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Liverpool City Region and Maths Web Bank (FOR ALL SCHOOLS)

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Liverpool City Region and Maths Web Bank (FOR ALL SCHOOLS)

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https://padlet.com/Liverpoollearning/maths-party-maths-in-liverpool-ideas-hw3c8qfh9dco6af4

This web bank features ideas on how to explore maths through a theme of Liverpool and the wider Liverpool City Region.

It includes:

-All Aboard The Maths Express (Merseyrail sponsored train resource for EYFS settings)

-Liverpool and Maths Resource and related resources/links

These resources are available for all schools.

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Family Maths Toolkit from National Numeracy

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Family Maths Toolkit from National Numeracy

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All of the Family Maths activities support the national curriculum in England and the curriculum for excellence in Scotland. The resources have a strong focus on problem solving and reasoning. They are designed to encourage discussion between children and their parents or carers. They also link to cultural events and things around the home, helping children to see how maths connects to real life.
Families don’t need any special maths knowledge or equipment to enjoy the Family Maths activities. Children can draw pictures, write calculations, take photos or create diagrams in their answers. Creativity is encouraged!

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Designed to encourage discussion between children & their parents or carers, the family maths toolkit also help children to see how maths connects to real life.

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Using Maths Storybooks To Engage Children

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Using Maths Storybooks To Engage Children

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An interview with Dr Natthapoj Vincent Trakulphadetkrai, researcher and lecturer at the University of Reading about Maths Through Stories

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Have you ever thought about using a story picture book as one of the tools in your maths teaching repertoire?

Mini 'stories' can be an effective way to reveal mathematical structure and are a common feature in some of the best maths textbooks. The CBeebies' Numberblocks series is built around little stories, and the NCETM Primary Mastery Professional Development Materials use them too.

Mathematical story picture books of a more substantial nature, and how they can be used effectively by teachers, is a major interest of Dr Natthapoj Vincent Trakulphadetkrai (Vince), researcher and lecturer at the University of Reading. He believes that storybooks have the power to foster children's conceptual understanding of maths and to develop engagement.

We interviewed Vince about his initiative, MathsThroughStories.org, which encourages learning maths through story picture books. And, of course, we asked him for some recommendations!

What is your background in mathematics education?

I did an undergraduate teacher training specialising in maths. Since then, I've been in the academic world of maths education, involved in both research and lecturing. Whilst studying for my PhD, I also kept in touch with the classroom through supply teaching, which gave me invaluable experience in a broad cross-section of primary classrooms.

I am now a lecturer in primary maths education. Teaching and learning through maths story picture books is my main research interest; specifically, the effectiveness of children learning maths through creating their own story picture books.

What got you interested in learning maths through stories?

When I first taught primary teacher trainees, I was asked to cover 'how to teach mathematics creatively'. In reading up about the topic, I became more and more interested, perhaps obsessed, about the idea of teaching maths through stories. I started collecting mathematical story picture books. The next thing I knew I had over 500 of them and had started the MathsThroughStories.org website, which has turned out to be really popular. It has all happened so fast!

What would you say makes a good maths story picture book?

First, it must contain an engaging story - it mustn't be a word problem or textbook in disguise.

Second, it should be able to demonstrate how different representations of a concept come together - the illustrations must match the context and the mathematics.

Third, the story should demonstrate how maths can be used, by the characters, to solve problems in an everyday context.

So where should we start? What are the benefits of learning maths through storybooks?

When compared to teaching through textbooks or worksheets, storybooks make mathematics more engaging. Quite often, there is some sort of a problem or crisis in the story and characters use their mathematical knowledge and skills to solve it. As children become involved in the narrative and characters, they emotionally invest in understanding the maths.

Stories also allow children to relate mathematics to their own lives through contextualisation.

Another powerful aspect is the visualisation of abstract mathematical ideas. Through illustrations, abstract concepts such as prime numbers or division of fractions are represented visually.

Do you see a difference in how a storybook might be used by a teacher compared to a parent?

Given their access to manipulatives, teachers might be more likely to design a teaching and learning activity based on the story using these. Parents, on the other hand, might be more likely to just read the stories and ask relevant mathematical questions without designing a series of follow-up activities.

A small-scale research study ( van den Heuvel-Panhuizen and van den Boogaard, 2008) found that when very young children were read a maths story, even without any follow-up activities, half of their comments related to the maths.

How would you recommend teachers use maths storybooks?

Teachers could start the maths lesson by luring pupils in using a story book. This sets the scene and contextualises the mathematics to be taught.

I also know teachers who prefer to wait until the end of the lesson to read the story, to consolidate the learning of mathematics.

Or, you might not want to finish reading the story in one go. Quite often there is a problem for the characters in the story to solve using maths. Teachers could stop reading the story before a solution is revealed and use the story's plot to encourage children to solve the problem themselves.

There isn't only one way of integrating story picture books in mathematics teaching. We encourage teachers to share lesson ideas and inspiration on the website.

I have also been encouraging pupils to create their own mathematical story picture books - even just a simple book of a few pages. If we encourage children to become the creator of mathematical stories, they have to work really hard to see how the topic can be applied in everyday life. Then they have to work hard on visualisation, thinking carefully about how they are going to illustrate abstract mathematical concepts through drawings. From a distance, it might look like a cute, fun activity, but when you examine this approach you see just how pedagogically powerful it can be. I'm surprised this approach hasn't been used more often, because it costs nothing in terms of resources.

We're currently running a competition for pupils age 8-13 to create illustrated mathematical stories.

I suppose many teachers, even primary teachers who teach both maths and English, might not have thought about combining the two like this?

Yes, indeed. From my research with over 1,000 teachers, for many the idea of combining mathematics and literacy seems like an alien concept.

I would like to challenge the perception that maths and literacy/language don't mix. My other research has shown that children's mathematical abilities and their language abilities are closely linked.

If you think about children solving mathematical word problems: apart from their mathematical understanding and skills, they also need literacy skills. Teaching mathematics through narrative means children have an opportunity to develop both mathematical and linguistic abilities in parallel.

Have you a recommendation for teachers who haven't thought of teaching maths through stories before?

A classic title that many primary school teachers and parents will have heard of is The Doorbell Rang. A mother bakes some cookies and, just as her two children are about to eat them, the doorbell rings and two more children arrive. This means the cookies have to be shared between more people. Then just as they are about to eat the cookies, the doorbell rings and two more children arrive. And so on. Although the book doesn't scream 'this is a maths story', you can see there's a meaningful context for teaching division and remainder.

What about a favourite maths picture book of yours?

I have a LOT of favourites! I would love to recommend the Sir Cumference series (for KS2 and KS3), the Math Matters series (KS1 and KS2), the Math Start series (EYFS, KS1 and KS2) and Mouse Math (mostly for Early Years).

Martyn Yeo, a Year 2 teacher and maths lead at Whitestone Infant School, Nuneaton, used one of the books recommended on Vince's website.
'I opted for using a book Pezzettino You can keep up with Vince's project by following Why not comment below? We're after more suggestions of maths story picture books you've found useful to draw out mathematical understanding and engagement. If you've got a favourite, please share it with our readers! Image credit: classroom photographs copyright University of Reading Institute of Education, used with permission@MathsStories on Twitter., which tells the story about a square who feels he should belong to a bigger shape. In the end he falls and breaks into lots of pieces and realises he can be a 'whole' on his own. This really helped my class cement their understand of fractions and was a great opportunity to address any misconceptions on the topic. The story then prompted the rest of our maths work for the lesson with my Year 2 class where we got creative making our own creatures.'
Read Martyn's description of his lesson on the MathsThroughStories.org website.

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Using maths storybooks to engage children

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Have you ever thought about using a story picture book as one of the tools in your maths teaching repertoire? Mini 'stories' can be an effective way to reveal mathematical structure and are a common feature in some of the best maths textbooks.

