below.

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Halloween Math: 13 Days of Spooky Math Challenges for Grades 1-8

Halloween Math Activities for Grades 1-8

Add these super fun (and extra spooky) math puzzles to your collection of Halloween Math Activities for elementary and middel school students. Enjoy!

Are you prepared to keep your students focused on learning math during the excitement of the Halloween season?

Source: Mashup Math ST

Sometimes it takes more than an extra shot of espresso in your pumpkin spice latte to get the job done and savvy math teachers know how to channel their student's excitement into holiday-themed activities.

And since preparing activities can be time-consuming (and you're already so busy this school year as it is), my gift to you this Halloween season is 13 Days of Spooky Math Challenges! 

The following printable Halloween Math Worksheets allow you to inject a little bit of spooky mathematics into your lessons this month.

Each puzzle is a sample from our best-selling workbook 101 Daily Math Challenges for Engaging Students in Grades 3-8, which is available as a PDF download and as a hard copy on Amazon.

Each Halloween Math Worksheet shares a challenge question (answers are included) appropriate for all elementary and middle school grade levels - they are perfect for warm-ups, exit tickets, and homework and extra credit assignments.

Parents can also share these fun challenge questions with your kids to keep them engaged and thinking mathematically this fall.

Now let's get problem-solving!

Download Instructions: You can download any of the challenges by right-clicking the image and saving it to your computer or by dragging-and-dropping each image to your desktop.

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1.) Day 1 of 13

(Hint: Notice that it takes two black cats to make one pumpkin!)

Black Cat = 6

Cauldron = 14

Pumpkin = 12

? = 8

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2.) Day 2 of 13

(Hint: Start with the bucket!)

Candy = 9

Zombie = 1

Bucket = 7

Cat = 5

? = 35

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Share this puzzles with your students on Halloween day! (Source: Mashup Math ST)

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3.) Day 3 of 13

(Hint: Notice that the pumpkin and the witch's hat have the same value!)

Ghost = 8

Bat = 1

Pumpkin = 4

Witch's Hat = 4

? = 31

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4.) Day 4 of 13

(Hint: Start with the haunted house and don't forget order of operations)

Spider Web = 10

Witch = 5

Moon = 7

Haunted House = 8

? = 30

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“I always look forward to getting my Mashup Math newsletter email every week. I love the free activities!” -Christina R., 5th Grade Math Teacher, Dallas, TX

Do YOU want free math resources, lesson activities, and puzzles and games for grades 1-8 in your inbox every week? Join our mailing list and start getting tons of free stuff (including a free PDF eBOOK)!

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5.) Day 5 of 13

(Hint: Start with the ghost first!)

Ghost = 13

Scarecrow = 4

Tree = 7

? = 16

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6.) Day 6 of 13

(Hint: I know it's scary, but start with the zombie hand!)

Werewolf = 5

Witch's Hat = 2

Zombie Hand = 8

Owl = 6

? = 21

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7.) Day 7 of 13

(Hint: To find the haunted house, think about what value that when subtracted from 12 equals that same value!)

Ghost = 25

Broom = 15

Haunted House = 6

? = 16

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Are you looking for more daily math challenges and puzzles to share with your kids?

My best-selling workbook 101 Math Challenges for Engaging Your Students in Grades 3-8 is now available as a PDF download!

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8.) Day 8 of 13

(Hint: All candy bags are created equal!)

Candy Bag = 9

Bats = 10

Boo! = 9

Witch = 1

? = 20

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9.) Day 9 of 13

(Hint: Each value comes from doing something to the previous value)

Case #1: ? = 35 (each value increases by one more than its difference with the previous value: +4, +5, +6, ...) 

Case #2: ? = 95 (each value increases by twice its difference with the previous value: +6, +12, +24, ...)

Case #3: ? = 121 (each value increases by the square of the difference with the previous value: +3,+9,+27,...)

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10.) 10 of 13

(Hint: The growth pattern is exponential!)

1,3,6,10,...

Notice that the first value increases by 2, the second value increases by 3, the third value increases by 4, etc.

Case 5: 15 Zombies

Case 8: 36 Zombies

What about case 100?

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11.) Day 11 of 13

(Hint: Remember the multiplicative identity!)

Vampire Lips: 0

Moon = 1

Pumpkin = 2

Frankenstein: 0

Black Cat = 4

Zombie Hand = 5

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12.) Day 12 of 13

(Hint: You need to visualize this situation by drawing a diagram and/or using manipulatives and colored pencils or markers!)

