This activity is about changing a story into maths.
Look at the ladybirds on this plant.
Count them.
There are 12 ladybirds.
Now look at this picture.
4 ladybirds have flown away.
How many are left on the plant?
8 are left on the plant.
We started with 12 and 4 flew away.
In maths, this can be written as:
12 - 4
Now we can see that 12 - 4 = 8
So 8 are left on the plant.
12 - 4 = 8 tells the story of how many ladybirds are left on the plant.
Can you make a maths story out of something you see today?
Maybe a flock of sheep or a basket of vegetables? Anything that you can count in fact!
Good luck!