Spring Math

The last week has been interesting for those of us adjusting to a new kind of normal here in North America. Like many of you, my family and I had a whirlwind of a week - cancellation of a trip two years in the planning, notice of school closure for weeks after our March Break, no time visiting family and friends, and limits to how often we are travelling in our local community.

The first few days were surreal; I had a difficult time saying goodbye to my students on Friday, wondering how long it would be until I saw them again. As my teaching partner and I prepped our centers and morning message, we worried about when the next time we would see each other might be. I walked out of school bringing home my plants, teaching materials, and personal belongings, not knowing when I would return.

In times of uncertainty, helping one another is one of the best ways to get through the stress and worry of what awaits. I know that many educators and families right now are wondering how to help support children even when we can't be together physically.

I love math. I also love to help educators, families and children love math. I have decided to create this blog post in order to continually provide ideas for how children can explore math in their natural world. The CDC is asking us to engage in social distancing and being aware of what is recommended is important. Right now being outdoors in our yards, on trails, and in gardens is still safe and encouraged. I realize that some of us are limited by our personal circumstances and not everyone has access to a yard or natural trail. I will try my best to vary activities in order to meet as many circumstances as possible. I will also tweet ideas for math learning on a regular basis @McLennan1977.

My hope is that the website will give ideas to educators who might be providing virtual support to the children and families in their care (e.g., if you are providing home schooling ideas, if you are engaging children in virtual classrooms), or ideas for families who are trying to engage their children in a sense of normalcy by playing and exploring math together in the outdoors. Check here regularly for new ideas as I will add more every few days, and feel free to email me questions or suggestions deannapecaskimclennan@yahoo.ca.

Here are some fun ways to get outside and see/think/wonder about the math you discover:

1.  Natural and Man Made Patterns

Go on a hunt and see what patterns you can see or hear (e.g., bird calls, veins on leaves, fence posts, brick designs, tile mosaics). Bring a clipboard and crayons and ask children to copy and extend the patterns they see. Ask children to classify the patterns as natural or man made.

2.  Same and Different

Choose two or more random objects from the outdoors (e.g., a rock and stick, a leaf and bird). Ask children to describe the characteristics of each and see how many similarities and differences they can find between the two objects (e.g., a rock and stick are both hard and nonliving; a stick is longer than a rock).

3.  Number Hunt

Choose a range of numbers appropriate for the age of the child (e.g., 0 to 10, 0 to 20, 0 - 100). Create an easy template for children to use that help them track the numbers they see. Go on a walk with your child and encourage him or her to record how many of each number they can spot by placing a check mark next to the corresponding number on their sheet. At the end of the walk calculate how many of each numbers were spotted and analyze your data (e.g., which number was spotted the most, least, the same).

4.  Estimate and Count

Before venturing out with a specific destination in mind (e.g., biking around the block, walking to the mailbox) ask your child how long it will take to get there (e.g., five minutes to bike one block, twenty steps to the mailbox). Decide how you will conduct an accurate measure (e.g., use a stopwatch to time your bike ride, count steps as you walk). Once you have reached your destination compare your estimate to the actual measurement. What do you notice?

5.  Shape Hunt

 

Take a sketch pad and pencil with you on your next walk. Encourage your child to spot shapes in the world around them. Ask you child to consider if these are natural or man made shapes (e.g., a round flower, a triangle in the climber). Encourage your child to sketch a picture of the shapes they find or take digital pictures that can be reviewed at a later date.

6. Shadow Play

 

Experiment with how your shadow reflects your exact movements by playing in the sun. Ask your child to consider whether or not the shadow is a reflection? Ask them to explain their thinking and justify their reasoning. Play with shadows at different times of the day. Digital photos can be taken and the lengths compared.

7. Wiggly Worms

Worms are a treat for many children to find on wet, spring days. Ask the child to closely examine how the worm moves, and hypothesize how it travels so easily without arms or legs. Worms move by constricting their body muscles in a pattern. Ask the child to closely examine the stretching and pulling motion that it makes while wriggling about.

