February 12 – Physical Fractions + Symmetry

Less a lesson than a way to interest kids in math all around us, we’re digging into basic concepts in physical ways. If you have a baking project or a manipulative to share, please bring it. The more ways to explore, the better!

We’ll use measuring cups with water and a funnel to answer the question of how many cups are in a gallon, for example. We’ll build with Duplos. We’ll use all of the math games we can collectively amass (if anyone’s interested). We’ll have an abacus, manipulatives and magnetic pieces to show fractions in interesting ways. We can also make the plates above, if we need another tactile project, or we might make math boards if we have supplies – if you have boards or log slices, say the word!

For symmetry, drawing supplies to “match” sides, copying a Duplo build, and Annie’s wooden math blocks might help make some of those big connections without much intervention.

We’re also two days away from Valentine’s Day! A formal card exchange wasn’t discussed, but let’s at least decorate and have a fancy Valentine teatime together. I’ll bring construction paper for decoration projects. Any volunteers for cookies or other special treats? Comment here or text me.

This week, please bring:
Math manipulatives – any and all
Math games
Fancy teatime decor and/or treat to share
Snacks + lunch for your family
Cold-weather gear – new snow + icy parking lot!

Upcoming:

• February 19: Break! Sorry, that feels super soon now….
• February 26: Snow fort village + the solar system. We’ll let the kids help organize a balloon planet series, hung from the ceiling and labelled, with stars and orbiting moons, for the kids to walk around and under. When it warms up a little, we’ll build our snow fort village + decorate it!