Plug Catcher Years K - 2

Summary Children agree on how many plugs they have put on the table then one person secretly 'catches' some with their plug catcher. The challenge is for the other person to calculate the number that have been caught. Suitable for threading. Materials One Poly Plug per pair One plug catcher - small, opaque container or box One calculator per pair

Procedure Partners take some plugs out of the red board and leave the board available on the table. The number of plugs used doesn't really matter, but for the least experienced children you might like to limit them to ten. How many plugs have you chosen?

Content 1:1 correspondence addition facts beyond 10 addition facts to 10 complementary addition conservation of number counting equations: creating/solving estimating number mathematical conversation multiplication - array model operations - whole number recording - calculator recording - written subitising subtraction visual and kinaesthetic representation of number

How do you know? Can you check that another way? Watch out! Here comes the Plug Catcher! One child closes their eyes while the other sneaks up with the Plug Catcher and catches some of the plugs, hiding them under the container. How many plugs have been caught? How do you know? Can you check that another way? Draw me a picture to show what happened. Use the calculator to show me what happened.

Pushing out all the plugs was popular. Mmm, perhaps I should have said as many as you like ...but not all.

Cover your eyes. Here comes the Plug Catcher. (Yes they used a Swedish version of the tongue twister below.)

The only available Plug Catchers were these lids from big plastic jars.

Will it eat all the plugs? I'm sure going to try!

Extensions Do you think that if the teacher modelled the game with a volunteer helper, each pair could then play taking turns to be the teacher and asking the questions above of their partner? Add a little literacy by suggesting the person using the catcher says a tongue twister such as: How many plugs can the Plug Catcher catch if the Plug Catcher can catch plugs? Invite the children to make their own Plug Catchers. They could be decorated as animals or machines or monsters. Please send photos of Plug Catchers made by your children. What happens if we play the game with three children? Two count out (and check) some red plugs then close their eyes. The third person plug catches all, some or none from each of the piles and the other two have to work out the total 'eaten' by the catcher. (This idea was suggested by Patrick Kelly, Special Needs Officer, Catholic Education Office Canberra Goulburn.)

The Three Amigos

The Three Amigos - Girl, Princess & Growler - were made by Kieda, Lyallah & Aaron from Warburton Campus, Ngaanyatjarra Lands Schools, Western Australia. Read their story in Learning to be Flexible with Numbers to 10 (PDF). Plug Catcher was a big success with these children.

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