Early Math  /  Equipartitioning  /  Week 3: Lesson 8  /  Activity

Lemonade Stand

 

Equipartitioning
Digital

Children slide equal numbers of ice cubes into cups and pour equal portions of lemonade for their lemonade stand customers.

Close-up of a child’s hands holding an iPad with the homepage of the Gracie and Friends Lemonade Stand app on-screen. A child holds an iPad showing four characters at a table with cups and ice cubes on it.

Let’s make a lemonade stand!

Customers are coming.

 

Materials


Materials used in Lemonade Stand.
  • Lemonade Stand digital game on the iPad

Preparation

  1. Make sure the iPads are adequately charged and Lemonade Stand is installed.
 

Directions


  1. Start with one iPad (keep any additional iPads out of reach).
  2. Introduce the game. Tell the children they are going to play a game called Lemonade Stand on an iPad. Tell them that everyone will get a chance to play. Explain that the object of the game is share the ice cubes equally among the cups so they all have the same number of ice cubes.
  3. Demonstrate how to play the game. Talk children through the training level at the beginning of the game. In the animated tutorial, Gracie shows how to move the ice cubes in and out of the cups. Have a child demonstrate to the group by following Gracie’s instructions: First, they tilt the iPad to place both ice cubes in the cup. Once both ice cubes are in the cup, an animation will demonstrate how to drag an ice cube to remove it. Then, tell them to tilt the iPad so that the ice cube falls into the other cup that appears. Have the child demonstrate these steps to the group. Then have the child press the Done button (the pitcher of lemonade) to go to the next screen.
  4. Have another child tap the green arrow and tilt the iPad to share six ice cubes equally between two cups. Once the child is done, have him or her tap the Done button and then demonstrate how to tilt the iPad to pour the lemonade equally between the cups. Finally, have the child show how to tap the cups so that Gracie and her friends can drink the lemonade.
  5. Distribute any additional iPads and invite children to play the game. Be available throughout game play. Allow children to play on their own or with a partner while you observe and engage them in conversations about the math. Choose moments to interact that do not interrupt game play, such as at the start of a new level, or when a child is struggling and is open to assistance.
  6. Promote math talk and learning:
    • Have children count out loud as they distribute items.
    • Point out the numbers that fly up out of the cups once the character drinks the lemonade. Ask the children to count along. Ask, How many cups are there? How do you know? (They can count them.)
    • To help children articulate the math goal of sharing items equally, ask, What are you doing in this game? How do you win in this game?
    • Ask questions to gauge understanding, such as, Do these cups have the same number of ice cubes? Which one has more? Which one has less? How do you know how many ice cubes go in each cup to make equal shares?
    • Model math talk by using words like same and equal when comparing amounts. Be sure to define new math words to ensure that children understand what they mean.
  7. As the game advances, the levels become more difficult, with obstacles and more ice cubes and/or cups. Assist children having problems with the math, especially as the math gets more difficult. Reassure children that it’s okay if the game feels hard. It will get easier as they practice. Here are some typical problems children experience and some suggested solutions:
    • If children have problems dividing the ice cubes equally, have them hold the iPad flat. Once the ice cubes are not sliding around, have the children count the ice cubes and the cups. Ask, What do you think you should do so each cup has the same number of ice cubes? Children can also tilt all the ice cubes into the cups, and then remove ice cubes one by one from cups with too many and slide them into cups with too few.
    • If a child still has trouble with either the math or the motor skills necessary to play the game, considering having the child play Park Play or complete one of the hands-on equipartitioning activities in this unit.
  8. Assist children as needed with the mechanics of game play, but keep the main focus on math talk.
    • If a child has difficulty tilting the iPad to get the ice cubes into the cups, the iPad may be too heavy for the child to support its weight while tilting. Assist the child by placing a hand under the iPad for support, or encourage the child to place the iPad down to rest while tapping on the customers to drink.
    • Children may have trouble navigating the ice cubes around obstacles. More advanced levels require children to move the ice cubes around stationary obstacles such as lemon slices and straws. Help the child by gently tilting their iPad in the correct direction to dislodge the cubes.
  9. Children learn from and teach each other — especially when they’re playing! Encourage simultaneous or collaborative play for struggling children. Invite more advanced children to explain how they shared the ice cubes equally between the cups.
  10. Overall, have fun and allow the children to have fun too. They’ll learn while playing!

Length of Play

10–15 min.

Group Size

Individuals

In the Schedule

Learning Centers


 
Vocabulary
  • equal
  • divide
  • more
  • less
  • number names and numerals
 
Learning Goals
  • Divide a collection of objects into equal groups
  • Divide and share a whole object equally
  • Understand what it means to share equally
  • Compare collections of objects, and identify which has more and by how many
  • Learn or reinforce number names and numerals
  • Count a collection of objects