Probability measures how likely an event is to happen, such as a coin landing either heads or tails up. Determining the probability of an event involves examining the total number of possible outcomes and the number of ways the event in question can occur. This is an ideal subject for children in the third grade to study as it can be simplified in ways that make it easily accessible for young students, such as through basic graphs, colorful diagrams and hands-on activities.
While there are many types of candy that are sure to appeal to children, only certain varieties are suitable for playing probability games in the classroom. While the majority of students would not refuse bars of chocolate, lollipops and strips of sour candy, these items can be messy, are very high in sugar, and are not as useful as other candies for learning about probability. Candies such as gummy bears and coated chocolate candies do not melt easily and are available in a wide variety of colors, making them ideal for playing color-based probability games.
To use candy as props in a probability game that involves color, divide students up into teams and provide each team with a brown paper bag that contains 10 colored candies. Fill the candy bags so that each one has six green candies, three orange candies and one purple candy. The team members should take turns pulling a candy out of the bag, recording the color on a sheet of paper, and replacing the candy back into the bag; this should be done 20 times. The teams must then determine how likely it is to pull each color of candy from the bags using the probability equation, which is the number of ways an event can occur divided by the total number of possible outcomes. The instructor can treat this as a race, in which the team who comes to the correct conclusion first wins, or she can simply discuss the answers with the teams as a class.
You can also use candy to make probability games involving spinners, dice and game boards, more exciting. Use colorful candies as markers on game boards, or as props for introducing children to probability. For example, pour out a bag of colored candies on a hard surface, such as a desk, and demonstrate how there are different numbers of each color. Have the students sort the candies by color and create pie charts demonstrating this information, either individually or in groups. The children can then take turns presenting their findings to the class.