8. Puddles

Children love to jump and splash in puddles. Puddles offer children many rich math opportunities too! Ask a child to determine how deep a puddle might be (e.g., looking at how high it is on their boot, using a stick). Ask the child to hypothesize how s/he might go about measuring just how much water is in the puddle. Watch the puddle over time and record how long it takes to evaporate. Note how much smaller it is each day by drawing the outline with sidewalk chalk each passing day and comparing the different rings to one another. 

9. I Spy

Encourage children to pay careful attention to their surroundings. While walking outdoors look for interesting designs. Play a math "I Spy" game with children using only math clues (e.g., "I spy something with a circular pattern." "I spy something that has a growing pattern.").

10. Bubbles

 

Blowing bubbles provides an opportunity to engage your child in rich discussions about open ended math questions: What is the biggest/smallest bubble you can blow? Why is the size of the bubble different depending on the force of your breath? How high/far do you think your bubble might travel? 

11. Unusual Numbers

 

Encourage your child to look for numbers in unusual places (like the 185 on this hydrant). Ask your child to identify the number, and hypothesize the purpose for the number. See if you can find other similiar objects with numbers too (e.g., find other hydrants and keep track of what numbers are listed on each).

12. Foil Textures

 

Look for interesting textures outdoors (e.g., tree bark, bricks, paving stones). Give your child a small piece of foil and encourage him/her to smooth the foil on top of the object, carefully revealing the texture as the foil is pressed and molds against the object.

13. Number Challenge

Keep track of the different numbers you find. Challenge your child to find specific numbers (e.g., the highest number, the lowest number, their age, an even number, an odd number).

14. Sorting Rule

 

Find an interesting collection of objects (e.g., pile of rocks, sticks, flowers in a garden). Ask you child to list as many different ways that she/he could sort the objects as possible (e.g., sort by size, colour, shape, function). If possible ask your child to physically sort the objects.

15. Different Number of Groupings

 

Challenge your child to find groupings of objects. Can you spot 2s, 3s, 4s, & 5s? Here we spotted 3 groupings of 3 grasses for a total of 9 similar plants in the yard. Encourage multiplicative thinking when asking your child for the total number of objects (e.g., Three groups of three equals 9.).

16. Tape Resist Art

 

You (or your child) can create an interesting geometric design with tape on a flat, outdoor surface. Fill each section of the tape with sidewalk chalk or paint. When each section is filled, remove the tape to reveal a beautiful piece of mathematical art!

17. How Many Steps?

Find a challenging walking surface, like the wooden beam at the edge of a garden. Encourage your child to walk one step after the other along the length of the beam. Count each step. See how many steps your child can walk before she/he steps off the beam. Challenge your child to reach the highest number she or he can!

18. Leaf Patterns

 

Look for leaves on your walks - new leaves are emerging with the warmer weather and many older leaves are preserved in piles gathered in landscaping. Turn the leaf over and examine the vein pattern you discover. Use crayons and paper to create rubbings of all the different patterns you find.

19. Measuring Stick

 

Create a 'measuring stick' by finding a sturdy branch outside and wrapping it in equal segments using a heavy duty duct or masking tape. This is a nonstandard measuring tool so as long as the segments are equal, it will work. Encourage your child to explore the outdoor space and look for different things to measure (e.g., the depth of a puddle, the height of a plant).

20. Outdoor Easel

 

Create an easy 'easel' for painting or drawing still life observations outdoors by using a recycled plastic hanger to attach a paper to the fence. The hanger prevents the paper from blowing in the breeze, and can be used to hang the painting until it is dry. Encourage your child to paint or draw patterns that are visible in the outdoor space.  

21. Real Life Arrays

 

Encourage your child to look for real life arrays while exploring the neighbourhood, Help your child reframe the array as a multiplication sentence (e.g., "Three rows of three is the same as three multiplied by three.") and ask you child to calculate the product.

Spring Math Walk

To help inspire children and provide background information regarding the math that is accessible in the natural world around us, I am making the Kindle version of my newest book Spring Math Walk free on March 19. This offer is only valid on the amazon.com site. I will add additional dates in the future. I'm hoping that this free resource will be of interest for families looking for additional math information for their children - helping them venture outdoors and becoming inspired by the amazing math nature has to offer!