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Episode 6 · Stories from Ganita House

The Ten Balloons

Taking awaySubtracting

For Ages 4 to 6

Amma brings home a bunch of ten balloons, and they are all Mihir's: his to hold, and his to share. Three go to his friends at the gate, two more to Ajji and Tata, and Chitra counts what is left after every giving: seven, then five. Then the children prove that nothing vanished.

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Read the story

The same story, told as a comic. Read it together, slowly.

The Ganita house, with its wooden name board1
Amma, Chitra and Mihir on the veranda, with the bunch of ten balloons2
Amma came home from the market with a whole bunch of balloons.
AmmaLook, kanda! Balloons from the market, a whole bunch of balloons!
MihirBalloons! Are they for me, Amma? How many are there?
Chitra counting the bunch of ten balloons, the gold ring on the balloon being counted3
Chitra counted the bunch out loud, one by one, so nobody had to guess.
ChitraHold the strings tight, Mihir, and I will count them. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
MihirTen balloons! Ten!
MihirTen balloons, all for me. Well. Mine to hold, and mine to share.
At the gate: Shruthi, Lakshmi and Adarsh each holding a balloon, and seven balloons left in the bunch4
ChitraGive them one by one, Mihir, and watch your bunch as you give.
MihirOne for Shruthi! One for Lakshmi! One for Adarsh!
Mihir recounting the bunch: seven balloons left, with three balloons in his friends' hands5
MihirMy bunch feels smaller already. How many are left, Chitra?
MihirOne, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
ChitraSeven left. Ten balloons, three went to friends, and seven stayed with you.
The whole family at the gate: five balloons left in the bunch, and five held by the friends, Ajji and Tata6
MihirAjji! Tata! One for you, and one for you!
MihirOne, two, three, four, five.
ChitraFive left. Seven balloons, two went to Ajji and Tata, and five stayed.
The family at the gate as Chitra names the idea: five balloons in the bunch and five given away7
ChitraGrown-ups call this taking away. Their big word for it is subtract.
ChitraWhen some of a group go away, the group gets smaller. Counting what is left tells us how many stay.
MihirLike the park! Five friends playing, two go home, and three friends still play!
ChitraLike a picture book at bedtime. Every page you turn, one page less is left.
The check: all ten balloons counted again, five in the bunch and five in other hands, every balloon ringed8
AmmaBut wait. Ten balloons this morning, five in your hand now. Did five balloons vanish into the air?
ChitraCount the balloons that went away: three with your friends, two with Ajji and Tata. Five went away.
MihirAnd five are here with me. Five went away and five stayed... ten!
ChitraFive and five is ten. Nothing vanished, Mihir. Taking away just moved them.
ChitraProven.

Try the math

Give one away, then count what is left

10 balloons in Mihir's bunch

Mihir's bunch

10 left in the bunch

Shruthi

waiting

Lakshmi

waiting

Adarsh

waiting

Ajji

waiting

Tata

waiting

Your Turn

Tomorrow, Mihir has 9 balloons. He gives 2 to his friends at the gate and 1 to Ajji. How many balloons are left in his bunch? Then everyone gives their balloons back. How many does he hold now?

Off-screen activity

At home: put ten spoons on the table. Let your child give some away to the family, count how many are left together, then join them all back and check that they make ten again.

Chitra

For parents

Today's idea was taking away, which grown-ups call subtracting. Ten balloons, three given to friends, left seven; two more given to Ajji and Tata left five; and five given away plus five left joined back to ten, so nothing had vanished at all.

Ask at dinner: when you share something out, how can you check that nothing was lost?