Working with Pattern Blocks

Always a favorite activity--it's pattern blocks!  There are so many ways to learn about math with pattern blocks.  Last week we had two days to explore, create, and learn with them.  Take a look!

First we made patterns with the pattern blocks.  We're going to continue working on patterns this week, too.

Then we sorted the pattern blocks.  Most of the students sorted by color or shape, but we were able to get to sorting by number of sides and more.

I introduced symmetry during our exploration time.  Check out what some of use did:

It was fun to just play, explore, and create with the pattern blocks as well.  

Sorry I wasn't able to capture everyone's creations on camera.  They all did a nice job.  We'll be using pattern blocks all year, so stay tuned to see what else we can do!

Roll, Count, Add, and Graph

Do you have dice at home?  Great!  You and your child can play Roll, Count, Add (and maybe graph)!  

First mathematicians take two dice and roll them.

Next count the number of dots on each die.

Then add up the two counts of dots.

If you have graph paper, graph the sum of the two dice rolls and see which sum is rolled most often.

Finally, give a pat on the back for practicing addition in a fun way!

Building 3-D Shapes

We are learning about shapes.  For the most part, we have our 2-D shapes down (like rectangle, square, circle, etc.).  So--we've been working on 3-D shapes.  Look what we can do with toothpicks and marshmallows:

We know sphere, cylinder, cube, cone, and pyramid.  What might be fun is to go on a 3-D shape hunt at home.  What 3-D shapes can you find at home?

Estimating with the Circumference of a Pumpkin

Not too long ago we learned about estimation.  We learned that to make an estimate, we make a good guess as to what the answer might be.

We wondered what the circumference of a pumpkin might be.  We each had a chance to unwind some yarn to a length we thought would fit exactly across the pumpkin.  Then we tallied our results.

I was so impressed with how close the estimates were.  We have spent time estimating objects in a jar and estimating time.

 

What else can we estimate?

Roll and Record

One of the favorite things to do in math class is play the game Roll and Record.  It's where we take a die, roll it, and record the roll on a bar graph.

First we tried it as a class on our class projector:

 Then we tried it on our own:

 We worked on Roll and Record with a partner, too:

Partners would roll the dice, add up the two numbers, and color in a portion of a pumpkin on their recording sheet.  Roll and Record allows us to practice one-to-one correspondence, recording data, and interpreting results.  Even with all of that learning, students are still having fun!

Making Patterns

Have you ever had a time where you need your child to do a quiet activity for a really long time? This might the activity for you!  We made pattern bracelets using beads and pipe cleaners.  The students were so engaged in what they were doing . . .  Miss Keegan and I couldn't think of a time where all of the students had been so quiet for such a long duration!  Sometimes I would ask them to create a particular pattern, and sometimes the students could come up with their own pattern.

We had a lot of fun showing off our creations: