Trail Mix Math

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Trail Mix Math

As you might know from our Instagram pictures, we are often doing school work, homework, or some sort of scholarly activity at our house. Today we found a fun and yummy way to practice our number skills with Trail Mix Math!

PLUS I have a GIVEAWAY for a $50 Visa Gift Card and an assortment of Orchard Valley Harvest products!

Trail Mix Math - turn trail mix into fun math activities or use this idea at school with the free math worksheet

Sometimes we need to spice up our usual schoolwork routine. Adding in a fun manipulative or special snack is a great way to do that with kids. Whatever gets their little hands moving while their minds are exercising is a win in my book. Plus, it keeps them interested in learning and excited about the activity. Let’s face it, kids need a little extra motivation sometimes! Using a nutritious snack is a perfect way to do that.

Trail Mix Math - turn trail mix into fun math activities or use this idea at school with the free math worksheet

For this activity, you will need:

  • Trail Mix – we enjoy Orchard Valley Harvest Cranberry Almond Cashew trail mix
  • The free Trail Mix Math Printable – download it here
  • Pencil

Watch how to do trail mix math!

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Directions:

Have your little mathematicians open and separate their trail mix however they choose to. Some kids will separate the ingredients, some kids won’t. Next have them pick whether they want to do an addition or subtraction problem. OR, you can dictate the problem for them (great for bigger kids). Allow young kids to work through a math problem one number at a time. For example you might say,

“Let’s do an addition problem. Circle the plus sign”
“Now let’s add 5 plus 2.”
“Can you put 5 pieces of trail mix into the first circle for me? Great!”
“Can you show me 2 pieces of trail mix into the next circle?”
“How many do we have all together?”

Using buzz-phrases like “all together” or “how many are left” helps kids exercise their understanding of addition vs. subtraction indicators.

For subtraction problems, have the kids start by putting equal amounts of trail mix in both circles (or both sides of the equation). Then, they can “take away” or subtract from either the first or second circle.

Older kids have the ability to follow directions with several steps, so dictating the number sentence might sound something like this,

“Can you show me 8 plus 2?”

…. and the bigger kids should be able to put 8 pieces of trail mix in the first circle and 2 pieces in the second circle. If you see any sort of frustration with dictating an equation, no big deal, simply go through the steps one by one with them (as seen in the first example).

trail mix math printable worksheet

Get the free printable by clicking on the image above. In the next screen, either click the printer icon or drag and drop the image to your desktop. Then, double click on the file once it is on your desktop, then hit ‘file’ and ‘print’.

The Orchard Valley Harvest Grab & Go and Multi Pack sizes are a great choice for this activity and a wonderful choice for snack time! They refuel our bodies  without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives (oh and they’re GMO free too!).

In California, Orchard Valley Harvest products can be found all across the nation: click here to see where you can buy them.

 Ready to enter for your chance to win a$50 Visa Gift Card and an assortment of Orchard Valley Harvest products?

Simply visit their product page, and tell me which Orchard Valley Harvest product sounds the yummiest to you in the comments section below.

Good luck!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Orchard Valley Harvest . The opinions and text are all mine.


Kelly Dixon

Welcome to Smart School House! I’m so glad you are here! I’m Kelly Dixon and my website is designed to inspire your creative side. I hope you visit us here often!


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21 Comments

  1. The Chocolate Raisin Nut Trail Mix looks really yummy. Thank you for the chance to win 🙂
    jslbrown2009 at aol dot com