Planning a week filled with Easter activities that are fun and yet still educational? Well, here is another free resource that you can add to your collection for your math sessions this week.

These Easter 'What's the question?' cards are great to help your students create their own Easter themed math word problems.

How to use
There are 30 cards in this set. Hopefully, that should be enough for at least one card per student. If you have more than 30 students, you’ll need to either make an extra set of cards OR pair students for the activity (one card per pair).

Students pick one card at random and keep their card a secret. On the blank card (or piece of paper) they must create a math word problem that will equal to the answer on the card that they have. For example, “The answer is 3 bunnies” – They know that the math question they make must equal 3 and be bunnies.
Once they finish writing their word problem, they must write their name on the back and either hand back to you, place in a box or get ready to swap with another student.

Give the student made word problems (at random from a box or swapped) to other students. Each student must solve the problem given, and then find the creator of it to see if they answered correctly. Alternatively, you could complete the questions as a class and ‘check in’ with the maker of the word problem to see if it was answered correctly by everyone.  

CLICK HERE to download for FREE from my TPT Store.
If you like this, you may be interested in some of my other resources. 
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Easter Reading Mystery - Once Upon a Crime, Easter EGGpocalypse!

Easter Reading Mystery: Once Upon A Crime, Easter 'EGGpocalypse.' 
​NO PREP, just print and go! 
- The main goal in this mystery is to encourage reading. 
- The work involved to solve the clues covers skills such as comprehension, spelling, vocabulary, synonyms, cause and effect statements, that work with the reading passages. 
- The discovery format requires a fill in the missing letter process to unlock clues. 
- Reading the text is required to be able to solve the missing letters in words, sentences and statements. 
- Each clue requires students to critically think to decide which suspects they can eliminate from their suspect list. The last suspect remaining is who is responsible for the Easter Eggpocalypse.

All of the reading passages are included in this original story that features your 'student detective' as the hero throughout. 

With Easter nearby, I thought it would be fun to do a little number mystery with a simple egg twist! Use this idea as a:

• Math center
  
• Put on display for your students to work on when they have some spare time throughout the week,  
• Do as a math warm-up with the whole class.

The prep is easy, and I have already put together some clues sets for you to use if you wish. Continue reading to find the free download for this activity. 

• Gather twelve plastic eggs that can be opened and filled.
• Fill one with some candy or maybe a real chocolate egg. I recommend something like M&M’s for easy sharing amongst a group minus a sugar overload. (Answer key pg
• Fill the other plastic eggs up with rocks or something that would sound similar if picked up. This is to prevent students from trying to move the eggs to see if it has something inside.
• Mark the numbers on each egg as in the worksheet templates per set. Ensure that the ‘mystery egg number’ answer is filled with the prize of your choice.
• Instead of rewards or rocks, a simple piece of paper marked with ‘no’ for eleven of them and a ‘yes, well done!’ for the correct mystery egg.
• I used a bit of tape at the bottom of each egg to stand them up and keep them in place. I recommend doing this to stop the eggs from rolling away, and it also discourages tempted hands to pick up the eggs and shake.
• The difficulty for each set in this download varies due to different abilities and needs. Please check the number skills involved with the clue sets to determine suitability.

The AIM is for students to use the clues given to solve which egg is the Mystery Egg! The clues will require them to use their number skills to eliminate possible eggs until there is only one egg left standing. The last egg remaining is the ‘Mystery Egg!’ 

They will only get one crack at picking the right egg. So they must read the clues carefully and be confident about their answer before opening an egg or telling you which egg they think is the right one. 

CLICK HERE to download this freebie from my Teachers Pay Teachers Store. 

• Use the Easter Math Mystery as a fun way to do some spiral review.
• Use the Easter Math Quest for a fun enrichment activity and extra math practice. 
• Use the Easter Math Project to challenge your students with applying a variety of math skills as they create their own Easter Factory. 

All of these activities are print and go! No prep is required by you (except photocopying!) 