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Books that you could use for whole Key Stage/School maths days

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One is a Snail, Ten is a Crab- April Pulley Sayre, Jeff Sayre, Randy Cecil

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One is a Snail, Ten is a Crab- April Pulley Sayre, Jeff Sayre, Randy Cecil

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Could be adapted to be used throughout primary age range

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YR/KS1 ideas

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Noah Scape Can't Stop Repeating Himself- Guy Bass

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Noah Scape Can't Stop Repeating Himself- Guy Bass

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KS2 ideas

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Baby Goes To Market- Atinuke and Lauren Brooksbank 

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Baby Goes To Market- Atinuke and Lauren Brooksbank 

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A web bank with resources, links and ideas: EYFS

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A web bank with plans, resource, links and ideas: EYFS

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Maths Through Stories- Make a Picture Book

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Maths Through Stories- Make a Picture Book

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Research shows that children learn mathematical concepts more effectively when they are given opportunities to create their own mathematical picturebook. Here, some of our most favourite mathematical story authors and illustrators will help you and your children unpick the creative process involved in creating a mathematical picturebook.

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MathsThroughStories.org is a non-profit and research-based initiative, based at the University of Reading's Institute of Education (UK). It sets out to help mathematics learners around the world...

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A list of games that support maths learning and maths talk

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A list of games that support maths learning and maths talk

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Lots of book recommendations for texts with possibilities to explore mathematical concepts. Please consider contributing to their research into the relationship between literature and mathematics- http://www.mathsthroughstories.org/surveys.html

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​Whether you are an experienced teacher, a teacher trainee, a teacher educator, a parent, a researcher or a policy maker, we hope you will find this website interesting and useful. Specifically, we want to share with you the benefits of te﻿aching and learning mathematics through stories and creative writing, as well as to offer practical ideas for teachers and parents on how to embrace this approach.

This website has been designed and continuously developed based on the feedback we receive from the key stakeholders as noted above. There are plenty for you to do on this website, including, but not limited to:
Please take your time to explore the website using either the menu bar at the top of the page or from the menu below.

Finally, consider s ubscribing to our free quarterly newsletters, and please help spread the word about our project and its website :-)

Best wishes,

Dr. Natthapoj Vincent Trakulphadetkrai B.A. (Hons), M.Sc. (Oxford), M.Sc. (London, UCL), Ph.D. (Cambridge), QTS

@NatthapojVinceT Natthapoj.org

Founder & Principal Investigator
​MathsThroughStories.org

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​Whether you are an experienced teacher, a teacher trainee, a teacher educator, a parent, a researcher or a policy maker, we hope you will find this website interesting and useful. Specifically, we want to share with you the benefits of te﻿aching and learning mathematics through stories and creative writing, as well as to offer practical ideas for teachers and parents on how to embrace this approach.

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Exploring Maths Through Books List- Primary

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Exploring Maths Through Books List- Primary

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A list of books which could be used to explore mathematical concepts or discuss mathematicians or provoke a conversation about attitudes towards maths.

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Social Media (Insta/FB) Conversation Starter- maths and books (png format)

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Social Media (Insta/FB) Conversation Starter- maths and books (png format)

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Social Media (Insta/FB) Conversation Starter- maths and books (png format)

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Social Media (Insta/FB) Conversation Starter- maths and books (png format)

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Social Media (Insta/FB stories) Conversation Starter- maths and music (png format)

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Social Media (Insta/FB stories) Conversation Starter- maths and music (png format)

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Social Media (Insta/FB stories) Conversation Starter- maths and music (png format)

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Social media (insta/FB stories) maths quiz (png format)

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A collection of printable maths games by Dr Mike.

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This page lists all the printable math games on this site. Each game box explains what other material you need to play the game - often just a pen or pencil!There's also a whole bunch of printable worksheets, they're all on a special page of Math Worksheets..
Usage Instructions : Print. Play.
Alice Oglesby's Cross-Number Puzzle is actually a crossword puzzle - but the clues are all arithmetic sums. How is that possible? Once you've worked out each sum on a calculator, you turn your calculator upside down, and each number becomes a letter. You can download and print Alice's puzzle, solve it, and then make your own upside-down calculator cross-number puzzle with the help of the long lists of calculator words linked from the puzzle page. Extra Materials Required : a pen or pencil, and a calculator.

A Magic Hexagon Worksheet is just like a magic square worksheet - students need the same set of skills to solve each one - the difference is that most students will never have seen a magic hexagon before. This website has a Magic Hexagon Worksheet Generator that lets you generate randomized magic hexagon worksheets with the answer key. The worksheet will be different each time you come back to this site, so you know there's no way for students to drop by themselves and cheat by downloading their own answer key. Extra Materials Required : just a pencil and paper

"What is it?" It's a Tizit!! A Tizit is an impossible figure, an optical illusion. On this site, I've uploaded 30 Tizit puzzles designed by retired math teacher Mac Oglesby. Download a Tizit, and you'll see a scattering of labeled dots, and instructions showing which ones to join. Join the dots carefully with a ruler, and an amazing, eye-twisting figure will appear. Get your kids to draw and color a Tizit now, then send me a copy of their mathematical artwork, so I can make a gallery of Tizits on this website! Extra Materials Required : A ruler, and something to color them in.

The Grid Of Sums is a puzzle game by the French newspaper "Le Monde." (They called it La Grille De Sommes.) You start with an empty grid, then you fill the cells one by one. Each cell gets filled with the sum of its neighbors. On my Le Monde 'Grid Of Sums' puzzle page you can read the rules in more detail, find a link to Le Monde's original video, download printable puzzle grids of many different shapes and sizes, and get ideas for variations on the original puzzle - including how to make it a two-player game! Extra Materials Required : pencil, and maybe a calculator or some scrap paper.

The Stomachion, or Ostomachion (literally Bone Fight) is a puzzle like the Tangram, but invented by the ancient Greeks. It has twice as many pieces, so there's many many more patterns it can be arranged into. Download and print yourself a set, and start by seeing how many ways you can form the pieces into a square! Extra Materials Required : scissors and your imagination!

The Traffic Jam Game is one of my favorite amongst the elementary math games on this site. It's a great puzzle for teaching logical thinking and boosting problem-solving ability. Yet, the rules are simple enough that a four-year old can understand them. First, second and third grade kids will enjoy the simpler puzzles. Fourth, fifth and sixth graders will enjoy the challenge of the harder ones. Try the printable version or the online version. Extra Materials Required : scissors to cut out the pieces. While playing? Brain!

Dots and Boxes is a classic two-player pen-and-paper game. Start with a grid of dots, and take turns to join dots. If you complete a square, you get an extra turn. The player with the most squares at the end is the winner! My Dots and Boxes page has some game sheets to download and print, some strategy tips, and some suggested variations on the traditional version. Care for a three-player game of Dots And Hexagons, for example? Extra Materials Required : just a pen and a friend!

The April Fool's Date Calculator worksheet lets kids calculate the date of April Fools Day for any year. It works like the Easter Date Worksheet - write the year in a box in the worksheet, copy numbers along arrows, and the date of April Fools appears at the end! Ok, in all seriousness - the real educational value in this worksheet - besides arithmetic practice - is to make kids wonder how on earth the worksheet manages to get the right date for April Fool's Day every time. Extra Materials Required : maybe a calculator?

This Kindy Subtraction Game goes hand in hand with the Kindy Addition Game elsewhere on this site. It lets you teach kids the idea of subtraction using something dear to their heart - yummy snacks! Extra Materials Required : more yummy snacks!

To complement the online version, I've prepared a Printable Version of Color Switcher. Color Switcher is a puzzle game - you start with some beads on a board, and the goal is to change the colors of all the beads using a series of jumps. This web page has ideas for how you can prepare your own color switcher puzzle set, and has links to printable puzzle booklets with dozens of puzzles to try to solve. Extra Materials Required : an othello set - or some glue, cardboard, a chessboard

In a Cryptarithm puzzle, each digit of an arithmetic sum has been replaced with a letter of the alphabet. The aim of the puzzle is to restore the original sum. These puzzles are sometimes called alphametics or crypt-arithmetics. You can get many more such puzzles from the resources available at www.cryptarithmania.com. Extra Materials Required : a pencil, and lots of scrap paper!

Do perform this Magic Number Spelling Card Trick, you need to get the special set of cards provided. Then, the trick is simple - a card is selected, the number on the card is spelled out and the cards are sorted into their two different colors. Then, work out the total of the numbers in each pile. The difference between the two piles is the number first drawn! The web page for the trick contains links to downloadable sets of cards, or places you can buy a full color set, and a link to a video demonstrating the trick. Try it out! Extra Materials Required : a pair of scissors

Well, that's all for now! No matter how "online" our world becomes, pen and paper remains an important part of how kids learn. Perhaps once, in the past, every child had a stick of chalk and a piece of slate, perhaps one day in the future, every child will have a stylus and a table PC, but for now, we need printable games and resources to run a classroom. They're indispensible! That's why, when I started this site, I made a special effort to include as many printable games and resources as I could.

