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Chestnut Harvest Sorting Activity – This Month Mathober Series

This Month™: October Math Adventures

“To Roast or To Toss?” Chestnut Sorting

Mathober-Inspired Activities for K-5th Grade Classrooms & Families

Fall Harvest Theme Data & Sorting October

Activity Overview

Target Audience: For Educators & Families

Age/Grade Level: K-2nd Grade

Time: 15-25 minutes

Theme/Season: Fall harvest, chestnut roasting traditions

Learning Objectives

  • Classify objects into categories based on observable attributes (wormy vs. good chestnuts)
  • Count objects accurately with one-to-one correspondence
  • Compare quantities in different categories
  • Practice digital fine motor skills through drag-and-drop interactions
  • Make observations and decisions based on visual evidence

Materials Needed

For Classrooms:

  • Computer, tablet, or interactive whiteboard with internet access
  • Interactive game link (provided below)
  • Optional: Printable chestnut cutouts PDF for hands-on sorting
  • Optional: Cardstock paper and laminator for durable cutouts
  • Optional: Recording sheets for student answers
  • Optional: Real chestnuts for tactile extension

For Families:

  • Computer, tablet, or smartphone with internet
  • 10-15 minutes of focused time together
  • Optional: Printable chestnut cutouts PDF for offline play
  • Optional: Safety scissors for cutting practice
  • Optional: Paper and pencil for recording

Standards/Developmental Alignment

Common Core K.MD.B.3: Classify objects into given categories; count the numbers of objects in each category

Common Core K.CC.B.5: Count to answer “how many?” questions about as many as 20 things

Common Core 1.MD.C.4: Organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories

Mathematical Practices MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively

Mathematical Practices MP.6: Attend to precision

Instructions

  1. Introduce the fall harvest theme and discuss chestnuts. Explain that farmers sort chestnuts to find the best ones for roasting.
  2. Show the interactive game and explain that chestnuts with small black holes (worm holes) cannot be roasted and must be sorted separately.
  3. Demonstrate how to drag chestnuts to the correct bins: good chestnuts go to “Good for Roasting” and chestnuts with worm holes go to “Wormy Chestnuts.”
  4. Allow students/children to sort all 15 chestnuts independently or with a partner.
  5. After sorting, count the chestnuts in each bin carefully and enter the counts.
  6. Check answers and discuss: How did you identify worm holes? Did you count accurately?
For Educators: This activity works beautifully in math centers or as a whole-class activity on your interactive whiteboard. Use it as formative assessment to observe counting accuracy, sorting logic, and ability to identify attributes. Students who finish early can play again and compare results—the game randomizes, creating natural discussion about variability in data.
For Families: Play alongside your child the first time through. Ask questions like “How can you tell if a chestnut has worm holes?” and “Which bin has more? How many more?” Celebrate mistakes as learning opportunities—sorting and counting take practice! Try playing multiple times and notice how the numbers change each game.

Play the Interactive Game

Click below to launch the Chestnut Harvest Sorting Game

Launch Game Now

Extensions/Variations

For Younger Learners (PreK-K):

  • Focus on sorting first before counting
  • Work with a partner or adult helper
  • Count just one category to start

For Advanced Students (2nd-3rd Grade):

  • Create word problems based on sorting results: “If 3 more chestnuts were wormy, how many would there be total?”
  • Graph class results showing good vs. wormy chestnuts across multiple games
  • Calculate simple fractions: “What fraction of chestnuts were wormy?”
  • Compare results with a partner: “Who had more wormy chestnuts? How many more?”

Cross-Curricular Connections:

  • Science: Research chestnut weevils and their life cycle
  • Social Studies: Explore fall harvest traditions in different cultures
  • Language Arts: Write a story from the perspective of a chestnut farmer
  • Art: Create fall harvest still life drawings featuring chestnuts

Hands-On Extension:

  • Bring in real nuts (chestnuts, acorns, walnuts) to sort by type, size, or texture
  • Use household items to practice sorting: sort laundry by color, sort toys by type, sort snacks into groups
  • Go on a nature walk to collect and sort fall items (leaves by color, acorns by size)

Take It Offline: Printable Chestnut Cutouts

Bring the sorting fun into your classroom or home with hands-on chestnut cutouts!

What’s Included:

  • 15 realistic chestnut images (some with worm holes, some without)
  • Two sorting bin labels: “Good for Roasting” and “Wormy Chestnuts”
  • Recording sheet for counting results
  • Multiple difficulty levels: 10 chestnuts for younger learners, 15 for standard, 20 for advanced
For Educators: Print on cardstock and laminate for durability. Perfect for math centers, small group work, or assessment. Students can sort independently, then count and record their results. Create multiple sets for partner work or use for take-home practice.
For Families: Print and cut out the chestnuts together—cutting practice builds fine motor skills! Spread them on the kitchen table and let your child sort them into two piles. Count together and celebrate. Save the cutouts in a ziplock bag for repeated play throughout October!

Download Printable Chestnuts

Get your free printable chestnut sorting kit

Download Printables

Offline Extension Ideas:

  • Graphing Activity: After sorting, create a bar graph showing good vs. wormy chestnuts
  • Pattern Making: Arrange chestnuts in patterns (good-wormy-good-wormy)
  • Story Problems: “If you had 12 good chestnuts and gave 5 to a friend, how many would you have left?”
  • Sensory Bins: Mix real chestnuts, acorns, and walnuts for fall sensory sorting
  • Matching Game: Print two sets and play memory match with chestnut pairs

More October Math Adventures from This Month™

Continue the mathematical fun with these Mathober activities:

Partial Sums Pumpkin Patch

Practice mental math addition strategies with pumpkin picking!

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Halloween Hunt for Shape Detectives

Identify 3D shapes in spooky Halloween objects!

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Halloween Pattern Challenge

Create and identify AB, AAB, and ABC patterns with Halloween fun!

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Monthly Connection to Mathober

For Educators: Share with students that mathematicians around the world celebrate math this October too! This sorting activity connects to real mathematical thinking about data organization and classification. Display student work alongside the message that “Math is creative, playful, and all around us!”
For Families: Encourage your child that sorting and organizing are important math skills used by scientists, engineers, and people in everyday life. The careful observation needed to spot worm holes develops attention to detail that supports all learning!

About This Month™

This Month™ creates timely, standards-aligned activities that connect learning to the calendar. Every activity celebrates seasonal themes, cultural events, and meaningful learning experiences throughout the year—designed for immediate classroom implementation and joyful family learning.

Part of our October Math Adventures series, bringing the spirit of mathematical creativity to young learners through Halloween fun!