Literature Based Arithmetic

Bunches and Bunches of Bunnies

Louise Mathews

This book is all about multiplication, but there is a great opportunity to review or learn about squares and square roots here too!  Each page of this book the bunnies multiply 1 by 1, then 2 by 2, then 3 by 3, and so on.

I originally got my idea to use this book from Literature-Based Math, Grades 2-3 by Lois Laase.  She has some great questions to ask while reading this book to get your children thinking about the language of multiplication.  For example, for 5×5=25, “If there are five bunnies in the band, how many bunnies are dancing?”  She also offers 2 printable worksheets to practice multiplying squares (the same number by itself, i.e. 4×4).

Perfect Squares

Here is a free worksheet which would help to explore perfect squares:

You could also build a pyramid with Legos to visually manipulate and see the multiplication.

CLICK HERE for an online game where students must know the numbers that are perfect squares.