From Here to There

Your child will use all four arithmetic operations—addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division—to find different ways to get from one number to another.

What You Need:

• Calculator
• Paper and pencil

What You and Your Child Will Do:

1. Press the “4” key on the calculator. Point to the “4” in the display and tell your child to figure out a way to replace it with “24” without clearing the display.
2. If the child is unsure about how to start, point out that by pressing combinations of operations keys (+, -, x, ÷) and number keys, it is possible to get from 4 to 24 in several different ways. See “Possible Responses” below.
3. Allow plenty of time for your child to discover the various ways, keeping track of them by writing each on paper.
4. Repeat the activity by challenging your child to get from 6 to 72 and then from 8 to 80.

Possible Responses:

From 4 to 24	From 6 to 72	From 8 to 80
4 x 6 = 24 4 + 4 = 8 x 3 = 24 4 + 8 = 12 x 2 = 24 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 24 4 + 8 + 12 = 24 4 x 3 = 12 x 2 = 24 4 + 2 = 6 x 4 = 24	6 x 12 = 72 6 x 6 = 36 x 2 = 72 6 + 6 = 12 x 6 = 72 6 + 3 = 9 x 8 = 72 6 ÷ 2 = 3 x 3 = 9 x 8 = 72 6 - 2 = 4 x 9 = 36 x 2 = 72 6 - 3 = 3 x 12 = 36 x 2 = 72	8 x 10 = 80 8 + 8 = 16 x 5 = 80 8 - 4 = 4 x 20 = 80 8 ÷ 4 = 2 + 38 = 40 + 40 = 80 8 + 12 = 20 x 4 = 80