Don't forget to explore this site, to find out the other games available. And bookmark this site, so you can check back from time to time to see what printable math games I've added!

Yours, Dr Mike...

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Free Printable Math Games | Dr Mike's Math Games for Kids

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This page lists all the printable math games on this site. Each game box explains what other material you need to play the game - often just a pen or pencil!There's also a whole bunch of printable worksheets, they're all on a special page of Math Worksheets .. Usage Instructions : Print.

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available on the Mathematics Shed

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Coordinates based game.

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The Pirate Game (End of Term Activity) | Teaching Resources

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This, is the Pirate Game! It is amazing! I ‘play&’ this with my classes at the end of each term. Feel free to message me for further details of the game if needed. I

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sessa1

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from Third Space Learning

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It won't be long in your teaching career before you're seeking out maths challenges at KS2 to stretch your more able pupils.
Particularly once you get to Year 6, the maths challenges that may have previously kept them busy will no longer be stretching them. At least this is what I found out recently.
Where this list of mathematical challenges for able pupils came from

Usually, applying knowledge and using transferable skills is enough to keep a class ticking over; extending their understanding beyond number. But in some cohorts there will be a child who completes the 'challenges' we set with relative ease; they aren't taken out of their comfort zone or rarely make mistakes.

Some children will readily grasp the concepts being shown to them and will be ready to apply their strategies and understanding to further reasoning and problem solving questions.

Every child deserves maths challenges that stretch them

This year I had a child like this in my class, and I found stretching his abilities a struggle as I didn't have access to enough resources to give me, or him, variety.

I'd be helping one child grasp long multiplication - or something similar - when a shadow would loom over my shoulder. Turning around, he'd be there, telling me he had finished. Often, he had finished a year 6 maths challenge which I was sure would last for the whole lesson. Looking at the clock, 40 minutes of the lesson remained.

You are not alone looking for KS2 maths challenges for high attainers

His abilities stretched beyond any child I had previously had in my class. So, I reached out to Twitter to discover some new ways to include maths challenges for more able pupils in my lessons.I was especially looking for work which he could pick up and use independently, if he had managed to complete the tasks already set.

After the responses on Twitter, it was clear to see I wasn't not the only person left scratching my head in this kind of situation, wondering what resources I can turn to.

So, to help you find even more challenges for your greater depth pupils quickly and easily, we've put together this list of activities, categorised for ease of use.

You can find the original tweet here. It's worth a read; the thread is packed with lots more ideas than I was able to include on this blog!

Top 6 Maths Challenges For Primary School Pupils

1. I See Reasoning UKS2 - Gareth Metcalfe

Prep: Find the activity you want, photocopy (and maybe some guillotine-ing!)

Who it's for: Although this is the Upper Key Stage 2 version, it is available for Lower Key Stage 2 too!

Cost: You will need to purchase the 'I See Reasoning' resources.

This resource is full of a huge range of activities which push children to think beyond numbers and begin to use mathematical language to explain.

Each activity requires children to display their understanding of what they have already learnt, and build upon their knowledge in order to describe what they notice or know.

This document covers the whole of the maths curriculum, including not only problems relating to number, but also geometry, shape and statistics.

I also love that this really clearly includes the answers, which makes it so simple to use!

Each activity has its merits, but the three I find particularly useful are:
Explain the Mistakes
Children are shown mistakes and are required to explain why the diagrams/calculations are wrong.

They must use mathematical language and previous knowledge to first understand, then explain their thinking to show what would need to change in order for there to be a correct solution.
'I know...so...'
This activity models to children how to link ideas and get them reasoning, building on what they know already.

Once they have seen this model in 'I See Reasoning' they will then begin to use this phrase within the classroom, not only when speaking to the teacher but also to their peers.
Different Ways
This activity requires children to understand that their can be different variations. They can then explain how they know that these answers all work, and why.

Child Review: This was challenging as when you understand number so easily, it can be trickier to explain exactly how you know a fact is true. There was some element of challenge because of the range of different activities.

2. Nrich

Prep: Just print and go! (Unless they've already done the challenge in a previous year group...!)

Who it's for: There are activities for all primary age ranges.

Cost: FREE!

I have to admit, this is my absolute go-to for mathematical challenges (as I'm sure it is for many of you out there!).

The huge range of challenges that are available can be easily searched so you can find the activity which is perfectly suited to the topic you're doing,

They are also labelled with which age range the problem is most suited for (and can be adapted if you want to).

However, because Nrich is so popular I often find that the children have already accessed problems the previous year, meaning that inevitably they no longer pose any challenge to them, or it takes extra time to plan as you need to consult previous teachers.

My favourite challenge so far this year from Nrich is:

This activity really challenged my whole class. They worked in groups to discover the answer and there were cries of 'noooo' when we started running out of time for them to solve it (which inevitably led to another lesson being abandoned to let them have more time to work it out!)

This was an activity I thought would be completed quickly, but really challenged the all the children.

Child Review: This activity was really challenging as it used lots of logic. You had to use what you knew about number, use trial and error and really understand how the strategy works! I like these types of problems as they make me think.

3. Third Space Learning

Prep: Access to a computer and a headset.

Who it's for: Years 2 to 7

Cost: Bespoke to each school, on average £15 per pupil per week.

Some of you might already be using Third Space Learning's one-to-one online maths interventions with your lower attaining pupils or as part of your Pupil Premium budget. But these interventions can also be an excellent way of further stretching most able pupils.

Third Space's highly targeted initial diagnostic assessment identifies maths strengths as well as weaknesses. With higher attaining pupils, Third Space tutors can create lesson plans aimed at engaging and developing these strengths, introducing them to concepts and topics that will challenge and motivate them.

An example question from Third Space's diagnostic assessment

Third Space also provides an online Maths Hub full of premium and free maths resources, such as the one below, that you can use in lessons to continue challenging your more able pupils.

Child Review: "I enjoy coming here every Friday to do Third Space Learning! It makes me happy every time I come to school!" - Katie, Third Space pupil

Link: Find out about the maths interventions (or call 0203 771 0095)

4. Peter Dickinson - Reasoning Club

Prep: Print and go!

Who it's for: Year 5 and 6.

Cost: There is a cost for these resources. You will need to contact Peter directly to enquire.

Peter Dickinson has created a range of reasoning resources which really require children to think and apply their knowledge.

Each challenge explicitly targets a different aspect of maths, as well as requiring the children to transfer a range of different skills to help them solve the problem.

For example, in the 'Multiplication Square' children have to not only use multiplying knowledge, but also that of decimals and place value.

I've found that these reasoning word problems cover a lot of the curriculum, particularly number, which allow a really wide range of maths challenge for the class.

The best part of these, is that it's really useful to laminate them within the classroom in order to use over and over again; because of the level of challenge, sometimes they don't get finished and it enables the child to continue another time before passing them on to someone else.

Child Review: I really like that these are usually laid out in familiar ways and full of lots of different types of challenges. Some of them really make me think and use lots of logic - I enjoy that they actually challenge me!

Link: Peter can be found on Twitter at @2358Peter

5. Royal Institute of Science - Maths Masterclass

Prep: There are quite a few downloads to prepare for the session, but they also have PowerPoints to help with you explanation.

Who it's for: Year 5 and 6, although they may also link to some topic work in a lesser capacity lower down.

Cost: FREE!

I was really disappointed I hadn't come across these resources before (thanks for the suggestion @Glazgow/@racheldorris1)!

They cover a range of topics including (but not limited to!) fractions, shape, number patterns and reflections.

Each of these are also linked to a science element (and in some cases, some history or art too!) providing a range of curricular links you can also build into your lessons.

Each 'off the shelf' lesson is fully planned and resourced for you, which means it is easy to prep for the children (although I do recommend reading through it all first - some lessons have quite a few downloads you need to use whereas some need equipment!).

The topics are all very interesting and are some you may not come across or think of having not discovered them on the Royal Institute of Science site. One example of this is creating colours through using fractions and proportion.

These sorts of cross-curricular activities are also excellent evidence to show off during Ofsted inspections!

