The Times Tables Challenge

Celebrating Multiplication the Fun Way!

Over the last four weeks, the whole of the school from Year 1 to Year 6 has been having a bit of a push on learning our times tables. Always handy to know them and once learned can be easily recalled.

At the end of the four weeks, all the classes came together for a big celebration - The Times Tables Challenge! This was going to be a culminating event that involved every student in every class.

Teachers were asked to nominate eight students from their class who had demonstrated enthusiasm to learn, and mastery of, their times tables. These eight students were to be given a special job - they would participate in the obstacle course part of the event.

So here's what happened.....

Each class assembled in the main hall, lined up in classes. The first eight in each line were the specially selected students for the obstacle course.

One the word "GO!", the first four students picked up a large plastic hoop and joined their hands into a circle. They then had to climb through the hoop one at a time without letting go of their hands.

On completing the hoop, they tagged the next 2 students who picked up a tennis ball and had to make 10 complete "throw and catches" across a gap, closer for younger students, further apart for the older ones. 

After the throw and catch was finished, they tagged the next student who had to bounce a table tennis ball into an empty ice cream container.

The next player was tagged and had to bounce a ball 10 times with their left hand and ten times with their right hand before they got the mystery envelope with 80 times tables questions for the class to complete.

..... but they had to get the envelope back to the class by doing the obstacle course again in reverse order....

So the question sheet was passed down the line of students in the class. Each student completed about 5 or 6 questions. Once the sheet was finished it was passed back to the front of the line where, you guessed it, the obstacle course had to be completed once more before the answers could be delivered to the judges.

When errors were found by the judges, and there were several, the sheets were sent back to the class, via the obstacle course.

Finally, a winner was found!

The winning class of the Times Tables Challenge 2012 was 6MH!

...and they received the magnificent perpetual trophy!

Lots of fun.

Lots of chaos.

Lots of noise.

Three kids evacuated to somewhere quieter.

A memorable moment in the learning of multiplication facts.

And we're all looking forward to next year...