Homeschool Math Project: How much is in the Jar?

Objective: Estimate quantities by using comparisons.

Materials: 100 medium sized buttons, three small glass jars or clear plastic containers, one permanent marker, ruler, notebook

Procedures:

1. Take one glass jar and place 10 buttons inside.

2. Place a mark using the permanent marker at the top of the buttons.

3. Measure the length of the space from the bottom of the glass jar to the top of the buttons.

4. Write the number 10 next to the mark on the glass jar.

5. Next add four more increments of 10 to the glass jar based on the measurement you previously took.

6. Have your child add more buttons to fill the next line and the remaining lines until the jar is filled.

7. Get your second jar and fill it with the remaining buttons.

8. Place the jars next to each other and have your child guess how many buttons are in the jar.

Assessment Questions:

1. How many buttons were in the jar with the marks?

2. How long did the ten buttons measure from the bottom to the top?

3. Which jar has more buttons?

Have your child replicate the project on their own using the third jar.