Child Review: These challenges are really interesting because they involve different parts of the curriculum too! We have only done one of these, but I really look forward to doing more!
Link: Royal Institution Maths Masterclasses
6. Transum

Prep: Some printing may be required!

Who it's for: KS2 - there are a range of different challenges.

Cost: FREE!

This resource was kindly suggested by @ianr73 and I am very glad it was! Transum has a range of features which are really useful to use in class.

Firstly, they have a range of daily challenges which are puzzles for the children to complete and challenge a different area of their maths knowledge each day.

In this example, it focuses on time and has a range of different examples for them to work on. I have this on my board at some point each day to expose the class to new ideas and maths puzzles!

Also, as you might expect, they have a range of maths challenges on their site too. There are a wide range of problems to choose from - I found them to be quite like Nrich in their style which meant they were easy to begin using in the classroom.

There were also the options of outdoor maths, riddles and a range of online maths games to use too!

Child Review: I really enjoy the daily maths puzzle that we can have as it shows lots of different types of maths I might not otherwise get to see. The challenges are fun, and can be done in different ways too.

Favourite Maths Challenges Recommended By Primary School Teachers

Gone through all of the challenges above and still need more? These are some of the other maths challenges that were recommended on the Twitter thread:

7. NACE (National Association for Able Children in Education)

What it is: An association which specifically focuses on how to challenge more able children in a range of different ways.

8. Maths Bot

What it is: These are a range of maths challenges in different formats (including exam style questions) which can be used in different year groups (as well as going through Secondary).

9. Craig Barton - Same Surface Different Deep

What it is: These problems are based around the concept that children should be revisiting different areas of maths constantly. If they do problems based around just the topic being studied they aren't effectively applying their knowledge.

10. Dr Frost Maths

A range of problem solving activities which children can use to extend their reasoning understanding.

21. Mastering Mixed Ability Maths

What it is: A free Third Space Learning resource with 8 mastery-based maths activities, all designed to be 'low threshold/high ceiling' - relatively easy to pick up, but with lots of room to stretch more able pupils.

Link: Mastering Mixed Ability Maths Resource

12. Parallel Maths

What it is: These are challenges which are used to stretch children. They are aimed for Year 7 up, but might be used to stretch children in Year 6 as an extra 'weekly challenge' if the topic matches!

13. TED Airplane Riddle

What is is: A riddle which children will need to apply their knowledge and maths logic to solve the problem.

14. Times Tables App

What it is: A challenging app to speed up times table recall knowledge, which can be done on a phone or tablet.

15. Fibonacci Rabbit Sequence

What it is: This is using mathematical discovery (trial and error) rather than allocation of knowledge. It is a really good challenge for children (especially Year 5/6 )

16. Open Middle

What it is: A site that promotes problem solving over worksheets, allowing children to work in a more practical manner.

17. Daily Rigour Articles

What it is: This is a free newspaper that puts maths problems into a real life context. It is full of interesting ideas to get children using challenge!

18. Total Maths

What it is: Tara Loughran (@MathsMummy) is a maths consultant who has created a range of problem sheets which stretch children across a range of topics in the maths curriculum.

19. Maths in Sport

What it is: A range of maths problems which are also linked to sport. Curated by University of Cambridge, it covers KS1 and KS2!

20. Wild Maths

What it is: This is a similar site to Nrich which has a range of activities, stories and maths puzzles to challenge your children.

11. White Rose

What it is: A scheme of work which moves from fluency to reasoning in all areas of the maths curriculum.

Maths Challenge Books

A few books were suggested for Maths Challenges too!

Maths No Problem

Kjartan Poskit books - Murderous Maths

Alex's Adventures in Numberland - Alex Bellos

The Number Detective: 100 Number Puzzles to Test Your Logical Thinking

These KS2 maths challenges have really allowed me to go deeper with certain children within maths lessons (and even during particular topics!) within the classroom.
Read more:
Having a wider range of maths challenge resources makes it much easier to ensure that you are deepening maths mastery in a way that is meaningful and encourages children to use logic.

To find more challenges you can use with the greater depth children in your class, check out these other TSL blogs:

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The 21 Best Maths Challenges At KS2 To Develop Your More Able Pupils

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It won't be long in your teaching career before you're seeking out maths challenges at KS2 to stretch your more able pupils.Particularly once you get to Year 6, the maths challenges that may have previously kept them busy will no longer be stretching them. At least this is what I found out recently.

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Maths Challenges KS2, KS3, KS4 Each day there are 5 new challenges posted with the answers. KS2, KS3, KS4 Each day there are 5 new challenges posted with the answers. KS1, KS2 Check out this Easter Egg Tangram on Nrich. How many of the 6 birds can you make?

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Please be aware that resources have been published on the website in the form that they were originally supplied. This means that procedures reflect general practice and standards applicable at the time resources were produced and cannot be assumed to be acceptable today. Website users are fully responsible for ensuring that any activity, including practical work, which they carry out is in accordance with current regulations related to health and safety and that an appropriate risk assessment has been carried out.

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Curves of pursuit - This video demonstrates how to construct curves of pursuit. Beginning by drawing a square, students are taken through the required steps. The video ends by suggesting different shapes as starting points. Sequence designs - Beginning with the sequence of square numbers, a new sequence is generated by only using the unit digits of the original number sequence.

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How many squares? Is this an odd or even number? how may squares would there be with half, quarter? What if needed double the size, how many squares would we have then?

Download the PDF for the resources for the new challenge of the week

Thanks to Freestyle Maths on Facebook for finding this tricky little puzzle.

Not a total solution the only clue I will give is that you need to use a decimal point or two.

Answer is 39 - Can you tell us why?

What numbers should replace the ? marks at the bottom of the table?
Answer: 73 and 48

Could be several answers but the one I was looking for was '3' as it has no lines of symmetry.

Can you work out the squad numbers of the Romanian football team?

What is the value of the Roman Numeral?

What is the missing shape?

How many squares in the picture above?

Mr Andre' spilt juice on a child's homework, what numbers is the juice covering up?
Thanks to the brilliant www.1001mathsproblems.com for this problem.

I have got £50.00 to spend on fireworks, what can I buy for my money?
Adding to this you could just give your children a budget and ask them to organise the biggest fireworks party they can for the money they have. How many fireworks could they get? Are there any deals available? If you get just sparklers will it be an exciting display?

Can you find the digit that should be placed in place of that question mark?

How many tigers can you see?

Which of the options would come next ?

How many squares can you see?

Can you find the hidden star in the picture above?

Follow the on screen instructions: Did you get it right or wrong? If you got it wrong why do you think this is?

Hidden in these coffee beans is a child, can you find them? What co-ordinates are they hidden in?

You are driving a bus through city.

* At the start there was just driver and his helper.
* At the 1st stop, 10 people get on and 7 people get off.
* At the 2nd stop, 17 people get on and 3 people get off.
* At the 3rd stop, 11 people get on and 1 get off.

* Then the bus drives 8 kilometers to McDonalds and order 33 veg-burgers.
* When the burgers are finished , the bus goes 7 kilometers back and picks up 2 more people and lets off 6.

* Finally at the Hotel Hyatt, all of the passengers get off the bus and leave the driver all alone.

How many pencils can you see?c

What is the value of the shapes?

How many hands and fingers can you see in the picture?

Answer: 31 hands and 155 fingers

What is the combined weight of the cat, rabbit and dog?

Thanks to @NatBanting & of Twitter fame for this little gem. When you have done this can you create a code that can go even higher?

How many triangles can you see in this picture?

How many matches can you see in the picture above?

How many Ferrero Rocher can you see? What is the best way to work it out?
How many Ferrero Rocher are there in total?
Please enter your answers below:

An old Mathematics book contained this addition sum which had been marked correct by the teacher: The three squares in the diagram are where the paper was so bad I couldn't read them.

What were the three missing numbers?

Watch the great advert below showing the superb Millenium Falcon kit that you can buy in weekly parts, then work out how much it will cost you (details and cost below). Write the answer on the Padlet wall below.

This challenge was inspired by a Christmas cracker prize. The Mystery Calculator is able to predict a number chosen by a friend, by adding the top left hand number of any card that has the chosen number on it. The question is, how does this work?

Thanks to Hywel Roberts for the inspiration for this one. Think carefully about different aspects of life, such as sport, shopping, work etc and how it would affect normal day to day life without numbers. When you have had a talk and shared your ideas below take a look at the 'No Numbers Land' animation - it has lots of good talking points around number.

