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Would you like to get started with real-life math projects in your classroom? I’d love to get you started with a free math project so you know exactly what to expect! Even if this particular math project doesn’t fit your classroom needs, it will give you a good idea of exactly what you can expect to find in my other projects for other topics and grade levels.

This free math project is centered around a camping theme and is best suited to Grades 2 and 3. Students will work with addition and subtraction within 100 to complete camping-related tasks. Many teachers report that their students didn’t even realize they were doing math while working on this project!

There are two ways to get this math project:

• Purchase on TpT here.

• Or get it for free here!

Here’s a quick summary of exactly what you’ll find inside The Camping Trip Math Project:

TASK #1: CAMPING SUPPLIES

Your family has decided to start camping! But first, you’ll need to buy some supplies! You already have a tent, but you have $75 to spend on other supplies. Decide which supplies you will purchase with your $75.

TASK#2: CAMPSITE PLANNING

Altogether there are six families coming on your camping trip! Let’s figure out the best group camping site for everyone. Then work with campsite costs.

TASK#3: GROCERY SHOPPING

You’re in charge of grocery shopping for your family. Use your budget to decide what you will buy. Figure out the total amount.

TASK #4: SETTING UP THE SITE

You’ve arrived at the campground and now it’s time to set up your campsite! Figure out how long it will take to set up. Can you complete all of the setup within the hour? Then you’ll need to haul firewood.

TASK #5: S’MORES

It’s not a bonfire without s’mores! Crack the code to reveal the instructions for making a s’more!

TASK #6: TIME FOR GAMES

There are lots of outdoor games to play while you are camping. You and a few of the others set up three different games to play. Use the data from each game to answer the questions

TASK #7: CANOE RENTALS

It’s a beautiful day so you decide to go canoeing! Let’s go to the local canoe rental shop! Work out the cost of canoes, lifejackets, and other supplies for each family.

TASK #8: GOING FOR A HIKE

The campground has a popular hiking trail. Everyone decides to go on a group hike. Use the map to answer the questions.

TASK #9: BIRD WATCHING

As you hike, you decide to graph all of the different birds that you see. Interpret the data from the graph.

TASK #10: GOING FOR ICE CREAM

After the hike, you’re starving! Let’s go to the campground ice cream shop! Figure out the total cost.

GREAT FOR CLASSROOM TRANSFORMATIONS!

This project is a great opportunity to transform your classroom and add another level of student engagement!

While your students work, use your projector to put a “fire” on, and serve hot chocolate and marshmallows! Some teachers have even set up a tent in their classroom which serves as the station where kids work on this project.

Here’s the link to where you can get this project for FREE!

Looking for more real-life math projects? See them all here or check out some of the most popular ones below.

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Many math games can be played with a single set of cards as individuals, with a partner, or in small groups. Playing cards are a great tool to have available for extra practice, a fun math center, or even an enrichment activity. Here are five different math card games that will keep your students motivated, engaged, and, most importantly, having fun, all while strengthening subtraction skills!

Subtraction to Zero

Number of players – 2+

Each player starts the game at 100. Each player can take one card per turn and subtract the number they get from 100. To win the game, a player must be first to reach zero. If all the cards have been drawn from the deck, the player who is the closest to zero wins. Jacks are worth 11, Queens are worth 12, Kings are worth 13, and Aces are worth 0, or whatever number is agreed upon.

This game can be made more challenging and involve addition, too. Simply have each player draw two cards per turn, adding those numbers together, and then subtracting that total from 100. Adjusting the value of the face cards can also increase the difficulty of the game.

If you are working with upper grades, students could start the game at 500, choose two cards per turn, multiply them, and then subtract that total from 500. The options are endless!

Related: Here’s a Multiplication Game Your Students Will Love!

Nifty Fifty

Number of Players – 2+

This game is perfect for practicing multi-digit subtraction problems. The goal for each player is to generate a subtraction equation with a difference that is closest to 50. For example, if you are practicing subtracting 3-digit numbers, each player would draw six cards per turn. Whoever can create an equation with a difference closest to 50 earns one point. If a player can create a difference of exactly 50, they receive two points. The first player to reach five points wins. Pencils and paper or whiteboards and markers will most likely be needed.

