Banyan Tree Root Puzzle (Addition)

Banyan Tree Root Puzzle (Addition)

This puzzle has your students excavate the roots of a giant Banyan tree. It’s a good puzzle to give students curricular practice adding numbers up to 50 whilst simultaneously providing your top problem solvers a challenge. These are the type of puzzles we like...
Rock – Low unique number game

Rock – Low unique number game

Rock – Low unique number game (MathPickle, 2015) “Rock” is the best MathPickle filler game for grades K-2. If you need five minutes of energetic math – try it. Each game takes about 45 seconds. This is part of the key to its success. Children...
Rock Monster

Rock Monster

Rock Monster (MathPickle, 2011) This game was in MathPickle purgatory until Joli Barker (2013 TCEA Classroom Teacher of the Year) requested that I put it back up. Although I like the underlying idea, I wasn’t sure the current version belonged in...
Sum or Difference – Mutant Fibonacci Bunny

Sum or Difference – Mutant Fibonacci Bunny

Sum or Difference – Mutant Fibonacci Bunny (MathPickle, 2012) These sequences are fun to set up mini-competitions in your classroom. After an initial exploration in front of the class, groups can challenge one another to reach a certain number as fast as...
Animal Subtraction

Animal Subtraction

Animal Subtraction The Graceful Tree Conjecture (Ringel et al., 1967) These puzzles are the best way to introduce students to subtraction.  The puzzle is based on a classic unsolved problem that deserves to be in every student’s experience of mathematics. The...