This amusing animation gives a good example of the problems we we would have wihtout the use of numbers.

Six wolves catch six lambs in six minutes.

How many wolves will be needed to catch sixty lambs in sixty minutes?

No, the answer is not sixty. Try again!

Please share your answer on the Padlet wall below.

There are 888,246 ceramic poppies at the Tower of London. Each poppy costs £25.00 how much money will be raised for charity?

How many outlines of triangles of all sizes and shapes can you trace in the figure?

Which of these dice does not belong in the sequence?

Which car goes into which road?

Answer:
Car 1 goes into road B, because 17 goes into 136;
Car 2 goes into road C, because 81 goes into 567;
Car 3 goes into road A, because 27 goes into 243 .

Which number should replace the question mark?

Answer : 17

As the football season is now upon us: How many footballs are in this picture?

What number should replace the ?

How many triangles can you see in this picture?

5:19

Starting with the watch on the left, add 42 minutes to the time shown to give the time on the next watch to the right

A nice easy one to take us into the summer holidays:

What are the next three letters in the sequence?

Using just 4 lines, can you link all 9 dots?

A tennis bat and a ball cost £1.10 in total. The tennis bat costs £1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? Answer is not 10p

Your challenge this week is to figure out the numbering system in this car park.

You have nine circles (divided into 16 smaller sectors). Each has a different pattern of holes. Which two of them can form an opaque (non-transparent) circle when stacked on top of each other?

Circles can be rotated and/or overturned.

For this challenge you may want to give your pupils a rectangle piece of paper with another rectangle cut out randomly from it. The challenge is to then find a way of dividing the triangle in 2 so that both parts are equal. The video explains the challenge in greater detail and also shows you the solution.

Thanks to Abi Stokes (@Abicass1) for giving me this idea.

Very topical with the England squad being announced today (well done to Southampton's Adam Lallana, Rickie Lamber and Luke Shaw)

We love to collect football stickers and fill our albums, but how much would it cost to fill your book?

In this year's sticker book South Korean striker Lee Keun-Ho is at number 639. Stickers come in packs of five, so:

QUESTION 1: How many packets would you need to get 639 stickers?

QUESTION 2: If each pack costs 50, how much would it cost to buy the number of packs needed?

Of course when buying packets you will get some of the same stickers, with this in mind on average you would need to buy 4120 stickers.

QUESTION 3: How many packs of 5 would you need to buy?

QUESTION 4: How much would it cost?

10-digit Number Puzzle:
Find a 10-digit number where the first digit is how many zeros in the number, the second digit is how many 1s in the number etc. until the tenth digit which is how many 9s in the number.

We have been using matches for right angle challenges in our class this week: Using 2 matches can you make 1 right angle, 2 right angles, 3 right angles etc. The challenge above is:

Can you move 3 matches and get 4 squares?

The video below shows you the solution.

There were 100 chocolates in a box. The box was passed down along a row of people.

The first person took one chocolate. Each person down the row took more chocolates than the person before, until the box was empty.

What is the largest number of people that could have been in the row?

At a school fete people were asked to guess how many peas there were in a jar.

No one guessed correctly, but the nearest guesses were 163, 169, 178 and 182.

One of the numbers was one out, one was three out, one was ten out and the other sixteen out.

How many peas were there in the jar?

I have ten boxes which I want to pack into crates. Each crate can carry a maximum of 25 kg.

But I only have three crates, and the total weight of the boxes is 75kg:

15 kg, 13kg, 11 kg, 10 kg, 9 kg, 8 kg, 4 kg, 2 kg, 2kg, 1 kg

How can I pack the boxes into the crates?

Solution: There are ten possible answers.
{Crate 1}, {Crate 2}, {Crate 3}
{15,10}, {13,8,4}, {11,9,2,2,1}
{15,10}, {13,11,1}, {9,8,4,2,2}
{15,10}, {11,8,4,2}, {13,9,2,1}
{15,10}, {11,9,4,1}, {13,8,2,2}
{11,10,4}, {15,8,2}, {13,9,2,1}
{11,10,4}, {15,9,1}, {13,8,2,2}
{13,8,4}, {15,9,1}, {11,10,2,2}
{13,10,2}, {15,8,2}, {11,9,4,1}
{13,10,2}, {15,9,1}, {11,8,4,2}
{13,11,1}, {15,8,2}, {10,9,4,2}

If you cut the shaded shape A into two pieces in a certain way, you can then make all the other shapes (B, C, D, E, F, G) from those two pieces.

A nice little challenge to get your brains going on a sunny day.

There are three light switches up in the attic of an old house... They control three light bulbs down in the basement. The problem is that you don't know which switch is connected to which bulb. You can make one trip down to the basement to figure this out.

How are you going to do it?

Answer: Turn on TWO of the switches and wait about 15 minutes...Turn off ONE switch and go down to the basement...

The bulb that is lit matches up to the switch you left on...

The bulb that is off and WARM matches up to the switch that was on, but was turned off...

The bulb that is off and cold matches up to the switch you never touched.

What number goes in the red blank?
No, the answer is NOT 4!
After you've figured the red blank out, can you fill in the next line of numbers?

Can you carry on the sequence?

Using three straight lines, divide the cabbage patch up into six sections with two cabbages in each section.

Your challenge this week is to work out how the Magic Gopher manages to guess the right symbol every time.

How Old is Granny?

Tom asked his Granny how old she was. Rather than giving him a straight answer, she replied:

"I have 6 children, and there are 4 years between each one and the next. I had my first child (your Uncle Peter) when I was 19. Now the youngest one (Your Auntie Jane) is 19 herself. That's all I'm telling you!"

How old is Tom's Granny?

Tom's Granny is 58 years old. Let's see why:

First child born: Granny is 19
Second child born: Granny is 23 (19 + 4)
Third child born: Granny is 27 (23 + 4)
Fourth child born: Granny is 31 (27 + 4)
Fifth child born: Granny is 35 (31 + 4)
Sixth child born: Granny is 39 (35 + 4)
Sixth child is 19: Granny is 58 (39 + 19)

A nice simple one, how many squares can you see in the picture above?

A new feature of the Numeracyshed is going to be a problem of the week. This weeks features pigs. For younger children you could ask them to:
*Guess how many pigs are in the picture (84 I think)
*How many eyes...how many eyes all together.
*How many legs...How many legs all together.
*Why is there only one big one?

For older children here is your problem of the week.

Farmer Hank has fewer than 100 pigs on his farm. If he groups the pigs five to a pen, there are always three pigs left over. If he groups the pigs seven to a pen, there is always one pig left over. However, if he groups the pigs three to a pen, there are no pigs left over. What is the greatest number of pigs that Farmer Hank could have on his farm?

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How many squares? Is this an odd or even number? how may squares would there be with half, quarter? What if needed double the size, how many squares would we have then?

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Different types of paper- could be used to develop geometric art and patterns

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The documents generated here are considered to be in the Public Domain.
They can be used, shared, and republished without need of permission.

If you like what I'm doing, support me on Patreon!

The documents generated here are considered to be in the Public Domain.
They can be used, shared, and republished without need of permission.

If you like what I'm doing, support me on Patreon!

The documents generated here are considered to be in the Public Domain.
They can be used, shared, and republished without need of permission.

If you like what I'm doing, support me on Patreon!

The documents generated here are considered to be in the Public Domain.
They can be used, shared, and republished without need of permission.

If you like what I'm doing, support me on Patreon!

The documents generated here are considered to be in the Public Domain.
They can be used, shared, and republished without need of permission.

If you like what I'm doing, support me on Patreon!

The documents generated here are considered to be in the Public Domain.
They can be used, shared, and republished without need of permission.

If you like what I'm doing, support me on Patreon!

Graph Paper Quick Picks

Inches Metric
Now set to: 8 1/2 x 11 Paper. Ruled in Inches.

Patreon!

If you're already on Patreon, consider a $2 donation! If you're not on Patreon yet, I can't explain how much fun it is. When you get on Patreon, come back and support graph paper, and music, and all the other wonderful things!!

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The documents generated here are considered to be in the Public Domain. They can be used, shared, and republished without need of permission. If you like what I'm doing, support me on Patreon! The documents generated here are considered to be in the Public Domain.

