Flowerpot Subtraction Within 20

Goal: To help students visualize subtraction as the "falling away" or removal of items from a set.

Materials Needed:

• Flowerpot and petals
• Magents for the back of petals and flower pot (optional).
• Dice (Optional)
• Playing Cards (included)

How to Play:

1. Place all the petals you want to use around the flower stem.
2. The "Wind” Begins
   Choose a student to come to the board. You can either provide a subtraction sentence (e.g., 10−3=?) or have the student roll a die to determine how many flower petals"fall."
3. The Falling Action
   The student physically slides the magnets from the flower down to the "ground” (the bottom of the board) or removes them entirely.
4. Count and Record
   Ask the class: "How many flower petals are left on the flower?" Count the remaining magnets together. Then, write the matching number sentence on the pot: 10−3=7

Ways to Level Up:

• The "Clear Skies" Challenge: Start with a smaller number of petals (like 5) for beginners, or go up to 20 for students ready for a challenge.
• Story Problems: Tell a story while you play. "The flower had 8 petals. The wind blew 2 of them. How many are left?"
• Partner Play: During centers, let one student be the "Flower” (placing magnets) and the other be the "Wind" (removing them and writing the equation).
• Multiple sets of subtraction cards with differences from 20 to 0 for differentiation within centers.