Fixit Maths

Learning from Mistakes

Santa's stocking

This activity involves thinking about numbers through recording data and using the concept of probability. It can be played at any time of year with any other theme.

You will need:

  • A bag or stocking
  • A set of items that are as similar as possible in size and feel, but different in appearance (e.g. differently coloured bricks, sweets, counters)
  • Pen and paper

    • How to play

    Put 10 items in the bag without players seeing. Have one of each item to show what could be in the bag – you may include an item that isn’t actually in the bag. This could be given to younger players as a sheet for them to record on.

    Players take turns to take an item from the bag so everyone can record what it is, then the item is put back in the bag.

    After the 10th draw, everyone records how many of each item they think is in the bag.

    They then repeat taking and recording for another 10 times, after which they may keep or change their prediction.

    If anyone has made a correct prediction, they win and can refill the bag with their choice of items for the others to guess.

    Variations

  • 10 is a suggested number to begin with, but any other lower or higher number of items could be used.
  • Players may be allowed to decide on a 3rd or 4th round of drawing if they want to have more data to refine their predictions
  • Older players could record the chance of drawing each item from the bag as a percentage or fraction.

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