FRANKLIN—If you went into the Franklin Food Lion on Thursday evening, it might have reminded you of the old game show “Supermarket Sweep.”

Children, along with their parents, were running around to solve grocery store style math games.

“It combined the concept of a scavenger hunt, in that you were looking for various items necessary to complete the task, with math problems based on what you would find in a grocery store,” said Dr. Deborah Harris-Rollins, S.P. Morton Elementary School principal. “We had a great turnout, and I think it went great.”

An example of a problem that kindergarteners had to solve was counting the different types of dog and puppy treats and also circling the different shapes on the pet aisle. Students were also asked to go to the frozen treat section and find their favorite type of Popsicle and list how many are in the package.

For first-graders, they were tasked with estimating and then measuring vegetables and fruits, to see which one weighed more. Potatoes, apples, pears and oranges were compared with each other.

Another problem also asked them to find a gallon and a pint of ice cream, and to describe which one was smallest.

Third-graders were asked to decipher prices, comparing cracker brands as well as soft drink prices to discover the best deal.

Third graders were also tasked with weighing four apples and four oranges and figuring out what set weighs more.

Fifth-graders were tasked with the most complicated concept. They had $20 to spend on food for one family meal, and Food Lion asked that it be a healthy option incorporating all five food groups, meat or beans, vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy and, if they had enough money left over, for dessert.

The sheet provided workspace and the students were asked to not use their calculator.

“I heard lots of positive comments from the students,” Harris-Rollins said. “And I think the parents had just as much if not more fun.”

Harris-Rollins saw the program in action in a Food Lion in North Carolina, and she went to a manager to ask why so many children were there. Seeing that, she wanted to bring it to Franklin.

She tasked gifted program teacher Liz Burgess with putting on the event.

“I think it went very well,” said Burgess. “It was mostly because of the support of the Food Lion and the S.P. Morton staff, and the parents willing to come out on a Thursday night.”

Burgess said everyone there had a great time.

A manager with Food Lion could not be reached for comment.

“I think it was a great opportunity for the kids and the parents to engage together for a real world math experience,” she said. “I think it allowed the parents to show their kids how important math is in their every day world. It put the kids in the adult’s world.”

Burgess said she hopes to partner up with Food Lion in other ways, and that they may try and do another Family Math Night in the spring.

“It was a really great event, and we hope to build on it,” she said. “Food Lion was very accommodating, and after all, it was their program, we just embraced it.”