Math projects are an ideal way to consolidate learning. I recommend using them as an engaging activity AFTER skills have been learned rather than during learning. You will likely find that engagement is very high and that your students ask to do more of these!

There are many ways to use math projects in your classroom. Some of the most popular are:

•a small-group or pairs activity

•a guided math activity to allow you to see where your students are struggling

•a fun, rewarding way to engage your early finishers

•a low-prep, easy-to-implement activity for a substitute teacher

You might choose to print specific tasks to use during math centers, or you might make a booklet out of all of the tasks and let your students choose which one to do when.

This resource is included in PDF format for printing and in Google Slides™️ format for digital learning. This makes it useable with Google Classroom™️. 

Here’s what’s included in ”Run a Mini Donut Stand.”

TASK #1: PLANNING FOR BUSINESS

In this fun introductory task, students will brainstorm a name for their mini donut stand and think about the events they’ll attend.

TASK #2: ADVERTISING

Advertising is an important part of your business. You want to make sure everyone knows that you make the best mini donuts around!

TASK #3: NEW FLAVORS

Cinnamon donuts are always the most popular, but you’ve decided to expand and add three new flavors!

Skills: multiplication

TASK #4: ORDER UP!

It’s a busy day at the fair! Here are just a few of the orders you received this afternoon. Find the total cost and the amount of change needed for each one.

Skills: money, addition/subtraction with decimals

TASK #5: THE NEXT EVENT

This weekend you’re setting up your mini donut stand at a 2-day outdoor festival. You’re hoping to sell a lot of donuts!

Skills: elapsed time, number lines, operations

TASK #6: FESTIVAL SUMMARY

The festival is over and it’s time to look at your sales from the weekend!

Skills: graphing and data interpretation

TASK #7: DONUTS BY THE DOZEN

When you sell mini donuts by the dozen, you get good at multiplying by 12! Use the arrays to figure out the total number of donuts.

Skills: arrays, distributive property

TASK #8: BUSINESS IS BOOMING

You’ve had a busy summer so far and business is booming! You’re going to have to invest in a second donut machine!

Skills: rounding, word form, expanded form, addition

TASK #9: SCHOOL SPECIAL

Today you’re offering a special deal at the elementary school where the kids can order any number of mini donuts they want. Find the total number of donuts in each order.

Skills: arrays, multiplication, skip-counting, division

TASK #10: MOST POPULAR DONUTS

You just finished a day at the Kids Concert in the Park. Now it’s time to see which donuts were the most popular.

Skills: graphing and data interpretation, word form

TASK #11: SPECIAL ORDER!

Now this is exciting! You’ve been asked to make a special order of mini donuts for a birthday party.

Skills: increasing patterns, fractions

TASK #12: DONUT DILEMMAS

As the owner of a business, you often encounter problems that you must solve.

Skills: multi-step problem-solving, decreasing patterns, fractions

TASK #13: SUMMERTIME REVENUE AND EXPENSES

Your first summer as a mini donut business owner has come to an end! You feel like it was a successful summer, but you must look at your exact revenue and expenses just to be sure.

Skills: addition, subtraction

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "I just finished testing my students with the high stakes tests and needed something to be educational and rewarding. This did both! Thank you so much! Your projects make my students happy! Happy kids=Happy teacher!" Donna F.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "My students love these PBL projects. They like that they are so realistic and I like that they are easy for me to pull out for students who finish work early." Rachel Z.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "My students are truly motivated by fun, real-life, engaging challenges like this - thank you!" Sandra D.