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​With the growing trend for children to use tablets, PCS and other types of computers for entertainment, it is no wonder that the common math lesson or worksheet may not exactly excite them, let alone grab their attention. Whether we love or hate the fact that computer type games are a large part of our student's lives, we can’t change the reality that it exists and is almost always available at their fingertips outside of school hours. As teachers, we are faced with the challenge to constantly come up with innovative and fun ways to engage our students. Some days we might nail it and others we don’t. Then there are some students who are continuously reluctant to get on board with their work; we may not always have the right technology at hand to use for that type of lesson; so what’s a tired teacher to do? You’ve tried many tricks, felt like you’ve encouraged and praised lots, yet, still no luck? In this post, I will share with you an activity that will engage even some of your most reluctant learners. I’ll also explain why you should try it, before dismissing it as another ‘gimmick.’ 

So, back to the wonderful world of gaming that plays a part in many of our students every day lives. Why is it so addictive? Leveling up, gaining experience, earning ‘brag titles’ or special items. These games that our students play frequently give them a sense of purpose, and achievement. Whether it is passing a difficult level, conquering a challenging boss or solving a mind-boggling puzzle, most games have one thing in common, and that is a purpose and a reward. As a gamer myself, I could see how games easily hook kids into this world and can also be addictive. I’m totally guilty of falling into a Candy Crush craze to only realize that I was actually upset my lives were over, and I had to wait before I could attempt a level again.  This was when I thought to myself if only I could get my students to be this addicted to math or reading in class. How awesome would it be to have them feel sad that math was over just like when lives were over on a game like Candy Crush? 

Well, yes we can play games. I'm sure we all do that at some point in our classrooms. But, what about the pencil and paper activities? Is it possible to make the good old math worksheet as fun as a game?

“My class loved this activity! They enjoyed math and wanted to know if there were other activities like this to finish! Will continue to use in the future!” Wendy Y. July 29, 2017 (Case of The Super Bad Superhero)

“This was AWESOME. My 3rd graders were HOOKED with the video and worked quietly and diligently for an hour trying to rescue the groundhog. The best compliment to you from one of my sweet kids..."can we do another one for Valentine's Day" Yes, yes we can!” Melissa H. February 4, 2018 (Case of The Kidnapped Groundhog)

“Students are HIGHLY engaged when working on this task. The hardest thing is getting them to stop! Thanks” Basic Ideas February 4, 2018 (Case of The Selfish Elf)

The Math Mysteries in my range follow a similar concept as a game, there’s a purpose in every story along with the exciting opportunity for discovery and reward. Students don’t even realize how much math they are doing in some of the clues because they are so focused on discovering important information to crack the case. The process of eliminating possibilities adds to the excitement as students keep trying to guess who the culprit is, or where they must go, or what they need to solve each mystery.

WORK HARD, PERSEVERE & CONQUER!
Believe it or not, what appears to look like regular math worksheets to a teacher, the game purpose feel to these pages changes the kids’ perspective to what would normally be a drill sheet. I’ve found kids keen to learn or do an extra lesson to master a skill they need to conquer a challenging clue. So if you ever come across a clue that is particularly difficult, take the time to ‘stop and learn’ as a class to get through the page together. When a clue gets too tough, I find it important to teach students perseverance and compare it to a hard level in a popular game they are all familiar with. Keep trying, learn the skills needed to pass, and aim for success!

OTHER EXTRA MOTIVATORS
To give these math mysteries an extra game-like feel, we’ve added extra motivators so that you can engage even some of your most reluctant learners:

• Video Hooks
• Printable awards for each mystery story
• NEW Mystery Record and Rank Chart to earn ‘Brag Tag Titles’ and ‘items’ just like in a game. Download this for free HERE.

 
Whether it’s a break from your usual routine, or you might need something easy and fun to leave for a sub. These math mysteries will keep your kids learning and practicing important skills. 

Try a complete Math Mystery for FREE! All you will need to do is print, photocopy and go! Have the video hook (optional) below ready for student viewing to set the stage to engage. Then challenge your kids to the task! See who can solve the mystery! 

I would love to hear how this goes with your class. Enjoy!