Math Game for Kids: Number Boxing

Now that Halloween's over (except, it's not for us, because we had a huge storm the night before and half our area was without power so it's been postponed until Friday, but anyway...) if you find your kids having too much candy, you might challenge them to boxing.  How it works:

You say a number, and see if they can make a filled in rectangle with that number of candies. (It works best if they're all the same size- like m&ms)

Can you make more than one box?

That's it.

Don't tell them their secretly learning about factoring and prime numbers-

If it can't be boxed, i.e. it can only be arranged in a line, it's prime.

If it can be boxed, the dimensions multiplied together will give you the number.  Some numbers have more than one box! (ex. 24 = 2x12, 3x8, 4x6)

If it's dimensions are equal, it is a square number!

Libby Conversation

Jay likes to sleep with his feet out.  I don't.  He always untucks the bottom of the sheet.  I usually don't mind, as long as the bottom of the sheet doesn't hang down past the end of the comforter.  Yesterday it did.  I tucked it in.

Jay: [laying down in bed, sarcastically] There seems to be something strange about our bed tonight.  Did you do something to it?
Me: Sorry, I couldn't stand it.  I had to tuck it in.  It looked like we were living in the house of a homeless person.

wait a second...