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lego baseball: creative math game for kids, by kids

home / math / lego baseball: creative math game for kids, by kids
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ย 

lego baseball | super sneaky totally creative math fun

The following guest post is written by Heather Kauffman. Heather is a teacher and mom of three boys, a longtime we teach member, one of my dearest, closest pals.


lego baseball: creative math game for kids, by kids

I am the mother of three super-duper boys.ย  Boys who like to wrestle, play with light sabers, and generally participate in any activity that involves yelling and sweat.ย  My kids work up a sweat playing the Wii in the basement.

They get hot and sweaty playing the LEGO Baseball game they invented because they jump around and get excited when their โ€œplayerโ€ gets a home run or makes a diving catch.

Whatโ€™s that, you say?ย  LEGO Baseball?ย  I am quite proud of my creative kids who invented a game using their baseball cards, a pair of dice, and their imagination.ย  The game can also be played with LEGO minifigures (or guys, as we call them) instead of baseball cards.

I will explain the basic rules for the game with baseball cards and how to also play the game with LEGOS.

My kids have their baseball cards organized in these simple notebooks.

I got the card protectors from Amazon.com and the notebooks from our dusty closet.ย  Once they have their cards sorted (mine sort by team) they go through and pick out the players they want for their game.

lego baseball | sneaky math funPlayers can be from any team but usually only one per position. Here are the nine positions you need for baseball:ย  catcher, pitcher, 1st base, 2nd base, 3rd base, short stop, right field, center field, left field.ย  Sometimes the boys will pick out an extra pitcher as a โ€œrelieverโ€ or an extra batter for a Designated Hitter.ย  Thatโ€™s optional.

Once each kid has their nine players, they prep for the game.ย  Flip a coin to see who is the home team.ย  The home team will pitch first.ย  They have created paper bases and a paper pitching mound.ย  The cards for the home team are placed on the field in the spots they are filling.ย  For example, put the first basemanโ€™s card next to first base.

The away team makes their batting lineup.

lego baseball | sneaky math fun

Once the defensive players have been placed in the correct spots and the batters are ready, itโ€™s time to start the game.ย  Grab the two dice and the sheet that shows the plays you can roll.

Roll the dice and add them together.ย  In this example, a 4 was rolled.ย  That means the batter gets a single.ย  Use the dice as the ball and the batter โ€œhitsโ€ the dice and heads to first base.

lego baseball | sneaky math fun

lego baseball | sneaky math fun

Play until one team gets 3 outs.ย  Then switch.

Itโ€™s amazing how many times the boys have adjusted which play is assigned to each sum of the dice.ย  They quickly discovered that the rare plays in baseball, like a triple, should have a sum that doesnโ€™t show up that often.

More common plays, like a single or an out, correlate to a sum that will appear more often.ย  Sounds like a lesson in probability, right?ย  I am pretty sure they didnโ€™t think they were doing math problems and playing baseball at the same time, but they were!

My kids are baseball players.ย  When they play this game, they REALLY act it out. In fact, when the youngest (who is 5) wanted to play the older two instructed him he had to act it out really well to be able to play.ย  If your player makes a diving catch, you pick up that card and make it look real!ย  Not only do they line up their batters in a strategic order, theyalso have an on-deck circle.

To play with LEGOS, the rules are the same.ย  Pick out nine of your favorite LEGO dudes along with various weapons that can be used as bats (light sabers, axes, swords).

lego baseball | sneaky math fun

Set out LEGO bases and a pitching mound.

lego baseball | sneaky math fun

My kids have also created โ€œfansโ€ who are watching the game.

lego baseball | sneaky math fun

lego baseball | sneaky math fun

Check out the pitcher. . . lego baseball | sneaky math fun

. . . and the batter getting ready to use his light saber!

lego baseball | sneaky math fun

They use the scoreboard from their box of Baseball Guys.

lego baseball | sneaky math fun

And donโ€™t forget the cameraman!

lego baseball | sneaky math fun

These are just two ways to play the game.ย  Your kids might want to adjust the value of the dice after they play a few times.

No matter how you play, LEGOS + Baseball=fun!

Want a printable version of rules and score sheet?

