Math in a Bag

I have set up the Math in a Bag activity on one of my math shelves in the Montessori classroom.  I cannot remember where I originally saw this idea.  However, I have used it in the past to help children master the concept of addition.

I guess this didn't photograph very well.  Sorry!  On the left you can see a divided drawer cabinet.  Inside MOST of the drawers are various little counting items.  I placed 10 items in each drawer.  You can see them a little better in the close-up photo.  On the brown tray are a stack of zippered pouches (these are the kind that are made to hold pencils and to be inserted into a 3-ring binder; you can usually find them very cheap at dollar stores), a small basket with magnet numbers and a larger basket with addition equation cards.

To do this activity, the child removes 2 drawers of their choice from the cabinet and takes them to a rug along with the brown tray.

Next, they choose an equation card (in this case, 5+1=) and place it into the pouch.  Using the two types of items from the drawers, they show the two addends of the equation.  Finally, they count "how many in all" and find the correct number to place in the pouch to complete the problem.  A built-in control of error is that I only have the magnet numerals 2-6 in the basket as they are the only answers possible given the equations I made.  I also kept all the equations simple; sums of 6 or less.

There are endless variations that you could do with this activity.  For example, for a very young child, you could place cards with numbers and they could practice counting matching quantities.  In the language area, you could place a picture card in the pouch and the child could find the matching letter to represent the initial sound OR letters to spell the entire word. 

Comments

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[Meredith]

Excellent idea! Where did you pick up our drawer??

[Ines]

I like this work...I was wondering why two bags...is this work for more than 1 child...I'm planning on trying this...I always want to expose the youngers to more math...I think this will attract them.

[Laura]

Since two people have asked, I wanted to explain about the purpose of the bags. It is completely true that you could do this without the bags. In fact, you may prefer to do that. And if so, go for it!! I initially used this activity in a non-Montessori setting. The bags with the zippers provide some novelty and are therefore a point of interest for children. However, the little objects in the drawers are also a point of interest. So........I hope that clarifies this a little bit. If anyone has further questions, please never hesitate to ask!

[Michelle]

I like the idea of the tiny objects in the storage drawers to add. Maybe I'm being dense here, but I'm not understanding the concept of the bag. Could it just be done on a mat?
Very cute idea with lots of extensions, I'm sure.

[Lindart]

This looks like fun, but I have a question. What does the child do after he has put the items in the zippered bag? Does he do several bags? Is there a way for him to check his answers? Does he really need the bag?
Thanks,
Linda

[maya]

this looks like a really great activity.