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Ideas and challenges from our friends at School Improvement Liverpool

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Explore the geometric abstract art created by the New Tendencies movement in the 1960s

This room brings together artworks based on optical ('op') effects, geometry and movement made by a range of international artists linked to the New Tendencies network, founded in 1961 in Zagreb, Croatia.

In the 1960s, many artists in different parts of the world were methodically planning ways of making art. Taking ideas from mathematics, scientific research and colour theory, and sometimes using computers to create images, this came to be known as 'programmed art'.

These artists saw the viewer not as a passive spectator but as an active participant, engaging with art in real time and space. Their works often trigger complex visual sensations, activated by the viewer's perception of shape and colour. Sometimes this effect was intensified with the inclusion of moving (' kinetic ') elements.

Reacting against ideas of individual genius and unique creative gestures associated with abstract expressionism and other artistic movements of the time, many used group identities. By making art that could easily be replicated, they hoped to stop artworks from becoming marketable luxury goods. All of the artists shown here participated in the New Tendencies exhibition series, held in Zagreb, then part of Yugoslavia, between 1961 and 1973.

This is one of a series of rooms at Tate Modern, each offering 'a view from' a different city. They focus on a period when new approaches to art-making emerged, developing locally and in dialogue with artists from other parts of the world.

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A View from Zagreb: Op and Kinetic Art - Display at Tate Modern | Tate

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A View from Zagreb: Op and Kinetic Art, a new display on Level 2 at Tate Modern opening on 23 May, brings together artworks based on optical ('op') effects, geometry and movement made by international artists linked to the 1960s 'New Tendencies' group

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Lots of ideas from Third Space Learning

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Fun maths activities should be a part of every teacher's toolkit for teaching Key Stage 1 or Key Stage 2. And at the end of term, fun maths activities are not just recommended, they're essential.
Whether you're a Year 6 teacher, looking to reward your pupils for their hard work in the last few weeks (we're thinking a SATs well done), or a lower KS2 teacher, looking to build your pupils' ability to collaborate and reason in Maths, now is the perfect time to bust out of the classroom and into the outdoors for your maths fun.

Our pick of fun Maths activities for the end of term

So here are our 19 favourite fun end of term Maths activities to do in primary school.

They'll get your pupils active, learning, and full of great Maths ideas they can even do on their summer holidays to help limit their "summer brain drain".

And don't worry, in case of a British summer, we've made sure that most of these maths activities can also still be done in the classroom.

(If on the other hand, it's a British winter that's greeting your end of term, we recommend you try these end of term fun Christmas activities , take a look at our roundup of some wellbeing fun ideas for you and your pupils at Christmas or set your pupils a fun but testing KS2 Christmas maths quiz.)

1. Stick numbers from 1 to 9

If you have school grounds with lots of twigs lying around, this activity is a must. If not, you can always ask children to bring them in.

Get children collecting twigs. Once they have plenty, their challenge is to make the numerals 1-9.

Can they make number 2 with 2 twigs? What about number 3 with 3 twigs, and so on? Can they spot the angles they make? Can they make a 3 with 3 angles? A 4 with 4 angles? A five with 5 angles?

How about Roman numerals? Could they make a clock face showing all the Roman numerals from I - XII? Let children snap sticks to size if they need to!

Finally, can children make sums using Arabic and Roman numerals? For example, 9 x VII = 63.

See also: 13 Outdoor Maths Activities for Early Years to Year 6

2. Angles and shapes activity with sticks

Twigs are great for making shapes and demonstrating a variety of angles. Challenge children to make as many shapes as they can with right-angles. Can they make a regular dodecagon? How many interior right-angles does this shape have?

Though twigs aren't perfectly straight, making right-angles can be great fun especially when children are challenged to build a 2D shape such as a house or a boat. Put children in a group and challenge them to make the biggest shape with 10 pieces of bamboo? Can they make a shape with 12 angles?

As an extension, can they make some 3D shapes, such as a tetrahedron using twigs and twine?

3. Take your maths inspiration from Goldsworthy

This one is a great follow up to the sticky activities and helps children discover the natural connection between Maths and art. Link your twig Maths work to sculptor Andy Goldsworthy by encouraging children to design and build their own Maths outdoor works of art.

Show examples of his work to inspire children. Get them to combine materials to make different shapes and collect stones, flowers and twigs to create a special environmental art sculpture. As an added bonus, photograph their creations and put them up around your classroom.

This Maths activity is perfect for the end of term because it allows children to explore and become enthused about Maths in a natural way, so they look forward coming back to Maths lessons over the holidays.

4. Material measurement activity

Ask children to explore outside and collect various natural materials such as sticks, leaves, pine cones, etc.

Next, ask them to measure various their own body parts and compare their findings with the items. For example, how many pebbles does it take to measure your arms? How many leaves does it take to measure your leg? Discuss why results may vary.

5. End of term Maths daisy data handling

This end of term Maths activity is probably best done outside. Mark out a quadrant on the grass and get children to count the numbers of daisies or flowers in a particular grassed area.

You can mark out the same sized quadrant in different areas, for example under a tree, by a fence or by a path. Then get children to compare the number of daisies in each section and show their findings on bar charts.

For an extra challenge, ask how could they calculate the blades of grass in a specified area?

6. Measure me, treasure me fun maths activity

This one is a classic that can be done outside or recreated in the classroom. Find the approximate age of a tree using just a tape measure or piece of string!

Children measure the distance around the trunk roughly one metre from the ground. As every 2.5cm of girth correlates to around one year's growth, they can then work out the age of the tree.

For example, a tree with a girth of 100 cm will be roughly 40 years old (100 ÷ 2.5 = 40).

If you can't get outside with the children, just get them to stand still and recreate trees themselves to measure (they'll have loads of fun pretending their arms are branches!)

7. Caretaker Maths investigation

Tell children they are going to help the school caretaker solve a problem: he has been asked to plant 10 trees in five rows, so that each row contains 4 trees. How would they do it?

For this problem, children can pretend to be the trees themselves and become part of the problem or they could use plastic marker PE cones.

Place them in groups and challenge and challenge them. Which group can solve the problem first?

Solution: the trees would be planted in a star shape (as below) with each tree planted at each apex and at each intersection point.

8. Fun maths activities counting leaves, twigs and branches

Once again, these end of term Maths activities are great for the outdoors, but easily recreated inside. Just create paper cut out of leaves for children to work with.

Guesstimate the number of leaves on a deciduous tree. To work this out, children count the number of leaves on one twig, estimate the number of twigs on a branch and the number of branches, then multiply these numbers together to get a rough total. For example:

Number of leaves on one twig: 12

Number of twigs on a branch: 22

Number of branches on the tree: 16

Total number of leaves on the tree: 12 x 22 x 16 = 4224

9. Mean mode and median with leaves

Ask children to take a number of leaves from the same tree and then measure the length and width of each one. They can then record the range and calculate the average dimensions using mean, mode and median.
Are you considering our 1-to-1 maths interventions for your school?
If you're looking for a way to reduce the marking you have to do whilst making a drastic improvement in maths attainment, particularly for SATs, you can take advantage of our 1-to-1 online maths tuition programmes.

Book your no commitment 10 minute demo to discover the impact our 1-to-1 interventions can have for your pupils - it's never been easier or more affordable. Call us on 0203 771 0095 or contact us here to learn more about how we can help turbocharge maths in your school, even for low prior attainers!

10. Leaf sorting activity

Collect together various leaves from around the school grounds or a local park/area. Then compare them by colour, size, etc. using a Carroll Diagram.

This activity is discussion-rich because leaves come in all shapes, sizes and colours. As such, children can talk in depth about these differences and how best to categorise them.

As an extension, why not conduct a survey of all the different types of trees in your area? You can record findings on a map with a key and then display the number of different types of tree on a bar chart.

11. End of term maths activity with matchsticks

If you don't have twigs, why not use rulers or glue sticks for this fun end of term Maths activity. Or ask children to bring them in from their walk into school.

Use twigs to create a variety of 'matchstick' puzzles but on a larger scale.

Show children this mathstick picture ask them to copy the shape below with their twigs. Then ask the question below. Then give the instruction:
Move two twigs to make 7 square rectangles.
Can they work out what to do?

There are hundreds of matchstick puzzles to try, so you won't run out. Take a look at Maths on Fire or copy some examples from the internet to use as problem solving challenges outside.

