Math problem set Kindergarten Science

The Drippy Faucet at Sable Creek Cabin: A Kindergarten Math Set

A kindergarten math set where students count, add, subtract, and compare drips from a fictional cabin's leaky faucet before and after it gets fixed.

Grade: Kindergarten
Subject: Science
Material: Math problem set
Time: 20 min
Prep: No prep
Materials: None

Standards

K.OA.A.2 Common Core Math

Solve addition and subtraction word problems, and add and subtract within 10, e.g., by using objects or drawings to represent the problem.

How this material aligns: Items 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7 are addition and subtraction word problems about the faucet's drips, solved within 10 using objects or drawings as this standard requires.

All materials for K.OA.A.2 →

K.CC.C.6 Common Core Math

Identify whether the number of objects in one group is greater than, less than, or equal to the number of objects in another group, e.g., by using matching and counting strategies.

How this material aligns: Item 5 asks students to compare Monday's total drips to Tuesday's total drips and identify which group is greater, matching this comparison-of-groups standard.

All materials for K.CC.C.6 →

K-ESS3-3 NGSS

Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment.

How this material aligns: Item 8 has students tell in their own words why the drips dropped after the handle was tightened, communicating how a household repair cuts wasted water, with the counts in items 5 and 6 as the before-and-after evidence; items 1 through 4 and 7 are counting only.

All materials for K-ESS3-3 →

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This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely, without attribution. Updated 2026-07-16.

Objectives

Students will count and add drips within 10 using a leaky-faucet scenario.
Students will subtract within 10 to find how many fewer drips happened after a repair.
Students will compare two counted totals and identify which is greater.

Vocabulary

Key words: drip, fix, compare

Teacher overview

Sable Creek Cabin, a fictional cabin used for this math set, has a kitchen faucet with a loose handle that drips into a bowl. This set follows the Okafor family's drippy faucet from Monday, before anyone fixes it, through Tuesday, after Papa Okafor tightens the handle, so every problem builds on the same two-day counting story instead of jumping between unrelated numbers. A common mix-up in this kind of counting is adding a new amount to the wrong day's total instead of keeping Monday's drips and Tuesday's drips as two separate groups; watch for that in problems 2 and 4.

Read each problem aloud and let students use counters, fingers, or drawings to build each group before writing a numeral, since every total in this set stays within 10. For problem 1, draw a bowl with 5 drops in it on the page so students have a picture to count.

The Drippy Faucet at Sable Creek Cabin: A Kindergarten Math Set — Kindergarten Science

Name: ____________________________ Date: ______________

Problems

It is Monday. The faucet drips into a bowl. Count the drops. There are 5. Write the number.
More drops fall before lunch. 3 more drops fall. How many drops now, in all?
Papa fixes the faucet. It is Tuesday. The faucet drips 2 times. Write the number.
It drips 1 more time that day. How many drops on Tuesday, in all?
Compare Monday's drops to Tuesday's drops. Which day had more drops?
How many fewer drops did Tuesday have than Monday?
The bowl holds up to 10 drops. Tuesday only had a few. How many more drops could fit?
Why did the drops go down on Tuesday? Tell why, in your own words.

From Water for Schools (waterforschools.org). This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely.

Answer Key

Answer: 5 drops. The picture shows 5 drops in the bowl before lunch on Monday, counted one at a time.
Answer: 8 drops. 5 drops already in the bowl plus 3 more before lunch is 5 + 3 = 8 drops in all on Monday.
Answer: 2 drops. The fixed faucet's Tuesday morning count is stated directly in the problem.
Answer: 3 drops. 2 drops in the morning plus 1 more in the afternoon is 2 + 1 = 3 drops in all on Tuesday.
Answer: Monday. Monday's total of 8 drops is greater than Tuesday's total of 3 drops.
Answer: 5 fewer drops. Monday's 8 drops minus Tuesday's 3 drops is 8 − 3 = 5 fewer drops on Tuesday.
Answer: 7 more drops. The bowl holds up to 10 drops, and Tuesday only reached 3, so 10 − 3 = 7 more drops would fit before the bowl is full.
Answer: Tightening the loose handle stopped most of the water from leaking out when the faucet was supposed to be off, so far fewer drops escaped into the bowl on Tuesday than on Monday. Accept any answer that connects the fix to fewer wasted drops.

Differentiation

Support

Provide ten counters (buttons or cubes) for every problem so students can build Monday's group and Tuesday's group side by side and compare them by sight before answering problem 5. For problem 7, draw a 10-space strip and have students fill in 3 spaces, then count the empty ones left.

Extension

Ask students to write their own one-day drip word problem using two numbers that add up to 10, trade it with a partner, and solve the partner's problem. For problem 8, have students suggest one more household fix (like turning off a hose) that could also lower the number of drops or gallons wasted.

ELL supports

Pre-teach drip, fix, and compare using a simple picture of a leaking faucet next to a picture of a fixed one, pointing to each while naming it. Allow students to answer problems 5, 6, and 8 by pointing to the group with more counters or using a thumbs-up/thumbs-down gesture rather than a full sentence.

Extensions

Set up a real classroom demonstration using a cup with a small pinhole (covered with a finger to start and stop the "drip") over a bowl, and let students count real drops for one minute before and after "fixing" the pinhole with a piece of tape, connecting the word problems to something they can see and count themselves. Pair this math set with a simple class pledge chart where students draw one fixture at home (a faucet, a hose) they will ask a grown-up to check for drips.