Building Number sense requires lots of playing with and exploring numbers. This post is all about Odd and Even Numbers.
Check out Number Sense Part 1 all about 10 and 20 here.
The first few days of exploring I set out all kind of manipulatives at table groups. Some of the things I included are pictured above. Pokemon minifigures were a big hit since Pokemon Go is popular right now.
The blue and red numbers are weighted numbers by Learning Resources. They can be used with any scales to test out numbers that add up to a certain amount.  You can find them here.  They are also fun to use with “Making Ten” from my Number Sense-Part 1 post.
Manipulative Ideas
1. Weighted numbers
2. IKEA wooden numbers
3. 1 inch squares
4. Teddy Bears counters
5. Linking cubes
6. 2 colored counters
7. Pokemon minifigures
8. Hundreds charts with 1 inch squares
9. Number tile squares
1. Free Play Sorting with Manipulatives
Manipulatives were spread around the room and I put small groups of 3-4 students at each table to explore odd and even. I let the students spend time sorting them into a group of odd or even and then I went from table to table and asked students to explain if they had a group of odd or even and how they knew. It was really interesting to listen to students as they explained why it was odd or even. I was really surprised how many students sorted into groups of 3 to sort instead of groups of 2. Many students remembered what odd and even numbers were from first grade but not many could tell me how they know if it was an odd or even number if it wasn’t 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9 or  2, 4, 6, or 8.  Students rotated through manipulatives every 10-15  minutes or so. I recorded observations and discussions. I even videoed a few explanations from students.
I also started having them sort their daily snacks so they could tell me if they had an odd or even amount, There were always lots of arguments about this until students started to realized that even means you would have 2 piles with the same amount and none left over.
2. Books to Read
Odd Todd and Even Steven is one book I always read to my students. While reading have students draw some of the objects that Todd and Steven have in the book.
Bears Odd Bears Even This book has different amounts of bears doing things throughout the book and you need to decide if the number is odd or even.
Other Ideas– You could bring your own socks from home and have students pair them up and see if they have odd or even amounts. Also having students think of other things that come in pairs.
(mittens. gloves, shoes, boots, earrings, etc)
3. Technology
If you have a membership to Brainpop Jr. they have a nice odd and even movie. Use Doodle Buddy to make photos with odd and even.
Take photos in the room of things odd and even.
4. Games
Deck of cards (with face cards removed) –
Students flip over one or two cards. Students can make single and double digit numbers and decide if they are odd or even. When students play to win they could decide before they flip the cards if odd or even wins for that round and whoever gets odd or even cards wins all the cards turned over. The one with the most cards at the end wins.
Dice-
Roll for odd and even. Students decide before they roll if odd or even will win. They get a tally mark if they win. Play the first player to get 10 tally marks wins. Use 1 die or more dice to make bigger numbers.
Also check out the print and play Odd and Even games in my Numbers Sense Math Practice Activities Set here.
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