12. Algebra with sticks!

Twigs and sticks are superb natural materials for exploring patterns and for exploring algebra. For example:

Shape 1 = 4 sticks

Shape 2 = 7 sticks

Shape 3 = 10 sticks

Following this logic, can children work out how many sticks would be needed for Shape 10 (a shape with ten square rectangles joined together)? Can they find a rule?

Children could also investigate different shaped patterns such as triangles or houses, like below:

Or, instead of twigs, you could make some patterns using stones instead and ask children to investigate the next pattern is a sequence like below:

Then you can challenge children to work out what the fifth and sixth shapes in the pattern would look like. Can they develop an expression to show the number of stones needed for the nth shape? Take a look at Transum's matchstick patterns for more ideas on what to do.

13. Wishing well Maths investigation

Here's one to act out on the playground or the field.

Tell children that a frog has fallen down a wishing well that is 21m deep. The frog jumped 3m every 15 mins then has to rest (the frog slips down 1m each time it rests). If the frog started at 18:00 what time did it reach the top of the wishing well?

For this you could use a line on a field (or draw one). In groups, children can re-enact the jumping and falling, measuring as they go.

Solution: it would take 195 mins to cover the distance and it would reach the top at 21:15.

14. Leapfrog fun Maths activity

This leapfrog maths investigation is a great one to act out. You could use chairs as the lily pads, mark out lily pads on the playground or use PE hoops.

Here are the rules:

There are two families of frogs - red and yellow (children can wear coloured bibs to represent these).

Each family contains 3 frogs.

The red frogs live on the left of the pond, the yellow frogs on the right.

One day they decide to swap places!

There are 7 lily pads which the frogs must use to cross the pond.

Frogs can only jump to empty lily pads.

Frogs can only jump over ONE other frog at a time.

Frogs don't know how to jump backwards!

Can children master the sequence of moves and work out the minimum number of jumps needed to swap places?

Solution: the minimum number of jumps is 15.

As an extension, get them to try 4 frogs in each family with 9 lily pads. 5 frogs in each family with 11 lily pads. Finally, try 6 frogs in each family with 13 lily pads.

Check out this leapfrog Maths activity by Nrich for more ideas.

15. Riverside crossing maths investigation

Another classic maths investigation we all know and love. Acting it out helps children to conceptualise their reasoning as well as having fun with maths.

Here's the story:

A farmer returns from the market, where she bought a goat, a cabbage and a wolf. On the way home she must cross a river. Her boat is small and won't fit more than one of her purchases.

As such, she cannot leave the goat alone with the cabbage (because the goat would eat it) and she can't leave the goat alone with the wolf (because the goat would be eaten). How can the farmer get everything on the other side?

1. Take the goat to the other side. 2. Return, pick up the cabbage and take that to the other side. 3. Now pick up the goat again and take it back to where it started. 4. Unload the goat, and pick up the wolf. 5. Take the wolf to the other side where you unload it and leave it with the cabbage. 6. Go back for the goat. Job done!

16. Water fun maths investigation

Playing with water inside can always end badly for whoever has to clean up! So this one might be best done outside.

At the water tap there are two containers: one holds 5 litres and the other holds 3 litres. How can you pour exactly 7 litres of water into a bucket?

Solution: fill the 5 litre container with water. Then pour 3 of the 5 litres of water into the 3 litre container leaving exactly 2 litres in the 5 litre container. Then pour these 2 litres into the bucket and then refill the five litre container and pour that into the bucket.

17. Outdoor trails full of maths

There is a ton of Maths learning potential in any school ground, so plan a Maths trail or treasure hunt. Grab a map and compass and plan a route for children to follow incorporating playground markings with fun Maths activities. Here are some examples of what you can include (with the topics they could cover):

Shape hunts - always a favourite (angles, perimeter, area, tessellation, symmetry)

Minibeast areas (real data)

Rock trails (timelines).

Fencing, shelters and furniture (oblique lines, parallel lines, perpendicular lines)

18. Sporting fun maths activities

The summer term is a golden opportunity to do plenty of measurements in relation to a range of sports events: throwing the discus and javelin, sprinting, long jump, and more.

You can also teach children how to use and read a stopwatch or stopwatch timer on a device.

Plus, bean bag target practice is always a hit. This is where you make a target on the ground (usually concentric circles with values) and children throw a number of bags onto the target. They can then add up their score, or value.

If your school is holding a sports day this year, we've gathered several fun sports day maths activities for KS2 here.

19. Grid maths investigation

Make a 5 by 5 grid using string, or mark it out on the playground using chalk. It doesn't need to be big (although it can be!).

Tell the children that you have ten items (bean bags, cones, tennis balls) that need to be placed inside the grid. Ask them if they can place the objects in the grid so that no more than two objects lie in a line in any direction.

-
As you approach the end of term you'll also now be very aware of those pupils who aren't yet ready for their next academic year. By Key Stage 2 many children have developed gaps which teachers will find difficult to plug during whole class teaching. Third Space Learning's 1-to-1 programme of weekly maths tuition is affordable and very effective at plugging gaps, building confidence and developing children's ability to reason and problem solve. Children make up to 7 months progress in 14 weeks.
-

Looking for more end of term or holiday maths activities?

We've also got three very summer holiday based KS2 Maths investigations available to download here including the famous theme park maths investigation.

Giving your pupils fun Maths activities at the end of term rewards them (and you) for the year's hard work.

It also leaves a good impression in children's minds, so they are excited to return to more fun back to school Maths after the holidays.
Tweet us @thirdspacetweet and let us know how you get on with these Maths activities or, better still, send us a picture of your pupils doing them!
Liked this? Check out these 10 ridiculously fun Maths lessons to try with KS2.
Don't forget to download your free Holiday Maths Pack for Years 3, 4, 5, and 6.

SATs Programme 2019-20 - Boost attainment and confidence from September

Request Quote

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
19 Fun End of Term Maths Activities - Third Space Learning

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Fun maths activities should be a part of every teacher's toolkit for teaching Key Stage 1 or Key Stage 2. And at the end of term, fun maths activities are not just recommended, they're essential.

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Geometric Abstraction

Geometry is studying the relationships between lines, angles, and surfaces. In art, artists have often used regular shapes. This means shapes that you can measure and plot, and that have equal internal angles. (You've probably learnt all this in maths).

Many artists have made artworks that don't represent the world around them from these shapes. Some European artists thought these regular geometric shapes were 'pure' forms.

Geometric and repeating patterns are traditional in Islamic art. Many contemporary artists are inspired by their traditional art training. Others come to the traditional crafts of tessellation and repetition later.

Folding, cutting and sticking

Many artists use collage to arrange their geometric shapes. Folding paper or other materials creates new shapes out of flat planes. Cutting straight lines into a plate for a print can also create texture from geometry. You can also stick 3D shapes together to bring geometry off the flat paper or canvas.

Geometric figures

When we first start drawing, we often create figures from shapes - circles for heads, rectangles for legs, triangular bodies. Many artists have refined this to create figures from geometric shapes. And it's not just human figures. Constantin Brancusi manages to suggest a fish or a bird with the simplest smooth shape.

Geometric illusions

Sometimes using a repeating shape or line can play tricks on our eyes and brains. Some art works seem to shimmer and vibrate like Bridget Riley's black and white Op Art works.

Other artworks can use colour and shape to make you feel as if the flat surface is receding into space, or hovering above the picture frame. Josef Albers made hundreds of compositions using squares set inside each other. The different colours and size relationships mean every work feels completely different.

Sorry, no image available

More Geometric illusions

Have a go!

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Geometric Coursework Guide - Student Resource | Tate

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Geometry is studying the relationships between lines, angles, and surfaces. In art, artists have often used regular shapes. This means shapes that you can measure and plot, and that have equal internal angles. (You've probably learnt all this in maths). Many artists have made artworks that don't represent the world around them from these shapes.

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Lots of ideas from Third Space Learning

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Fun maths activities should be a part of every teacher's toolkit for teaching Key Stage 1 or Key Stage 2. And at the end of term, fun maths activities are not just recommended, they're essential.
Whether you're a Year 6 teacher, looking to reward your pupils for their hard work in the last few weeks (we're thinking a SATs well done), or a lower KS2 teacher, looking to build your pupils' ability to collaborate and reason in Maths, now is the perfect time to bust out of the classroom and into the outdoors for your maths fun.

