Butterflies in maths?

The secret to being able to add and subtract fractions is ensuring that the denominators are the same, as this makes it considerably easier to calculate. Sometimes however, they are not always presented in this way. For example, 3/5 + 9/10, or 3/4 - 2/7. Where possible, we try to change just one, but if that is not possible, then we can use the butterfly method! Why not see if your child can show you this method in action, with this question: What is 3/5 + 1/7?

Towards the end of the week, we moved on a step further: adding and subtracting mixed numbers. Though quite tricky - especially the subtraction - most of the children did brilliantly!