Case 4: 25 Faces

Case 5: 36 Faces

Case n: (n+1)^2

*This question was inspired by Jo Boaler's TED Talk: How You Can Be Good at Math and Other Surprising Facts About Learning.

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13.) Day 13 of 13

(Hint: Think about what kinds of values have a product ending in 5.)

25 x 13 = 325

Bat = 20

Pumpkin = 5

Witch = 10

Leaf = 50

Ghost = 60

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Save the tricks and the treats (except for the bite-sized Twix bars - those I'll take), I just want your input. Please (oh please, oh please) share your thoughts in the comments below!

Looking for more fun math resources to share with your kids? Click here to subscribe to our YouTube channel and access our free video library--and don't forget to subscribe!

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Is a Square a Rectangle? Yes or No?

Is a Square a Rectangle?

Today is the day that you finally learn the answer to the controversial question as to whether or not a square can be a rectangle. Before we explore the definitive answer to this question, let’s take a look at two very important definitions:

What is a Square?

A square is a closed figure with four sides of equal lengths and four right angles.

What is a Rectangle?

A rectangle is a closed figure with four straight sides and four right angles.

The subtle difference in definitions between a square and a rectangle is extremely important. Why? Because this subtle difference is the key to determining whether or not a square is a rectangle.

So, is a square a rectangle?

The quick answer is YES! A square can be a rectangle by definition.

Now let’s explore the reasons why a square is always a rectangle by using an analogy to cookies that will make the answer very simple!

All squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares (just like all Oreos are cookies, but not all cookies are Oreos).

The Cookie Analogy

Image: Mashup Math FP

By definition, a cookie is a small baked treat that is typically round, flat, and crisp.

And we all know that an Oreo is a type of cookie (and certainly fits this definition).

But, is every cookie an Oreo?

Definitely not! An Oreo is a special type of cookie, but there are lots of other types of cookies including sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, girl scout cookies, and gingerbread cookies.

And furthermore, we can conclude that:

• An Oreo is a special kind of cookie.

• Every Oreo is a cookie, but not every cookie is an Oreo.

Image: Mashup Math MJ

Now let’s extend this same exact type of thinking from the cookie analogy to understand why a square is a rectangle.

Every Square is a Rectangle. Here’s Why:

Remember that a rectangle is a closed figure with four straight sides and four right angles.

Does a Square fit this definition? YES! A square is a special kind of closed figure with four straight sides and four right angles that also has sides that all have equal length.

Therefore, we can conclude that:

• A Square is a special kind of rectangle.

• Every Square is a rectangle, but not every rectangle is a square.

Conclusion: a square is always a rectangle, but a rectangle is not always a square.

However, it is important to keep in mind that even though all squares are rectangles, not all rectangles are squares. Just like in the cookie example, all Oreos are cookies, but not all cookies are Oreos. And the same is true with squares and rectangles. So, while all squares are rectangles, not all rectangles are squares.

Do you want to learn more about why all squares are rectangles? Check out our Is a Square a Rectangle? YouTube video that accompanies this post:

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

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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:

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Here's an Awesome Way to Teach Kids Fractions

Are you looking for strategies to help your kids understand equivalent fractions this school year?

Creating fraction kits is a great way to get your kids exploring equivalent fractions and acquiring a deep, conceptual understanding of the topic.

The video below demonstrates how to create a fraction kit; it was designed to serve as a follow-along activity:

Materials: construction paper, markers, scissors, and a ruler.

Looking for the corresponding lesson guide? click here to download yours

And here are some great links to more fun math activities:

• How to Convert Decimals into Fractions in 3 Easy Steps

• 4th Grade Word Problems: Free PDF Worksheets

• Check Out This Awesome Mean, Median, and Mode Activity

• 10 Super Fun Math Riddles for Kids

• Free Math Coloring Worksheets for 5th Grade

• Idea: How to Engage Your Students at the Start of Any Lesson

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“I always look forward to getting my Mashup Math newsletter email every week. I love the free activities!” -Christina R., 5th Grade Math Teacher, Dallas, TX

Do YOU want free math resources, lesson activities, and puzzles and games for grades 1-8 in your inbox every week? Join our mailing list and start getting tons of free stuff (including a free PDF workbook)!

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A Message to New Teachers: Failure, Feedback, and Focus

Image: Mashup Math MJ

A Message to New Teachers: Failure, Feedback, and Focus

I tend to sweat profusely when I’m nervous.

