Marble Jar

Can you guess how many marbles are in the jar? We turned this popular carnival game into a fun learning opportunity. From estimation to subitizing, multiplication, addition, and subtraction, this marble jar is full of surprises.

Simply drag and drop the marbles into the jar, where they’ll bounce, roll, and settle into place. Or, press the “Fill” button on the right hand side to add a random number of marbles to the jar. Click the “Total” button to show or hide the number of marbles in the jar. Use the trash can button to empty the jar.

Here are a few ideas for using the marble jar:

Add a few full layers of marbles to the jar. Ask students to use multiplication to determine how many marbles there are. To make it easier, make each layer a different color.
Use the “fill” button to add marbles to the jar. Ask students to estimate how many marbles there are. Then, discuss estimation strategies before showing the total and seeing which student estimated the closest number.
Use the “fill” button to add marbles to the jar. Then, use the “total” button to show how many marbles are in the jar. Next, add or subtract marbles from the jar and ask students to determine the new total.

How will you use the online marble jar?

Visit classplayground.com for more resources and printables related to subitizing, estimation, and counting.

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