Cooler weather this month means that it’s time to escape to the outdoors! What are some things that you can do with your children to enjoy fall temperatures while stimulating their math skills along the way? Here at Mathnasium of Friendswood, we’ve got you covered with 8 ideas!
1) Go on a shape scavenger hunt
For younger kids, a scavenger hunt focused on finding items of different shapes would be engaging. Draw the shapes you’ll “hunt” on a piece of paper and bring it outside to find items that match. Increase the difficulty by including larger polygons like hexagons and octagons. We already know an easy example for octagons, after all! Rooftops could represent triangles, and windows could be good rectangle finds. Use a tree trunk to demonstrate the concept of a cylinder.
2) Use the sidewalk as a chalkboard
Sometimes getting your child to practice math routinely can seem impossible. However, if you remove the pencil and paper and shake things up with some sidewalk chalk and a driveway, math is suddenly much more exciting! Another idea is to have your child write down a list of numbers. Then, quiz them with simple mental math questions. To tell you the answer, they need to stand on the correct number. Double digits mean running from the first digit to the second. This way, they’re exercising their body and their mind at the same time.
3) Count things
There are so many opportunities to sneak in math learning when you’re outdoors simply by counting things. You can count points on different falling leaves, comparing them to each other. You could count how many cars drive by. You could even count steps you take on a walk if you get ambitious! Counting is an activity that can benefit not only new math learners but even older children.
4) Measure your finds
Measurement is a skill for every child to master. Assist your child in learning and perfecting their measuring skills outside. For young children, use things like your (or their) body parts to measure how many “hands,” “fingers,” or “feet” something you find might be. For more advanced kids, use tools like measuring tape (always a hit) or a ruler.
5) Find the source of fallen leaves
Another activity that can be educational and fun is tasking your child with picking up leaves that have fallen and matching them to the trees that dropped them. They’ll be using analytical skills to solve the mystery, and having fun while doing it.
6) Appreciate the “bigness” of nature
Observation of how much bigger things are outdoors can be awe-inspiring for a child. Sometimes, it’s pretty impressive for adults, too! Helping your child notice the size of an enormous tree can open their eyes to more complex observations that follow. You could discuss the actual size of a cloud you see from a distance and teach your child perspective. You could compare the size of an insect to your child’s finger, for example, and prompt them to think about how big they must look to that insect.
7) Build something
You could also tackle an outdoor project with your older child that gets them thinking about math. For example, building a project like a picnic table requires materials. Have your child help you figure out how much lumber is needed or how many screws hold the structure together. Construction projects take number-crunching, whether they’re big or small.
8) Take homework outside!
Finally, the simple, no-fuss way to enhance math learning through the outdoors is to bring homework – whether the homework is for an older school-aged child, or a preschooler working through a workbook – outside. Being outdoors is instantly more exciting.
At Mathnasium of Friendswood, we know that learning outdoors can be beneficial not only for engaging your child but for their health in general. Visit us at our website to see other ways our instructors can help your child thrive this fall, inside and outside their school classroom.
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