This game requires many cards per turn, so once the deck is gone, just reshuffle and continue until there is a winner. Face cards are advised to be taken out of the deck for this game, but if you’d like to add a fun twist, you could assign a value to each face card. Or, consider removing the face cards but keeping Jokers. Jokers could be a wild card, and students may choose it’s value if they happen to draw it.

Regroup Troop

Number of Players – 1+

This is the perfect game to practice regrouping and could easily be completed as an individual center activity instead of a game. Begin by removing all of the face cards and 10s from the deck. Aces are worth 1. The players each draw two cards, placing the smaller number on top and the larger number on the bottom. Next, each player draws another two cards. This time, the larger number goes on top, to the left of the first number. The smaller number goes on the bottom, to the left of the second number. Now the student is presented with a 2-digit by 2-digit subtraction problem and must practice regrouping!

You could declare the winner by whoever has the smallest or largest difference, or even by whoever has an even or odd difference and award points accordingly. If this activity is completed as an individual center, multiple students can share the same deck of cards.

Multi-Digit Subtraction War

Number of Players – 2+

With two players, begin by removing all face cards and 10s. Aces can be worth 1 or 0. Split the deck in half and give each player their own stack. Together, players turn over their first four cards to create two 2-digit numbers. They may put the cards in any order or position they choose, with the goal being to create the greatest difference. The player with the greatest difference takes all 8 cards.

You can simplify or increase the difficulty by turning over fewer or more cards. When working with larger numbers, this is a great opportunity to practice place value!

Related: Revitalize your math classroom with these ten fun (and free) math games!

Race to 27

Number of Players – 3+

The more, the merrier with this game! It can be played with 2 players, but students will have more fun in groups of 3-5, as it makes it more exciting! Jacks are worth 11, Queens are worth 12, Kings are worth 13, and Aces are worth 0 or 1.

The dealer will exhaust the deck to all players. Players keep their cards in a small stack in front of them facing down. The dealer gets to start by turning over 1 of his cards and placing it in the center. He then subtracts his card from 100. The next player flips over her top card and puts it in the center on the dealer’s card. She now subtracts her card from the new total.

For example, if the dealer flipped over a 7, the total is at 93. If the next player flips over a Queen, the new total is 81. The player who subtracts the card that gets the total to 27 or less, takes all the cards from the center and adds them to their deck. The game continues until someone is out of cards. Whoever has the most cards wins!

This game can be more challenging by increasing the starting amount from 100 to a larger number. Also, players’ cards can increase in value. For example, a 2 could be worth 22, 3 = 33, 4 = 44, and so on!

I hope you can use some of these subtraction card games in your classroom! Card games are easy to differentiate to ensure that each student is appropriately challenged. So don’t be afraid to change the rules, values, etc. to ensure that students can experience success but also be challenged.

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Hi parents and teachers! This week I’m working with my kids on subtracting numbers like 9, 19, 8, and 18. We had a couple of “lightbulb” moments with this strategy, so I thought I’d make a little video to share with you. I’m planning on making more of these over the coming weeks, so be sure to be following along on Facebook or Instagram!

The video below will be useful for you or your kids to watch in order to learn this strategy. I also want to make sure that you understand the “whys” behind this strategy, so once you’re finished watching, scroll down to read more about the rationale for this strategy, as well as some ideas that you can use with your kids for taking it even further!

Who can use this strategy?

Number lines are a useful tool for any age! Personally, I did this lesson with both my 4th grader and my 7th grader, and they both had some lightbulb moments! If your child is comfortable with 2-digit numbers, understands that 9 is one less than 10, and comprehends addition and subtraction, try it!

Why use a number line?

A number line is an important tool for making math more visual. When numbers are represented on the number line, it makes it easier for kids to “see” them. Once your child works with this strategy for a while, he/she will be ready to move away from the number line and simply do it mentally.