And being observed for the first time, one month into my teaching career, was exceptionally nerve-wracking.

The lesson was supposed to center on a group activity where students would work through math problems using algebra tiles.

But we never got that far.

In fact, we never made it past the warm-up problem.

Because I freaked out.

New teachers aren't instinctively comfortable in front of a classroom, and this discomfort is amplified when an administrator is in the room. In response, they often play the character of the teacher they think they ought to be, instead of just being themselves.

At least that’s what I did on this occasion.

Three students were called to answer the warm-up problem. All three answered wrong. Overwhelmed by a sinking feeling and an irrational state of panic, my mind started to race.

What does this say about my teaching skills?

Are my students even learning anything?

Am I going to be labeled as a bad teacher?

The students watched me squirm. They noticed my cheeks turning red and giggled at the sight of my Frisbee-sized armpit stains.

The captain has turned on the fasten-seatbelt sign. Prepare for a bumpy ride.

The only thought I had was to begin reteaching the lesson from the day before.

Bad idea.

Everything moved too fast, anxiety clouded my judgement, and my composure vanished along with my students' interest in anything I was saying.

All I could do was ride out the clock as I crashed and burned.

Defeated, I was left to wonder:

Why are my students not engaged?

Why do other teachers seem so much more confident and comfortable in front of the classroom?

Am I really cut out for this?

A horrible day. One that I will always remember. Because it turned out to be one of the most valuable lessons that I have ever learned.

Now let me explain why.

Dear First-Year Teacher,

Image: Mashup Math FP

The end of summer brings a fresh crop of energized, excited, and mostly naïve new teachers, ready to take on the responsibilities of a professional educator.

In the coming weeks, you will find yourself standing before a classroom filled with your own students.

Their fate will be entirely in your hands.

I'm sure that you have been imagining what your ideal classroom will look like. All of those fun activities you’ve been saving on Pinterest boards being acted out by your angelic little students, who are always motivated and cooperative and eager to learn.

Pure educational awesomeness.

Yeah, about that.

(In the voice of Morpheus) What if I told you that your vision is a sham?

Your first year of teaching is going to be anything but ideal.

It’s going to be messy and, on many occasions, it’s going to, well, it's going to really suck.

And that’s okay.

It’s supposed to be that way.

In fact, it needs to be that way.

I’m writing this letter to share why a rough first year, peppered with highs and lows, is the best thing that can happen to you (assuming that you plan on becoming a lifelong educator, which, of course, you do!).

Does anyone actually like fluff?

There will be no cliché’ “new teacher advice” included in this letter.

None.

Let someone else say you’re amazing and make you feel like a finished product.

Let someone else make you believe that students are going to be predictable little marshmallows covered in sugar, always meeting your every expectation.

Yes, teaching is amazing and rewarding and a whole lot of fun most of the time.

But it can also be, at times, demanding and draining and downright discouraging.

And, if you’re going to be a true difference maker, then you must be prepared to take the bad with the good (and use it as a tool for growth).

Do you have what it takes?

Image: Mashup Math FP

Before we go any further, let’s get one ugly fact out of the way: for some of you, this will be your first and last year of teaching.

4 in 10 new teachers will quit within their first year, according to a study recently reported on by The Guardian.

Sad, but true.

You can either allow this information to scare you or empower you.

I recommend the latter.

Let it be a spark that forces you to reflect upon why you chose to enter education in the first place.

Do you have a strong answer?

If not, let me help you to focus your energy on the right ideas, so you don’t mistakenly choose to quit teaching for the wrong reasons.

Be prepared to feel unprepared

Every great performer was once a beginner. Embrace this role and use mistakes as opportunities for professional growth.

You aced all of your college classes, attended new teacher orientation, and know an awesome teacher who shared all of her lesson plans with you.

You’re totally ready to teach, right?

Nope.

You can’t be.

Because, when it comes to teaching, there is no substitute for experience.

And you have none.

Make peace with the fact that, at times, you're going to feel unprepared, overwhelmed, and in-over-your-head.

These feelings are normal and a vital part of the growth process.

Every great teacher has a collection of battle scars—i.e. failed lessons, blundered interactions with parents, mishandled situations with administrators, etc.—that have forced her to reflect, adjust, and grow.

When you see a veteran teacher who is always calm and comfortable, remember that she has already endured all of the growing pains that you have yet to experience.

Your time will come, but you have to pay your dues.

Be ambitious and fail hard.

Being ambitious and taking creative risks will make you a better teacher in the long run.

