Spin & Spend, Whole Dollar

Overview:

Students spin spinners to determine food orders from a school canteen, then add the amounts to find the total cost. Prices are in whole dollars. Designed students in year 2.

Learning Objectives:

• Use addition to calculate the total cost of food orders.
• Develop money-handling skills through real-world scenarios.
• Enhance problem-solving skills by combining multiple factors (item and quantity) to determine total cost.

How the Activity Works:

Students use two spinners: the first determines the food item from the school canteen (e.g., hotdog, fries, pizza), and the second determines how many items will be purchased. For example: What will Briony buy? How many will she buy? The total cost will be... After spinning, students add the amounts to calculate the total cost for each child. This fun, hands-on activity reinforces addition skills and introduces students to budgeting in a practical setting.