Let Them Eat Cake

 So we found out that we are going to be able to work with kids who are struggling in mathematics at one of the local elementary schools!  Today we worked on a lesson plan that we could better help them to understand how to reduce fractions to their simplest form.  What better way to get a kid to understand math...FOOD!

I made the word cake turn into an acronym for a tool that they can have help them remember working with reducing fractions.  So for a problem such as 8/16th, they would check the problem, (their ingredients), then aim for less (finding the least common factor to take out of both the numerator and the denominator), kick out the extra (take out the excess), and enjoy the rest---examine their work and continue to the next problem.!  It will be super rad when they can use manipulatives such as measuring cups and spoons and counters to help them understand.

We also took a field trip to the library to look for manipulatives to aid us in teaching the kids.

I can't say that we didn't play with the manipulatives because they are super fun.....

Or that we weren't obnoxiously loud in the library.....

But that just goes to show you that math can be fun.....

And the more fun and creative a lesson is, the easier it is to remember the information!  
This is what I am faced with for next week...an open canvas....

Hmmm, I wonder what I will come up with....Time to create!