Better Than Hot Butter on Buttermilk Biscuits

I know your little buckaroo is probably out in the barn or out at the ropin' pen, but go out on the back porch and holler for him or her to get to the house.  This little activity is better than hot butter on buttermilk biscuits.

First, choose your favorite baseball, football, basketball, or soccer team.  Go on line and find the team's roster.  Heck....you can use your child's team roster if you want to. Since our beloved Texas Rangers just won their division, I'll use them for my example.

Using the players' numbers.....

• Sort by even or odd numbers
• Call out 2 players' names and ask what the difference is in the two numbers or what would be the total of the two numbers.
• Round numbers to the nearest 10

Using the players' weights.....

• Put in order from least to greatest
• Find the person's weight that has a 1 in the hundred's place, 9 in the ten's place and a 5 in the one's place.
• Round each player's weight to the nearest hundred
• How much less does Michael Young weigh than Josh Hamilton?
• If all the catchers stood on a scale together, what would be their total weight?

Using the players' heights....

• What is the average height of the pitchers? catchers? infielders? outfielders?
• How much taller is the tallest player than the shortest player?

Using the players' names....

• Which names contain a short vowel a?
• Which player has the most vowels/consonants in his name?
• Whose last name is made up of 1/4 vowels?
• Whose first name is made up of 3/4 vowels?

Using the players' places of birth....

• Mark each players' hometown on a map.
• Who grew up closer to your hometown?
• Which player lived the greatest distance from the Ballpark?
• How many miles did Josh Hamilton live from Elvis Andrus?

Using the players' salaries....

• Round to the nearest million or hundred thousand
• Compare and contrast salaries
• Make graphs comparing salaries
• Find out how much they make monthly and yearly
• What is the average salary of the players?

Using the players' ages....

• Who is the oldest player?
• Who is the youngest player?
• If Ian Kinsler is 29, what year was he born?
• What is the average age of the players?
• Sort by even/odd
• Round up their ages to the nearest tens

So do you get the idea?  Grab the roster and get started.  I don't think your buckaroos are going to know they are actually doing math, reading and social studies.  Don't tell them.....just let them think they are spending time learning about a great team.

Happy Trails,
Mrs. B.