For each game

Hello mathematicians! Hello Barbara!

Hello Michelle! How are you today?

I'm very well. Hey, we've got a game today inspired by Ann Gervesoni and our Lego minifigs. So you know how we were playing handfuls and we were showing a different way to play handfuls.

Yeah.

So we've got a game based on that.

OK!

So what we do is we take turns to spin our spinner that we made. So I got twelve and you spin too.

OK. Ten.

Ten, and so now we have to visualise and imagine in our minds, how many minifigs would we need to make that many legs? So, how many do you need to make 10 legs and how many would I need to make 12 legs?

OK, so I think I've got an answer.

Yeah, what are you thinking?

I think I'm going to need five.

OK.

And what I'm thinking is, I'm thinking that the legs can sort of make, like a 10 frame.

Oh, yeah!

Stand up, there we go. Does that make sense?

Yeah, 'cause one at the top and one directly down below.

Yeah, OK. Yeah, so then I'd have five of these.

Five legs at the top and five legs at the bottom.

Yeah, yeah. 5 people people altogether which would make 10 legs.

OK. Well I think I would need one more than you, which is 6. Yeah. Because if I need 5 to make 10 then 2 more than 10 is 12. So I'm going to, we can count them to check, look, we can count both to check, there's, 3, 4, 5.

Ooh, I like this one.

Yeah, I like the hair.

OK, so let's count by twos to check yours. So 2, 4, 6, 8, 10.

So that's 5.

So yeah. And then you're right about only needing one more. One more to make 12. So because I had the biggest number of people that I need, I get a token.

OK.

And it's the first person to five, and they can go back.

Is this Harry Potter with funny hair?

It looks like Harry Potter!

My favourite is this one at the moment. Anyway, your go.

Ok. I spin the other way, anticlockwise, ten!

So you can already imagine that in your mind's eye, right? Ohhh and that's on the line, so I'll spin again.

OK.

Oh, and 10 also so, so I know we need 5 because you showed us already there. We need 5 and I also know 5 twos is 10 because of the structure of the ten frame. So because we both got the same, we both get a token.

OK.

You can spin again. OK, let's see. 4.

4, okay, my go. Oh wait, does that count? Yeah, I think that counts.

Ok, 8, so how many people do you need to make 4 legs?

I just need 2.

2 people.

Because double 2 is 4.

And I think I need for four people, because for each person there's two legs, so I can imagine one person which is two legs, another person, that's another two legs, another person, that's another two legs and another person, that's another two legs and there would be 2, 4, 6, 8 legs altogether.

You could also imagine it, you know how we already worked out 5 people makes 10 legs, taking one person away.

Yeah, that's right, if I imagine it as a ten frame like this, and then I notice, like, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and one less.

Yeah, that's a good strategy. So you get the counter. Your go.

OK. 12!

Aww, 12. That's actually a good spin, I think. And four. OK. So I know in my mind's eye, for each person there's two legs, so one person would give me two legs and two people would give me four legs altogether.

And I know that 5 people give me 10 legs and so I need another two legs, so I need another person. So that means 6 people.

6 people. So you get the token 'cause you need 6 people and I only need 2.

8 legs I need.

OK.

6 legs. So how many people do you need for 6 legs? OK, so, I'm imagining 2, 4, 6, so that means 3 people.

Yeah, 'cause you said 3 counting words 2, 4, 6.

So every time I said a word, I was imagining a person, so I was imagining like 2, and then I was adding another person and I was saying 4, then I was imagining another person and that's when I said 6.

Yeah, each person has 2 legs.

Each person was a count of 2. 2, 4, 6, and I would need one more person... to have 8 legs, so 6 and 2 more is 8, so I need more people, so I get the token, oh, it's close. Now your go.

Um line or six?

I think that's a six.

I think so, OK.

I got a 10, so how many people do you need to make 6?

Ahh, 3.

Yes.

I just did that.

And now it's in your head.

I don't know if it's a fact that I'll know forever, but it's something I can remember for now.

And I actually remember 10 now, because I just think about the 2 rows of 5 on a ten frame. And so I need 5 people to make 10 legs and you need 3 people to make 6 legs, so I get the token. OK and that's the end of the game, 'cause once you get to 5 tokens, that's the winner.

Congratulations!

Thank you very much and you know, we could play this with these guys by looking at the number of legs. Or we could play with, umm like bear counters and say the number of paws.

Ohh okay.

So we would have to think in fours then, and we could then just change our game board or you could change it to anything else that you'd like. You could play it with 'One is a snail, ten is a crab' characters and just change the spinner! Octopuses.

Octopi!

Over to you mathematicians! So what's some of the mathematics here? This task helps us build our mathematical imagination. Being able to imagine quantities helps us work with numbers with greater flexibility and confidence.

Using different equipment like the figurines and bears, we can enhance our understanding of working with multiplicative situations. And we can think about 'for each' ideas by using knowledge such as skip counting, counting by ones, known facts, and imagining structures like ten frames.

Have fun playing mathematicians!