Today I’m creating Estimation Jars for Math Night at John J. Flynn Elementary School. This is always a highlight at Math Night and it’s fun to watch kids at work on their estimate. I have one jar full of Rolos (there is something appealing about the gold wrapping), a smaller jar containing Skittles, and a very small jar with unpopped popcorn.
This year, I plan to accept all estimates within a reasonable range for each jar and then randomly draw a winner. That’s different than past Math Nights when the person who estimated the number closest to the actual number won the jar. I am hoping this helps promote a more correct understanding of estimation, with the goal being to produce a reasonable estimate, not to land on or closest to the exact number.
It is a good idea to have a few jars containing different sized objects so students can think about how the relative size of the objects affects the number that fit in a space. Ongoing math explorations can be done using estimation jars outside of an event like Math Night. Here is an excellent write-up and video about how classroom teachers can use estimation jars with their students, with a focus on the all-important concepts of doubling and halving.
