Teachable moments” come everyday if you are looking for them. After grocery shopping and putting the eggs in the refrigerator, grab the egg carton for a fun math activity.

• With a permanent marker, write the numbers 1 to 12 in the sections of the egg carton. The numbers do not need to be in order.
• Let a child place two pennies in the carton and close the lid.
• Shake the egg carton and open to see where the pennies have landed.
• Add the two numbers together. For example, if the coin landed on 6 and 11 the answer would be 17.
• You can make this more difficult by subtracting. A child has to determine which number is the larger before subtracting. For example, use the numbers 6 and 11 for where the coins landed. A child needs to determine that the larger number is 11 and will subtract 6 from 11. The correct answer is 5.
• Next, try multiplication. Again, using the numbers of 6 and 11 the answer is 66.

For a younger child, use one coin and encourage the child to say the number. You will be able to develop your own favorite ways to play this coin shake game.