High Wire High Jinks

What to do:

Glue pictures of acrobats to five clothespins.
Make a “high wire” by tying a piece of string between two chairs.
Place the clothespin acrobats on the string. Separate the acrobats into two groups, three on one side and two on the other. Ask children which group has more than the other.
Do adding and subtracting games by having acrobats “swing” from one side to another. For example, if one acrobat swings from the group of three to the group of two, now how many are in each group? As you move the acrobats around, recount each group and use math words such as “adding” and “subtracting.”

Variations:

For school-age children you can use more acrobats.
Set up the activity as a free time activity.
Allow children to practice moving the acrobats and taking them on and off the high wire.
Of course, they will love to have the acrobats fall from the wire!