This post was contributed by Mary Catherine of Fun-A-Day!
Making Math Fun with DIY Number Rocks!
Ever since we made pet rocks, Engineer (my son) has been asking to do more with rocks. When we sat down to paint some, I decided to make number rocks. My original intent was to use them for some kids’ math fun in my preschool classroom. Engineer and I found ways to adapt the rocks for his needs too.
How to Make Number Rocks for Some Math Fun
Using acrylic paints and small paintbrushes, I set about decorating my rocks. For the numbers, I simply painted directly onto the darker stones. Lighter rocks were painted white to provide a contrast to the darker stones. On these rocks, I painted dots to correspond to each number (0 to 9).
Ideas for making math fun with number rocks:
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Put the numerals in order.
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Put the dots in order by amount.
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Match the numerals to the correct amount of dots.
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Place the correct amount of smaller stones underneath each number.
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Make larger numbers (ex: use 9 and 1 to make 91).
These number stones are great for young children exploring numbers! The feel and weight of the rocks provide different sensory input for the kids. The movement involved in these activities adds a kinesthetic aspect. Coupled with the novelty of learning with rocks, number stones will definitely keep kiddos interested in math!
Engineer and I were both happy with how the number stones turned out! He really enjoyed making larger numbers with them. We’ve decided to make another set or two soon, as he pointed out we couldn’t make 22 or 999 without more!
More Ideas for Math Fun & Rock Activities
If you’re looking for more kids’ math fun, please see my Math for Kids Pinterest board. For more fun rock activities, here are some of my favorites:
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Rock Stamps {Thrive 360 Learning}
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Letter Stones {Buggy and Buddy}
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Magic Fairy Painted Rocks & Storage Tower {Twodaloo}
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Painted Name Rocks {Mama. Papa. Bubba}
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Painting with Rocks {Fantastic Fun and Learning}
More Kids Activities from Mary Catherine of Fun-A-Day!
Mary Catherine is mama to a budding engineer whose favorite question is “why?” She is a pre-k teacher with a background in teaching kindergarten and a passion for early literacy. Mary Catherine loves lazy days with her son, messy art projects, science fiction books, and dark chocolate. You can find her blogging at Fun-A-Day! Come connect with Mary Catherine on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.
Didn’t Mary Catherine do such a great job making these number rocks bright and colorful for even more interest? I can think of so many cool things that could be done with them for even more math fun and learning. Thanks so much, Mary Catherine!
How do you make math fun for your kids? Have you ever used rocks for learning? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
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Demetra says
Thanks, that should be much more exciting for kids than cubes or smth. I usually use these markers, imo it’s easier than using brushes https://artistro.com/collections/oil-based-paint-pens
Deceptively Educational says
These are amazing! I can see both my boys (preschooler and 3rd grader) enjoying “play” with these math rocks. I’m featuring this tomorrow at the After School Linky Party on my site. Stop by to check it out and keep sharing! I always love to see what’s linked up from the B-Inspired Mama blog!
Q @ JAQS says
So cute!
Thank you so much linking up and YOU’VE BEEN FEATURED! 🙂
http://www.jaqsstudio.com/2013/07/made-by-me-90-linky-party-and-features.html
-Q
Sarah says
Very cool. My son saw them while I was doing some looking around and he had to see all the pictures. Going to pin and try them out!
Krissy @ B-Inspired Mama says
Awesome! Let me know how he likes them if you do. 🙂
Katie @ Gift of Curiosity says
Such a cute idea! My kids love rocks and I’m sure would enjoy these number rocks. Love how they turned out!