Hunting for Multiplication

This year, I am teaching a remedial math class, in addition to my 6 science classes.  And when I say remedial, I do mean remedial - like we are still working (after 9 days) on regrouping with adding, in the 6th grade.  But, hopefully, we will master this, subtraction, and our multiplication tables.  I do have a few that are a bit speedier in this class and I wanted something cool for them to do. 

I have always liked the overpriced shakers with the toys inside that the kids hunt for, so I decided to make my own.  Every minute of my day must be academic, so my little shaker is all about multiplication.  Here is how I made my shaker out of ingredients that I had at the house!

So, without further ado, this is how you do it!

Materials:
Rice
Rubbing Alcohol
Food Coloring
Recycled OJ Bottle
Multiplication cards
Cookie trays

So, first up, I dyed the rice.  I put about two tablespoons of rubbing alcohol in a gallon sized plastic bag and added 5 or so drops of food coloring.  (My mother hates when I don't measure - sorry mom!)  I mixed them up really well and added a bag of rice.  I tossed until it was completely colored. 

When it was the color I wanted, I dumped it on a cookie tray lined with foil to dry.  Because I am cheap environmentally friendly, I reused the same plastic bag for the next three colors.  I just rinsed and washed it out.  No need to waste bags on colored rice!

After it dried, I dumped it all in a new gallon bag and mixed it up.  I let mine dry overnight, partially  because I started this project really late at night, and part because I forgot to pull it in from the backyard Tennessee outdoor dryer before I went to bed.  I pulled my multiplication facts from Super Teacher Worksheets.  They have great printables and multiplication flash cards.  I wanted mine really small, so I printed them two to a page on cardstock.  I cut them out and trimmed off the equals sign and question mark. 

I added a little rice, a few cards, a little more rice, a few more cards, and did this until it is almost all the way full.  I left room at the top so that I could shake the cards around and there would be plenty of room for movement. 

The only thing I have left to finish to put a sticker or something on the front.  Despite my best efforts, I cannot seem to get the adhesive completely off.  I don't know what Kroger used - super glue?  I can't wait to use it in my classroom.  I am thinking about making one for each of my units in science with vocabulary words... what do you think?