I’m glad that my first observation was a disaster.

It took months for me to learn that playing safe is a bad idea. Experience taught me the value of taking risks and experimenting with progressive lessons and activities—many of which turned out better than I had expected.

New teachers are bad at predicting how a lesson will turn out. The best approach is to simply make an attempt. None of my experimental lessons ever went so bad that I chose to never use them again.

After making adjustments based on my reflections, the second attempt at these lessons was always much more effective. By the third try, they were running like a well-oiled machine.

As long as you reflect on what went well and make notes about how you can improve the lesson in the future, you’re supporting your own professional growth.

Becoming a great teacher is a marathon, not a sprint.

Seek the right mentors and ignore the 'Crabby Patties'.

Image: Mashup Math MJ

Surrounding yourself with the right people may make the difference between sticking with the profession and giving up entirely.

Here’s a controversial statement: the most experienced teachers are not always the best mentors and there are many teachers whom you should avoid whenever possible.

Teachers need to collaborate. The benefits of mentorship are immense. But, it’s imperative that you surround yourself with those who are inspired and inspiring.

Every employee population has a small percentage of individuals who reflect poorly on the whole, and teaching is no exception. Every school has a handful of teachers who are simply going through the motions (I’ve been in dozens of schools and have yet to find the exception to this rule).

These teachers love to complain…about everything.

You can often find them whining about how lazy they think today’s students are and making excuses for why they can’t motivate them.

I often refer to these teachers as Crabby Patties.

Stay away from them.

If you want to be a successful teacher, surround yourself with positive people who will support your efforts and show you how to learn from mistakes.

For every Crabby Patty, there a dozen or more teachers who can genuinely help you. Even if they teach a different subject, their mentorship will make a world of difference during your first year and beyond.

And when you’re having that inevitable bad day, you’ll want someone who can pick you up and motivate you, not someone to commiserate with.

Harsh feedback is good feedback.

If your goal is becoming the best teacher that you can be, then learn to be vigilant in seeking constructive criticism.

Students are not engaged.

Weak classroom management skills.

Lesson plan lacks flexibility.

My first observation report was ugly and reading it felt like a punch to the gut. Still, I needed the truth, because I needed to improve if I expected to grow as an educator.

Every great teacher wants to become a better one.

Constructive criticism combined with suggestions for improvement is what helps you make the transition.

Teachers who seek only warm and fuzzy feedback are missing out.

You know, the chicken noodle soup for the ego kind of feedback that is basically good for nothing:

You are such an amazing teacher!

What a great lesson!

The kids all love you!

Receiving this empty feedback feels good, but it doesn’t make you better. 

Take it with a grain of salt and seek feedback that will force you to pursue self-improvement.

You and your students will reap the benefits in the long run.

Find purpose in making a difference.

Image: Mashup Math MJ

While my idea of an effective teacher continues to evolve with each passing school year, I can say with certainty what attributes are not included in my definition.

High test scores are great, but your job is not to teach students how to pass an exam.

Strong evaluations are wonderful, but your job is not to earn the praise of administrators.

A light workload is nice, but your job is not to get through the year via the path of least resistance.

Your job is to make a difference—whatever that means to you, personally—in the lives of your students.

Is that a vague statement?

Yup.

It’s supposed to be.

Because the answer is different for every teacher.

I wasn’t being dramatic when I shared that I had questioned whether or not I was cut out for teaching.

Despite my embarrassment, confusion, and bruised ego, I decided to hang around for one important reason: I was driven by purpose.

Making a difference in the world, even on a small scale, has always been my life’s goal. I realized that being a teacher was my opportunity to achieve it, and, if I had to endure some bumpiness along the way, then so be it.

Now, ask yourself: what is your definition of making a difference as a teacher?

If you don’t have a strong answer, then you need to take some time to reflect upon why you chose this profession.

Your honest response will be the beacon that guides you through the ups-and-downs of the school year.

Reflect until there is a flame of inspiration burning in your heart. Take notes. And let every small victory throughout the school year serve as kindling to that flame.

For every time that you help a child to learn, to feel accepted, to feel accomplished, to feel loved, you are feeding that flame.

There will be days when it rages, and days when it barely smolders, but, as long as you keep it burning, then you are making a difference. 

If you can manage this task, then you are well on your way to a long and impactful career in education.

Enjoy the rest of your summer and get excited for what’s to come! Your first year is going to be a wild ride, and one that you will always remember.

Wishing you a lasting and wonderful career.

by Anthony Persico

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