Welcome to the Number Garden
“Oh no! The Number Garden’s signs have gone sleepy. Help Pip the gardener wake them up. You will use things you can see and count: seeds, flowers, and ladybugs. Every time you explain what happened, a garden patch grows.”
Idea: Addition and subtraction help the gardener keep the garden in balance.
Put Groups Together
“Pip has 3 yellow seeds. Then Pip finds 2 blue seeds. Put the groups together: ●●● + ●●. Count all the seeds: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. We can write 3 + 2 = 5. The answer to an addition problem is called the sum. Here, 5 is the sum.”
Idea: Addition means combining groups to find how many there are altogether.
Seed Scoop Challenge
“Two red seeds are in the tray. Four more red seeds roll in. How many seeds are there altogether? 2 + 4 = ?”
Idea: Use a visible model to solve an addition equation.
Take Away
“Five ladybugs are resting on a leaf. Two fly away. Start with 5. Take away 2: 🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞 → cross out two → 🐞🐞🐞. We write 5 − 2 = 3. The answer to a subtraction problem is called the difference. Here, 3 is the difference.”
Idea: Subtraction can show a group getting smaller.
Ladybug Launch
“There are 7 ladybugs. 3 fly away. Which number sentence tells the story?”
Idea: Match “fly away” to subtraction.
A Minus Story Can Compare, Too
“Mina grows 6 strawberries. Jo grows 4 strawberries. Nobody leaves! Line up the strawberries so they can be compared. Two strawberries in Mina’s row do not have partners. Mina has 2 more. The difference between 6 and 4 is 2: 6 − 4 = 2.”
Idea: Subtraction can find how many more one group has than another.
The Equals Gate
“The equals sign is a balance gate. It says, ‘this side and that side are worth the same amount.’ Look: 3 + 2 = 5. The left side is 5, and the right side is 5. The gate balances! It does not mean ‘the answer goes next.’”
Idea: = means both sides have the same value.
Balance the Gate
“Make both sides match: 4 + 1 = __ + 2. What belongs in the blank?”
Idea: Solve an equation with the unknown after the equals sign by preserving equality.
Count On
“For 5 + 3, you already have 5. Keep 5 in your mind. Count on three steps: 6, 7, 8. The answer is 8. Do not say ‘5’ as the first extra step—that would count 5 twice. You can always use counters when you need them.”
Idea: Start at the larger number and count the extra objects, without repeating the start.
Mission Complete: Wake the Garden
“Mission complete! You can put together, take away, compare, and keep both sides equal.” Correct answers make all three garden patches bloom.
Idea: Apply all the mission’s ideas independently.
1. 3 flowers and 4 flowers grow together. What is the sum?
2. Start with 8 seeds; 2 are planted. How many seeds are left?
3. Which equation tells “6 apples and 2 apples—how many more apples does the first basket have?”
4. Fill the blank: 2 + 5 = __ + 3.
5. Which counting-on path solves 6 + 3?