Addition Agility With Olive and Otto
There’s trouble on the court. In the episode “Bad Luck Bears,” Olive’s favorite basketball team has lost its spark (and a lot of games!) Olive and Otto discover it’s unlucky number, 13, that’s causing all the trouble. They must add, and add, and add to figure out where the nasty numeral is hiding. In this activity, like Olive and Otto, your child will practice finding how numbers can be formed using addition.
Materials
Warm Up
Ask your child to count the seals in each row. How many are there in each row and all together?
Give your child five paper clips. Work together to discover how many ways you can make five. For example, place one clip on the first seal, then have your child to place a clip on each remaining seal in that row. Ask your child, how many did you add?
Have your child write each method as an equation. For example, if you put down one clip and your child adds four, have your child write 1 + 4 = 5.
Challenge your child to try equations with more parts, like 1 + 1 + 3 = 5. Point out that there are many different ways to get the same total — can your child find all of them?
Crack the Case
What’s Missing?
Present your child with an incomplete equation such as 5 + ___ = 15. Say, “Oh no! Someone has swiped a part of the equation.” Using the “Odd Squad Fifteen” page and paper clips, work together to figure out the missing number. Continue presenting number problems. You can even challenge your child to add three numbers together, for example, 6 + 3 + ___ = 15.
Adding Up to Fifteen
Ask your child how many ways there are to get fifteen by adding two numbers together. Now use the paper clips to find out! First, use paper clips to demonstrate one way, such as 10 + 5. Then challenge your child to show you another way. Keep going until you and your child have found all the different ways. After seeing all the possibilities with two, increase the challenge: How many ways can you get to fifteen by adding three numbers together?
Something Very Odd has Happened
Present your child with an update from the Odd Squad. For example, Olive had three basketballs. Then a spaceship landed on her house and delivered eight more basketballs. How many basketballs does Olive have now? Use the “Odd Squad Fifteen” page to figure it out. Now challenge your child to give you an update to solve.
Race to Fifteen
Challenge your child to an addition game. Give each player a printout of the “Odd Squad Fifteen” page and 15 paper clips. Take turns rolling a dice and covering that number of seals with paper clips. The first person to get exactly to 15 wins! Now reverse it. Cover all 15 seals with paper clips, take turns rolling the dice and removing paper clips until you get exactly to 0.
Math