If you want to get your kids excited about practicing addition, then have them pick a side: Pirates vs. Vikings! I designed this activity to engage students while deepening their understanding of number sense, without using the standard algorithm. It can be used whole group, small group, or as a math station with a partner. Also, you could ask kids to use mental math strategies, use scratch paper, or allow them to rewrite the problems - the choice is yours!
I plan on making a companion product,