Take-Away Twisters

How does subtraction work? Count on Crayola® Erasable Colored Pencils to help you figure it out!

1. Find about 10 objects, such as balls, paper cups, or stuffed animals. Point to each object and count how many you found. Now take one of the objects away. How many do you think are left? Count them again. Take away two items next. How many are left now? Count to find out. You're doing subtraction!

2. Show what you're doing with these number ideas using pictures on paper. With Crayola Erasable Colored Pencils draw at least 10 things. Count how many you made. Write down that numeral. Ask someone for help if you're still learning how to write numerals.

3. Erase one or more of your pictures with your Colored Pencil eraser. How many things do you think are left now? Write down that number. Does your answer make sense? Count your objects to find out how many are left. Write down that number, too. Do the numbers match?

4. When you can accurately figure out how many are left each time, ask someone to show you how to write number sentences. Number sentences use symbols to show the operations you can do, such as 7 - 1 = 6.

5. Continue erasing your drawings until there are no objects left. Or keep drawing new things and erasing others. Subtract 1, 2, 5, or more items. Isn't subtraction fun?

Adult supervision is required for any arts & crafts project.

Chanukah Star Garland

Make Mine a Mola

Christmas Cutout Banner

Crafts

crayola supplies

• Erasable Colored Pencils

household supplies

• white paper
• household items (various)

"My older children spend lots of time doing this with our 4-year-old. They are so excited to write number sentences."
Lois K., home-school parent.

"I have kids draw silly or monster faces first. They transform them into regular people by subtracting features."
Amanda T., teenage babysitter.

An abacus is an ancient counting device that uses sliding counters. The first counting devices were probably lines drawn in the sand. A stone on the island of Salamis (300 BCE) contains vertical marks apparently used for counting. In ancient Greece and during Roman times (ending in 500), stone and metal counting boards were common. An Aztec counter may be have been used around 900. The type of abacus that is familiar today probably originated in China sometime before 1200 and is called a suan-pan.