Understanding percentages is a very important part of math. Today’s STEM Play of the Day from the Ripken Playbook will help us learn about percentages using household items!Â
Materials
Items that come in different colors/shapes/sizes in the same container – think candy, fruit snacks, beads, etc.
Piece of paper
Pencil/pen
Let’s Learn about Percentages
For this example, we will use a jar of candies. Percentages represent part of a whole. For instance, in a group of 10 people, if seven of them wore glasses, they make up 70% of the group. To calculate percent, take the number of items in a group and divide it by the total number of items and multiply it by 100.
Open your candy jar and count the total number of candies in the jar. How many were there.
Now, sort your candies into groups – for instance, group the the red candies, the blue candies, etc.
How many groups did you form?
List each group and the number of candies in each group.
Now, calculate the percent of your candies
Calculate the percent of each group of candies found in your candy jar.Â
What group had the largest percentage of items?
What other items in your house can you use to calculate percentages?
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