It’s Raining Math
Part 1: Soak Your Head
You will need: Measuring cups, 1 squirt bottle per player, 1 protractor per player, 1 tape
measure, and 1 pair of goggles!
★ Fill 1 squirt bottle for each player, and stretch out
10 feet of tape measure on the ground.
★ Find out how many squirts it takes to fill a 1/4-cup
measure. Place the cup on the ground and squirt
away while counting out loud!
★ PARENTS: Strap on your goggles and kneel at the
end of the tape measure. Hold the 1/4-cup
measure on top of your head.
★ Players start 2 feet away and get 10 chances to
squirt water into the measuring cup.
★ Then players step back another 2 feet and try 10
more squirts.
★ How does the increased distance affect the
difficulty of shooting water in the cup? Can players
change the angle of squirting for maximum distance
and accuracy?
★ Players continue moving 2 feet back, with 10
squirts each at 6, 8, and 10-foot distances, or until
they fill the 1/4-cup.
★ How many times did players squirt water, and how
does that compare to the number of squirts it took
to fill the 1/4-cup from zero distance?
★ How many shots were players able to land in the
measuring cup? What fraction or percent of their
squirts hit the target?
Bedtime Math is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making math as fun as dessert. Check out
www.bedtimemath.org for more free math fun!
© 2014 Bedtime Math Foundation. All rights reserved. It’s Raining Math
Part 2: Let’s Slope for the Best You will need: 1 10-foot length of gutter, 1 garden hose, 1 protractor, 1 tape measure, 1
stopwatch, and 1 rubber ducky (or other buoyant toy)!
★ Lay the gutter right side up on level
ground, and place the garden hose at one
end.
★ Turn the hose on – how quickly do you
think the water is moving?
★ Find out! Place the rubber ducky in front
of the hose and use the stopwatch to time
its 10-foot trip.
★ Now try to get your duck up to top speed!
★ Lift the hose end of the gutter 2 feet off
the ground to create a slope – how does
that change the duck’s speed?
★ What is the angle between the bottom of
the gutter and the ground?
★ Continue to raise the hose end of the
gutter to explore the relationship
between slope and speed.
★ What angle makes the duck slide down the
gutter in the shortest amount of time?
★ How long it would take to go down a 100foot slide with the same slope?
★ Can you calculate your feathered friend’s
speed in feet per second? Miles per hour?
Bedtime Math is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making math as fun as dessert. Check out
www.bedtimemath.org for more free math fun!
© 2014 Bedtime Math Foundation. All rights reserved. It’s Raining Math
Part 3: Measure Up! You will need: 1 bucket*, 1 clear plastic 2-liter bottle, 1 funnel, assorted measuring cups,
and 1 tape measure!
★ Fill the bucket with at least 12 cups of
water. Work together and use a variety of
measuring cups for extra fraction fun!
★ Place the bucket and measuring cups on the
ground 15 feet away from the 2-liter
bottle. Place the funnel in the bottle.
★ Players line up by the full bucket.
★ On “Go!” the first player in line fills the 1cup measure and runs to the bottle.
★ Each player holds the funnel and empties
their measuring cup into the bottle, then
runs back to hand off the measuring cup.
★ Call out the number of relays players make.
How much water is making it into the
bottle?
★ How many trips did it take to fill the 2-liter bottle using the 1-cup measure?
★ How many trips would it taken if players didn’t spill any water? (A 2-liter bottle
holds about 8 1/2 cups).
★ How would the number of trips change if players used the 1/2-cup? 1/4-cup?
★ For a fun twist, give players the option of carrying as many smaller measuring cups
as they can – for instance, holding a 1/4-cup and 1/3-cup in 1 hand and a 1/2-cup in
the other. Does that allow them to carry more water than using the 1-cup measure?
*If you have 4 or more players, you can double all the supplies and have teams race
against each other!
Bedtime Math is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making math as fun as dessert. Check out
www.bedtimemath.org for more free math fun!
© 2014 Bedtime Math Foundation. All rights reserved.