ย 

{“type”:”block”,”srcClientIds”:[“dcc21b16-17ac-43d8-90e8-4915e0a542c7″],”srcRootClientId”:””}

ย 

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Heather and Seth and Matthew for sharing!

Heather Kauffman is the mother of three boys and is a former elementary & Gifted/ Talented teacher. Sheโ€™s active in her kids’ school, teaches Sunday School, loves reading, and she basically chases her three Wii-loving, Star Wars and Lego-playing, baseball and basketball-playing, pool-cr{“type”:”block”,”srcClientIds”:[“6df9bbfd-0d74-4120-82d5-a2c8147fa7c3″],”srcRootClientId”:””}azed boys around all year long.

****

Looking for more super-fun, sneaky math activities?

Stop by and follow these great educational Pinterest boards:

  • mathย  |ย  teachmama
  • math is fun |ย  Allie McDonald
  • math madness & stemย  |ย  Zina
  • educationย  |ย  Heather Kauffman

Or check out the following math-happy posts:

  • everyday math
  • 3 quick,ย  hands-on, totally cool math games
  • math bingo

fyi: affiliate links are used in this post

ย 

ย 

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About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

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Quick! Thereโ€™s still time to see if your area is registered to participate in this yearโ€™s National Civics Bee! #ad

Click the link in my bio to learn more and to grab a TON of free resources for families and educators. 

This yearโ€™s registration deadline is approaching, but you still have time! 

What better way to get students to engage in civics and contribute to their communities? 

https://teachmama.com/bring-the-national-civics-bee-to-your-community/

#CivicsBuzz #strongcommunities #middleschool #civicsbee #teachersofIG
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Have you heard of The National Civics Bee? #ad 

The National Civics Bee is an initiative aimed at encouraging more young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. 

Organized in partnership with The Civic Trust of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the competition in your community will inspire middle schoolers to become better informed about American democracy, to engage respectfully and constructively in the community, and to build greater trust in others and institutions. 

Learn how to bring The National Civics Bee to YOUR community now: https://teachmama.com/bring-the-national-civics-bee-to-your-community/

Iโ€™m thrilled to have partnered with @mom_select and @civicsbuzz for this exciting campaign! โ™ฅ๏ธ๐Ÿค๐Ÿ’™

#CivicsBuzz #middleschoolers #teachersofIG #communitypartners
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Oh HEEEEEYYY, @luvvie โ€” did you see that @littletroublemaker made our hallway bulletin board? ๐Ÿ˜‰โ™ฅ๏ธ

(Itโ€™s what Rusty the ๐ŸฆŠ is currently reading.) 

Find it at your favorite bookstore or order here: https://amzn.to/3Pu3tWs

(This is my affiliate link, so when you use it, I will earn a small percentage of the sale, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for using my link and supporting my small business!)

#readingteacher #raiseareader #kidlit #bestbooks #linkinbio
View
Open
How can people with dyslexia learn to read? ๐Ÿค”

Here are the 3๏ธโƒฃ elements that reading instruction should contain in order to be most effective for students with dyslexiaโ€”

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #readingteacher #teachreading #dyslexiaawareness
View
Open
Lately when I find four leaf clovers, Iโ€™ve been leaving them. ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ

So if youโ€™re in Maryland, and you happen upon a lonely, little 4-leafer with very little grass, weeds, or leaves around it, I donโ€™t know WHO tried to set you up for success.

#yougotthis #keepyoureyesopen #itsthelittlethings #kilpattyluck
View
Open
Okayโ€”how do we know if someone has dyslexia? 

Which professionas are able to make that important determination? 

โ–ถ๏ธ Watch to find out. 

Hit me with the questions you still have about dyslexiaโ€”and know we have a few more posts to go!

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #teachreading #readingteachersofig
View
Open
What are some of the common signs of dyslexia?

Watch to learn and find out!

#demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading #dyslexia
View
Open
True โœ… or false โŒ?

#demystifyingdyslexia #dyslexiaeducation #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading
View
Open
What do you know about dyslexia? 

What questions do you have about dyslexia? 

For the next few weeks leading up to my own start to the school year I am sharing a new series called โ€œDe-Mystifying Dyslexiaโ€ and I would love for you to join me! 

Follow in my stories or on the highlight above!

#dyslexia #teading  #readingteacher #raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia

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