apples in the basket

I had the idea for another homemade board game after we dyed our wooden apples last month. So far the kids have really been enjoying playing it so I thought I'd share it here. I call it "Apples in the Basket." These apples are wonderful for counting, transferring, and basic math operations. Perfect for little hands!

What I used:

• an IKEA trofast bin that had cracked
• card stock
• foam stickers
• hole punch
• permanent markers

I cut the bottom of the bin out to use as the main playing surface. Then I had the kids punch holes in the stickers for the apples to rest in.

Materials used.

The board mostly done.

We glued the plastic board onto card stock and I then traced triangles for spaces around the outside the main board on the card stock. The stickers represent different colored apple trees.

The game ready to be played.

The object of the game is to start at the center of the board, and then move around and collect one apple from each of the different colored apple trees to fill your basket, and then to travel back to the center. Whoever gets to the center first gets to put all of their apples in the white tree. There are a few variations we've come up with, but that is the main idea of the game. You can use a die, a spinner, or flip a coin to determine how far you should move.

The game in action.

Check out other great math resources by clicking the image above!