Rounding the Hill

 

This is actually an activity that we did last year. I just happened to have some pictures of it and I thought it would be a nice addition to my blog. I think it's something we might revisit in the weeks to come. I'm sure that Dr. X could use a brush up on decimal rounding. We had so much fun with this and it was really beneficial for Dr. X who learns better with a more visual and hands-on approach.

What You Will Need:

• 3 books
• 3 sheets of paper cut to the size of the books
• 2 extra sheets of paper
• tape
• Small box or other object to create an incline with the books
• Small toy car

What To Do:

Tape the pieces of paper to the front of the books.                                                                         

I trimmed the paper width to fit the length of my book. Then I wrapped the paper around the book and secured with a small piece of tape.

 

Write the numbers 1 through 4 down the length of one book. Write the number 5 in the center of another book.

 

Write the numbers 6 through 9 down the length of the last book.

 

Make a “hill” using the books by propping two of them against the box and placing one on top to create a flat surface. Make sure that you place them so that the numbers are ordered 1 through 9 with 5 being on the top book. Try to have as little overhang as possible with the top book so that it is easier for the car to drive over the hill.

If you are working on a smooth surface you may need to place an extra book at each end of your hillside to hold them in place and keep them from slipping. This isn't necessary if you are working on carpet.

Now, it’s time for the fun part. Give your child a number that you would like them to round. (For example: Round 8,754,300,753 to the nearest billions place.) You should have two extra sheets of paper. On the first sheet of paper you or your child will need to write what the rounded number will be if the rounding digit stays the same. (See above photo.) Place this paper next to the number 1. On the other sheet of paper write what the rounded number will be if the rounding digit rounds up. (See above photo.) Place this paper next to the number 9. Give your child the toy car and instruct them to drive until they reach the number that is to the right of their rounding digit. Then, tell them to stop and let go of  the car. If the car is on any of the numbers 1 through 4 it will roll back to the piece of paper where the rounding digit stays the same. If the car is on any number 6 through 9 it will roll forward to the sheet of paper with the rounded up number. If the car is on the number 5 it will not move. Explain to your child that the car has made it halfway and that there is nothing pulling it back. It has made it to the top of the hill, so it can now continue to its destination. They can then drive the car over the top of the hill and let it roll to the bottom, landing on the sheet of paper with the rounded up number.

 

 

 

 

One extra thing that helped Dr. X was that I had him circle the rounding digit and underline the digit to its right. This helped him to see what he needed to do. He knew to stop the car on the underlined digit. The circled digit would either increase by 1 or stay the same.

 

Questions and comments are always welcome. You can also email me at adventuresofahomeschoolmama@gmail.com.

 

Thanks for stopping by! Please make sure to check back. I'm just getting started but I will be adding new stuff daily.