Deputy First Minister's Spring Maths Challenge 2020

How to play

Think of a number between 1 and 20, write it on a piece of paper and fold it up – don’t tell anyone what it is.

Now do this (and remember to keep it a secret!)

• Add 1 to your number.
• Double that number.
• Add 4 to your new number.
• Now halve your new number.
• Take away the number you first thought of from your new number.
• Write down your final answer.

Your answer is 3!

Try it again with different starting numbers between 1 and 20. Is the answer always 3?
Amaze your friends and family by  reading their mind and telling them you can make the final number a 3!

Hello, I’m Suzie. 2 of my favourite things are sunflowers and adding.

I have picked the number 70 because there are over 70 different kinds of sunflower and have made up a game.

Please give it a try, either by yourself or with other people!

How to play

• Each sunflower below has a number.
• You have 3 minutes. 
• How many sets of sunflower numbers can you find that total 70? 
• Each sunflower number can only be used once in each sum.
• For example, if you add sunflowers 24, 26 and 20 you get 70.
• The more you play the game, the quicker you will get.
   

A game for 2 players.

You will need: 3 cups, a toy chick, an egg, a bit of paper and a pen to keep a note of the scores.

How to play

• The game is played by putting the chick in one cup and the egg in another. 
• You can play along using the cut out chick and egg or two different coloured balls instead.
• Player 1 moves the cups around for a count of 15 seconds.
• Player 2 then guesses the cup with the chick.
• If they get it right they get 1 point.
• If they get an empty cup 0 points.
• If they get the egg—they are out and exit (egg-sit!).
• Player 1 and 2 only swap when the egg has been picked.
• Once each player has had to ‘egg-sit’ 3 times, total the scores to see who has won.
   

Ellie and Charlie are keen gardeners and like growing vegetables and flowers.

Each of them has an allotment which they have set out in a grid of squares for this puzzle.

Ellie and Charlie enjoy puzzles and challenges and have created a game for you based on the vegetables on their allotment.

How to play

• Draw up your grid as above with 9 x 9 squares and cut out some Xs and carrots. 
• Two players hide four carrots on their grids without showing each other. 
• They take it in turns to guess a square where there might be a carrot growing. 
• If they are wrong, the other player says ‘you missed’. 
• If they guess right, the other player says ‘that’s a hit’ and places an ‘x’ on top of the square.
• The winner is the first person to find all of the other person’s carrots.