In life, I have met some positive people and some negative people. I have also met some positive numbers and some negative numbers. Let me tell you about them...

Definitions from a mathematical mouse

positive number: any number greater than zero (including fractions and decimals) e.g 2.75 and 23

negative number: any number less than zero (including fractions and decimals) e.g -3.5 and -17

positive integer: any whole number greater than zero

negative integer: any whole number less than zero

That must mean that the number zero is neither negative or positive. That means that zero is the odd one out even though it is not an odd number! 

Activity time

Level 1 of Minus Mania from Tang Math is great for practising reading positive and negative numbers on a number line. Level 2 relates to co-ordinates so I have put the link in Satsy Co-ordinates too.

Where is the treasure? Oh… It’s underground! In Minus Miners, in order to be able to find the treasure, you will have to solve some calculations involving adding and subtracting negative numbers.
Warning: This is a game for anyone who wants to make their brain hurt as it can be very confusing. It is not for everyone!

Some people like to stack pancakes; some like to stack hay. I, on the other hand, love to stack numbers! Sum Stacks by mathplayground.com will require you to add positive and negative numbers to reach a desired target number. What a great way to practise this skill.

Neon Math is a clever game from plays.org which involves adding positive and negative numbers. It does get a little trickier with each level. You'll have to play to see what I mean. Oh...and the timer is also running so you might not get as far as you want!

Time for another game! In Absolute Zero from roomrecess.com, your target is simple: zero! To succeed, you will need to be able to add positive and negative numbers. Some levels can seem easy; others can be totally infuriating! That's why it is so much fun.

At first, I thought that Number Fact Families from Topmarks was just a simplistic activity similar to those I learned when I began to understand the rules of maths; however, I tried selecting a range of negative and positive numbers and the challenge found the marshmallow spot! 

Here is yet another great game from Transum - Boxed in Numbers. The images above show the simplest version with a 3 by 3 grid but it extends all the way to 8 by 8. Try to earn as many of the boxes as you can - highest total wins! Good news - it you complete a box, you get a free turn. Here is the challenge - to win the game, you must be able to add together your total of the positive and negative numbers. This is my favourite aspect of the game!

TELE TIME

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