Candy corn is one of the most divisive autumn staples. Some people love it while others can’t stand it. Regardless of your feelings about these colorful little kernels, you can’t deny that their iconic color scheme is a fixture of fall. Nor can you deny their ability to liven up a classroom! This October blog explores a few different ways you can use candy corn (or candy corn inspiration) to step up your math review this year.
Candy Corn Counters
These sugary kernels make the perfect edible counters for young learners developing their number sense or reviewing math facts. Fill in ten frames, represent addition and subtraction problems, make basic multiplication arrays—the sky is the limit once you make the switch in manipulatives!
Candy corn counters also provide a perfect opportunity to review the importance of hygiene. Always make sure kids have washed their hands and are using clean surfaces so that they can snack safely once math time is over.
Directions and Patterns
Practice up, down, left, right, and even diagonals by rotating candy corn kernels in different directions like tiny arrows. Using a clean sheet of paper as a surface, students will hone their fine motor skills by orienting their candy corn into recognizable patterns: up, up, down; left, right, left; upper-right, lower-left, lower-left; and so on. Partners can even take turns predicting which direction should come next.
If you’re willing to spend a little more money, consider expanding beyond the classic white, orange, and yellow candy corn. Adding candy corn in other colors or shapes, like the classic brown or pumpkin varieties, brings a whole new dimension to pattern-making.
Bar Graphs
Mixing up different candy corn colors—or expanding to both corn and pumpkins—also opens the door for basic sorting and graphing practice.
After scooping a small variety onto each student’s desk with a paper cup, ask students to sort their candies. Then provide a blank sheet of graph paper or a template like this one for them to graph their data. Don’t forget to label the axes and give a title! If you plan to show the graphs off on a bulletin board display, consider color-coding each bar to match the variety of candy corn (or pumpkin!) that it represents.
Facts and Puzzles
The three-tiered candy corn is a ready-made template for reviewing a myriad of math concepts. Whether you’re practicing different ways to depict numbers (such as “8,” “eight,” and eight dots filling in a ten frame) or exploring the commutative property (identifying that both “7 + 3” and “3 + 7” equal “10”), using the candy corn shape can add a much-needed element of fun.
And let’s not forget our middle schoolers! They can use the format to review more advanced concepts like conversions between fractions, decimals, and percents; writing numbers in standard, word, and expanded forms; or identifying equivalent expressions. Everyone deserves some seasonal fun!
The best part is you can do as much or as little prep as you’d like. You can give students blank templates to fill in themselves, or you can pre-make a set and treat them like puzzles where students must find the matching parts.
Visualizing Fractions
With the medium of your choice (paint, markers, crayons, or pencils), color the outer rim of a paper plate yellow. Then color a ring of the remaining section orange, making sure to leave a sizable white circle in the middle. Next, determine how many pieces you’d like to divide your plate into (halves, thirds, fourths, and so on). Finally, once you’ve divided and cut up the plate, label the corresponding fraction on the white tip.
Students can then compare the relative sizes of their candy corn kernels. It’s helpful for them to see that the bigger the denominator, the skinnier the candy corn and, therefore, the smaller the fraction.
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Make sure to check out the rest of the Super Teacher Worksheets collection of autumn- and Halloween-themed printables and activities, too!