What if these numbers are too low for my kids?

The great thing about this strategy is that is transfers. The big idea here is flexibility with numbers. If you have an older child, challenge him to see if this strategy would work to solve 128-39, or 276-58. Basically what we are teaching here, is that we can manipulate numbers, make them easier to work with, and then make up for the difference later. I do recommend starting easy though, and then progressing as your child is ready.

Why not set this up vertically and use “borrowing” like I was taught?

When your child is in older grades, she WILL learn the traditional algorithm using “borrowing.” However, a lot of research has shown us the importance of understanding what the numbers mean before we get to that point. This strategy will help build that essential understanding.

I recommend working with this strategy in-depth for a day or two until your child is showing a solid understanding. Try to extend it to other numbers. Challenge your child to see if it works with other numbers as well. Some ideas for investigating this strategy are:

• “I wonder if this will work with _____________.”
• “I wonder if there are any numbers that this doesn’t work very well with?”
• “Do you think this would work when we subtract a number that ends in 7 or 8? How would that work?”

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Object: to be the first to spell the word “TARGET.”

Materials: a deck of cards with J, Q, and K’s removed

Instructions:

• Remove the Jacks, Queens, and Kings from a deck of cards and shuffle well.
• The dealer deals three cards to each player.
• The dealer then flips a card over and places it in the center. This is the target number.
• At the same time, players turn over their three cards and lie them face up on the table. The goal is to use those three cards to hit the target number.
• For example, if the target number is 10, and a player has a 4, 5, and 9, he could use the equation: “9+5-4.”
• If a player can make the target number, he writes a “T” on his paper.
• Both players then “sweep” their cards to the side, along with the target number card. The dealer then deals another hand and play continues.

If neither player can make the target number, a fourth card is dealt to each player. Now players can use 3 of the 4 cards to make the target number. Cards continue to be dealt until one player can make the target number.

The goal is to be the first player to spell TARGET.

Helpful Tip:

It is helpful to use two decks so that you have more cards to play with. Decks do not need to be complete.

Watch the video version of the game explanation here:

Download the printable game instructions HERE.

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I am a HUGE fan of using games to teach and reinforce math concepts. One of the biggest misconceptions that I hear is that math is boring. With the addition of math games into the regular classroom routine, math can be engaging, exciting, and fun.

With a simple deck of cards and a few dice, you can play many different kinds of games to reinforce many different topics. In the past I’ve even given students a few dice or a deck of cards and had them make up their own math game!

A few ways that you can use dice/cards quickly and easily in the classroom to reinforce basic math facts include:

• Have students roll two dice and add them up to make a sum (alternatively subtract to make a difference, or multiply to make a product). This is SO much more fun that simply completing a worksheet for basic facts, and can be done with no preparation. I like to have 20-sided dice on hand for higher level equations.
  • Here’s a little freebie that provides a graph that students can use during a roll and add activity.
• Practice Doubles facts with dice and have students graph their progress. I wrote a blog post about this activity HERE.
• Salute is a fantastic game that can be played with three people and a deck of cards. My students could never get enough of this game! Read more about it HERE.

When should Math games be used in the classroom?

I prefer to use games as reinforcement. For example, you could teach a mini-lesson, allow some guided and independent practice, and then have students play a game to reinforce their new learning. I also like to use Math games as a center. Students can play in pairs or groups of three. In this case, the game is always one that they have played before (because of the independent nature of centers).

Basic facts are an ideal skill to practice during math games, because it’s a way to reinforce those facts all year long, even while you are focusing on other concepts in your classroom.

Other Resources

All of my Math Stations and Mental Math Strategy Units also contain math games that are sure to engage even your most un-motivated students! Please click on the hyperlinks below to access these resources:

Math Stations

• Click here to access all self-paced, student-centered Math Stations for addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and fractions.

Mental Math Strategy Units

• Mental Math Strategy Units: the Complete Addition Collection
• Mental Math Strategy Units: the Complete Subtraction Collection

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