Butterflies are perfect to practice number bonds! Number bonds are numbers which "bond" or come together to make another number. For example, two number bonds for 5 might be 4 and 1 or 3 and 2. You can also think of this as number combinations. Today, we are going to put together a Number Bond Butterfly Math Station to give kids some tactical practice. This is especially good for kinesthetic learners who need to get up and move and use their hands to transfer objects from one place to another.
Write the numbers you want to practice (depending on grade/skill level) on each chalkboard pot.
Add small sticker dots or just write the number bonds directly on the butterflies. I used sticker dots so I could reuse the wings. There will be a number on each wing.
Add the butterflies to the birdcages. The kids LOVE these!
Add moss to the chalkboard pots. This step really depends on your class and if the little ones can handle not touching the moss. However, I think it is a great, quick way to show these are plants the butterflies are flying to.
Students will then transfer and sort butterflies to the correct pots. You could also have them roll the math number die to see which end number they are working on. To wrap it up, they can write number sentences in their math small journals or even draw the butterflies (as representations of numbers). It is a perfect example of going hands-on to concrete.