>>>> Combine math and art with the ART of CIRCLES resources. Available here.
Did you see the marble painting we did yesterday? It was great roly-poly fun and we decided that instead of just adding to our picture gallery we would use the designs to make a shape garland.
We had lots of chat about which shapes we would use and decided to stick with circles, squares and triangles, as the children would find them fairly easy to cut out themselves.
We went on a shape hunt to find objects the right shape and size to draw round and then we cut them out.
We used our fingers to trace round the outside of the shapes and count how many sides they had.
We did some shape sorting, making piles of circles, triangles and squares.
We talked about size and lined each shape up from biggest to smallest.
Then we used sticky tape to fasten our shapes onto thread and hung up our garland to decorate our room. The mobile looks beautiful as it twirls around.
That’s a lot of fun learning from one simple activity. How do you teach shapes to your children?
More creative math activities
If you’re looking for play-based exploration and discovery of math and science concepts, come and take a look at our Fizz, Pop, Bang! Playful Science and Math Activities.
And for more math-meets art resources, join my ART of CIRCLES workshop.
Jude says
25/11/2010 at 4:16 pmThey’re wonderfully decorative!
Cathy @ NurtureStore says
25/11/2010 at 8:37 pmThanks Jude. We’re really pleased with how they turned out. B says we now have our own art gallery 🙂
Phyllis says
29/11/2010 at 9:55 pmThose are so pretty!
joyce:waddleeahchaa.com says
30/11/2010 at 4:52 amThis would be a great decoration to add to our Christmas tree. Made by the children that’s what I’m talking about! 🙂 joyce
Tricia at Mom is the Only Girl says
30/11/2010 at 12:06 pmThey are so simple and pretty, I love it! I forgot all about hanging leaves in my front window like I told the boys I’d do, this will be a great project to do instead! Thanks for the creative idea!
Heather says
30/11/2010 at 4:59 pmI love how colorful they turned out.
Joyful Mama says
30/11/2010 at 8:15 pmHi There! I am visiting via ABC & 123. You have a fantastic blog!! This is a super idea that my little ones will also enjoy. Thanks for sharing. I have just subscribed via e-mail, looking forward to start receiving your posts that way. Have a beautiful week!
JDaniel4's Mom says
02/12/2010 at 1:09 pmWhat a great lesson. They look great hanging up!
Cathy @ NurtureStore says
02/12/2010 at 4:19 pmThanks for all your comments everyone. I always think it’s a great way to learn if you can take something and explore it in lots of different ways.
Christie - Childhood 101 says
06/12/2010 at 9:54 amWhat a lovely garland.
Bethany says
07/05/2012 at 4:55 pmHow did you attach it to the string? I want to do something like this with my prek students.
Cathy @ NurtureStore says
07/05/2012 at 5:32 pmHi Bethany. We just used a clear sticky tape – easy!