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Butterfly Flowers

Age 5 to 7
Challenge Level Yellow star
Primary curriculum
  • Problem
  • Getting Started
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Butterfly Flowers printable sheet

Look at these butterflies and flowers. All of them have a number.

Pink butterflies with the following numbers written on them: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9. Eight blue butterflies, all with 10 written on them. Flowers with the following numbers written on them: 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.
 

Can you find two butterflies to go on each flower so that the butterfly numbers add to the flower number?

Which pair of butterflies has no flower to go to? Why?

Which flower cannot have a pair of butterflies on it? Why?


Click below to see how three children started this task:

Zac said:


I noticed there were eight butterflies which all had the number 10 on them, so I put one on each flower.


Mona said:


I picked two butterflies and added their numbers together.


Anita said:


I noticed that if I added two blue butterflies together I didn't get a flower total.


Did you start the problem in the same way as any of these children?
What do you think about each method? 

 

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The NRICH Project aims to enrich the mathematical experiences of all learners. To support this aim, members of the NRICH team work in a wide range of capacities, including providing professional development for teachers wishing to embed rich mathematical tasks into everyday classroom practice.

NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.

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