ABSTRACT
We're playing "Target Number Up and Down." In this game, before we start, each child picks a "target number" between 50 and 100. Rolling a conventional six-sided die, the child takes the number ofbaseten blocks from the "pot" corresponding to the number rolled. Each child does this at the same time with his or her own die. When they get to their "target number," adding on with each die roll, they continue the game, from now on subtracting the number rolled from the cubes on their mat and putting them into the "pot" until they have no more left on their mat. The children are glad to play this game with me on the floor in the hall outside their classroom. Their teacher taught them how to play yesterday. They start right away as soon as I tell them what we're doing. "Oh, O.K., we played that yesterday," they say pleasantly, writing down target numbers on their mats, such as "89," "93," and "97." The atmosphere is one of gentle contentment as the play continues.
