Candy Cane Estimating

Estimating is an important mathematical skill. Have fun with this Christmas themed estimating activity using candy canes! See who has the best estimate.

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For this activity:

Pour small candy canes, or other large sweets, into a glass jar.
Children need to be able to see the objects clearly but they shouldn’t be able to count them.
Repeat this three times, with a different number of objects in each jar.
Estimate the number of items in each jar. Record your guess using this Candy Cane Estimating worksheet.
Count the actual number of items in each jar. Record the answers.
For older children, calculate the difference between the estimate and the actual number, using the number line on the worksheet.
Which estimate was the closest? Which one had the biggest difference?