Colour Detectives

So you've found a secret code made up of colours. This is a job for the Colour Detectives!

Use these tactics to find the clues that will unlock the secrets of the colours.

Quick Start

What you need to play

Set Up

Set up

Remove the zero from the pack and place the pile of cards in front of you. You're ready to go.

How to Play

How to Play

Choose an investigation to do. For example, you might investigate all cards with a blue disk.

  1. Look at each card in turn.
  2. If the card has the colours you're investigating e.g. a blue disk, then place it to the right.
  3. If it does not have the colours, place it to the left.
  4. Once you've played at least 20 - 30 cards:
    • Look at the numbers of all the cards on the right and colour those nunbers in on a 100 square
    • Look at the numbers of the cards on the left and circle those numbers

What maths are we practising?

This activity takes an obvious colour pattern (Can you see a disk with this colour?) which leads you to less obvious but noticeable number patterns. The importance of this game lies in:

  1. Practising Observation.
  2. Using a step by step methodology to help observations
  3. Testing ideas that you have about patterns by predicting

You want children to be confident that there is a pattern that is not just a fluke. This will do that. As the number patterns turn up in different ways with different colours, children can start to have faith in a larger pattern and that maths makes sense.