What better way to celebrate a weekend and family than to engage in a friendly battle of Wits and Wagers. Have you played it? It is a completely awesome game that challenges players to estimate answers to different questions. Then, after everyone has made an estimate, you have a chance to place your bets on the estimate that seems closest to the answer. The thing that I love about this game (aside from the absolute awesomeness of everyone putting into practice their powers of number sense) is that everyone is on equal ground. Talk about a low entry point. That makes it perfect for the whole family! Even if the youngest family member is 5. Or 6 in my case. And as in my case, those young ones can win! Big time! I love the togetherness that games within families create and I love them even more when we sharpen our math skills while we have fun.
So that night of family fun and this post by GFletchy got me really thinking about the mathematical value of games. I love that Graham went into a classroom and literally turned the teaching upside down! I don’t teach lower grades, so I don’t have one of those 0-99 charts, but if I did, you can bet that I would turn it upside down come Monday. Milton Bradley, I bet, was onto this technique. Take a look at the game boards:
Even Candy Land, though it has no numbers, kids start counting from the bottom. They win when they reach the top. They make gains as they move towards the top. Maybe it’s time to break these goodies out in class!
Kudos to Graham for giving this a try! I see the look and use of the 0-99 chart doing a 180!
Stem Savvy Girls 
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