Measuring up

Grades 1-3

Take a sewing tape measure outside and into the woods.   A fairly loose way to determine the age of a tree without cutting it down and counting rings is to measure the circumference (distance around.)  A tree’s age in years is approximately the same as its circumference in inches.

 

Grades 4-5

Find a can of paint in your house.  Read the label to see how much area can be covered with one can.  Using a tape measure find a part of your house that could be covered by one can of the paint.  Kids, this is a math question.  Please don’t see how much the can will cover by actually painting!

The same could be done with grass seed.  How many bags you will need to seed your whole back yard?

 

Grades 6-8

Ruler Guestimation – Just like guessing a number between 1 and 100 only you are trying to find a number between 1 and 12 on a ruler.  These numbers, however, include all the fractional parts of an inch.  For example, 

The number to find is 6 9/16

Guess: 6

Response: higher

Guess : 7

Response: lower

Guess: 6 ½

Response: higher

Guess: 6 3/8

 

And so on.

Rolling the Dice

Rolling the Dice

Using simple tools such as a die or dice is a great way to have children learn their math facts. Here are some simples ways to have children learn addition, multiplication and for more advanced students, try the game of the "24" to challenge knowledge of order of operations.

Materials Needed:
Grades 1-3: 2-3 dice
Grades 4-5: 2-3 dice
Grades 6-8: 4 dice

Grades 1-3
The basic starting point for using dice for learning and reviewing math facts is to have the child roll two dice and add them together. Have the child keep track of each score. Whoever reaches 500 first wins.

If your child has advanced beyond that point, make it more challenging by using three dice. Roll the first die for a target number. Then roll the other two dice until together they add up to the target number of the first die. Add all the various rolls together and the person that has a total of 500 first, wins!

Grade 4-5 

The basic starting point for using dice for children in Grades 4-5, is to roll two dice and have the child multiply them together. If you child is more advanced, have the child roll two dice and add them together and then repeat. Then multiple the two sums. Keep track of each score and the first person to reach 500 first, wins!

Grades 6-8

24 Game
Roll four dice.  Take the four numbers you rolled and use them to make 24.  You can only use the four numbers, but you can use them in any way.  For example:

You roll 6 , 9 , 3 , 2.  
6 + 9 + 3² = 24
You roll 1 , 4 , 9 , 2
2(9 + 4 – 1) = 24

 This activity can be particularly challenging for some number combinations but nearly every one can be done.

These are great ways to keep your math facts sharp throughout the summer.  Have fun with it and keep checking back here for weekly activities that make math fun.

Math Quotes

"I believe that if you show people the problems and you show them the solutions they will be moved to act."

~ Bill Gates

Grade 3-8: Art in Math - Origami

Origami is a Japanese artform originating in the 17th century meaning "ori" folding and gami" folding. The object is to create forms using folding paper without scissors or glue. 

Extreme origami

Erik and Mark Demaine win the Guggenheim award for their curved-crease sculptures. The Demaines used origami to be a powerful tool to study mathematics, the father-and-son duo explore foldable forms from both mathematical and artistic perspectives. This concentric circle shape can be traced back to the Bauhaus, which the Demaines have extended further by pushing multiple concentric circles together. 

Their mathematical origami was on view through January 2014 at the Museum of Modern Art’s Applied Design collection.

Grade 6-8: Art in Math - Geometry in Art

Hyperbolic lampshade by Gabriele Meyer
In the April 2014 issue of Discover Magazine the bridge between art and mathematics is explored where artists use equations and geometry to create beautiful works of art.
Visions of Math

The  Bridges Organization, oversees the annual Bridges conference on connections between art and mathematics. 

Bridges began in Kansas in 1998. Since then it has traveled to cities in North America and Europe, and has attracted participants from over thirty countries. The conference features invited speakers, full and short paper presentations, educational workshops, a juried art exhibition, a mathematical poetry reading, and a short movie festival.