Our pick of fun Maths activities for the end of term

So here are our 19 favourite fun end of term Maths activities to do in primary school.

They'll get your pupils active, learning, and full of great Maths ideas they can even do on their summer holidays to help limit their "summer brain drain".

And don't worry, in case of a British summer, we've made sure that most of these maths activities can also still be done in the classroom.

(If on the other hand, it's a British winter that's greeting your end of term, we recommend you try these end of term fun Christmas activities , take a look at our roundup of some wellbeing fun ideas for you and your pupils at Christmas or set your pupils a fun but testing KS2 Christmas maths quiz.)

1. Stick numbers from 1 to 9

If you have school grounds with lots of twigs lying around, this activity is a must. If not, you can always ask children to bring them in.

Get children collecting twigs. Once they have plenty, their challenge is to make the numerals 1-9.

Can they make number 2 with 2 twigs? What about number 3 with 3 twigs, and so on? Can they spot the angles they make? Can they make a 3 with 3 angles? A 4 with 4 angles? A five with 5 angles?

How about Roman numerals? Could they make a clock face showing all the Roman numerals from I - XII? Let children snap sticks to size if they need to!

Finally, can children make sums using Arabic and Roman numerals? For example, 9 x VII = 63.

See also: 13 Outdoor Maths Activities for Early Years to Year 6

2. Angles and shapes activity with sticks

Twigs are great for making shapes and demonstrating a variety of angles. Challenge children to make as many shapes as they can with right-angles. Can they make a regular dodecagon? How many interior right-angles does this shape have?

Though twigs aren't perfectly straight, making right-angles can be great fun especially when children are challenged to build a 2D shape such as a house or a boat. Put children in a group and challenge them to make the biggest shape with 10 pieces of bamboo? Can they make a shape with 12 angles?

As an extension, can they make some 3D shapes, such as a tetrahedron using twigs and twine?

3. Take your maths inspiration from Goldsworthy

This one is a great follow up to the sticky activities and helps children discover the natural connection between Maths and art. Link your twig Maths work to sculptor Andy Goldsworthy by encouraging children to design and build their own Maths outdoor works of art.

Show examples of his work to inspire children. Get them to combine materials to make different shapes and collect stones, flowers and twigs to create a special environmental art sculpture. As an added bonus, photograph their creations and put them up around your classroom.

This Maths activity is perfect for the end of term because it allows children to explore and become enthused about Maths in a natural way, so they look forward coming back to Maths lessons over the holidays.

4. Material measurement activity

Ask children to explore outside and collect various natural materials such as sticks, leaves, pine cones, etc.

Next, ask them to measure various their own body parts and compare their findings with the items. For example, how many pebbles does it take to measure your arms? How many leaves does it take to measure your leg? Discuss why results may vary.

5. End of term Maths daisy data handling

This end of term Maths activity is probably best done outside. Mark out a quadrant on the grass and get children to count the numbers of daisies or flowers in a particular grassed area.

You can mark out the same sized quadrant in different areas, for example under a tree, by a fence or by a path. Then get children to compare the number of daisies in each section and show their findings on bar charts.

For an extra challenge, ask how could they calculate the blades of grass in a specified area?

6. Measure me, treasure me fun maths activity

This one is a classic that can be done outside or recreated in the classroom. Find the approximate age of a tree using just a tape measure or piece of string!

Children measure the distance around the trunk roughly one metre from the ground. As every 2.5cm of girth correlates to around one year's growth, they can then work out the age of the tree.

For example, a tree with a girth of 100 cm will be roughly 40 years old (100 ÷ 2.5 = 40).

If you can't get outside with the children, just get them to stand still and recreate trees themselves to measure (they'll have loads of fun pretending their arms are branches!)

7. Caretaker Maths investigation

Tell children they are going to help the school caretaker solve a problem: he has been asked to plant 10 trees in five rows, so that each row contains 4 trees. How would they do it?

For this problem, children can pretend to be the trees themselves and become part of the problem or they could use plastic marker PE cones.

Place them in groups and challenge and challenge them. Which group can solve the problem first?

Solution: the trees would be planted in a star shape (as below) with each tree planted at each apex and at each intersection point.

8. Fun maths activities counting leaves, twigs and branches

Once again, these end of term Maths activities are great for the outdoors, but easily recreated inside. Just create paper cut out of leaves for children to work with.

Guesstimate the number of leaves on a deciduous tree. To work this out, children count the number of leaves on one twig, estimate the number of twigs on a branch and the number of branches, then multiply these numbers together to get a rough total. For example:

Number of leaves on one twig: 12

Number of twigs on a branch: 22

Number of branches on the tree: 16

Total number of leaves on the tree: 12 x 22 x 16 = 4224

9. Mean mode and median with leaves

Ask children to take a number of leaves from the same tree and then measure the length and width of each one. They can then record the range and calculate the average dimensions using mean, mode and median.
Are you considering our 1-to-1 maths interventions for your school?
If you're looking for a way to reduce the marking you have to do whilst making a drastic improvement in maths attainment, particularly for SATs, you can take advantage of our 1-to-1 online maths tuition programmes.

Book your no commitment 10 minute demo to discover the impact our 1-to-1 interventions can have for your pupils - it's never been easier or more affordable. Call us on 0203 771 0095 or contact us here to learn more about how we can help turbocharge maths in your school, even for low prior attainers!

10. Leaf sorting activity

Collect together various leaves from around the school grounds or a local park/area. Then compare them by colour, size, etc. using a Carroll Diagram.

This activity is discussion-rich because leaves come in all shapes, sizes and colours. As such, children can talk in depth about these differences and how best to categorise them.

As an extension, why not conduct a survey of all the different types of trees in your area? You can record findings on a map with a key and then display the number of different types of tree on a bar chart.

11. End of term maths activity with matchsticks

If you don't have twigs, why not use rulers or glue sticks for this fun end of term Maths activity. Or ask children to bring them in from their walk into school.

Use twigs to create a variety of 'matchstick' puzzles but on a larger scale.

Show children this mathstick picture ask them to copy the shape below with their twigs. Then ask the question below. Then give the instruction:
Move two twigs to make 7 square rectangles.
Can they work out what to do?

There are hundreds of matchstick puzzles to try, so you won't run out. Take a look at Maths on Fire or copy some examples from the internet to use as problem solving challenges outside.

12. Algebra with sticks!

Twigs and sticks are superb natural materials for exploring patterns and for exploring algebra. For example:

Shape 1 = 4 sticks

Shape 2 = 7 sticks

Shape 3 = 10 sticks

Following this logic, can children work out how many sticks would be needed for Shape 10 (a shape with ten square rectangles joined together)? Can they find a rule?

Children could also investigate different shaped patterns such as triangles or houses, like below:

Or, instead of twigs, you could make some patterns using stones instead and ask children to investigate the next pattern is a sequence like below:

Then you can challenge children to work out what the fifth and sixth shapes in the pattern would look like. Can they develop an expression to show the number of stones needed for the nth shape? Take a look at Transum's matchstick patterns for more ideas on what to do.

13. Wishing well Maths investigation

Here's one to act out on the playground or the field.

Tell children that a frog has fallen down a wishing well that is 21m deep. The frog jumped 3m every 15 mins then has to rest (the frog slips down 1m each time it rests). If the frog started at 18:00 what time did it reach the top of the wishing well?

For this you could use a line on a field (or draw one). In groups, children can re-enact the jumping and falling, measuring as they go.

Solution: it would take 195 mins to cover the distance and it would reach the top at 21:15.

14. Leapfrog fun Maths activity

This leapfrog maths investigation is a great one to act out. You could use chairs as the lily pads, mark out lily pads on the playground or use PE hoops.

Here are the rules:

There are two families of frogs - red and yellow (children can wear coloured bibs to represent these).

Each family contains 3 frogs.

The red frogs live on the left of the pond, the yellow frogs on the right.

One day they decide to swap places!

There are 7 lily pads which the frogs must use to cross the pond.

Frogs can only jump to empty lily pads.

Frogs can only jump over ONE other frog at a time.

Frogs don't know how to jump backwards!

Can children master the sequence of moves and work out the minimum number of jumps needed to swap places?

Solution: the minimum number of jumps is 15.

As an extension, get them to try 4 frogs in each family with 9 lily pads. 5 frogs in each family with 11 lily pads. Finally, try 6 frogs in each family with 13 lily pads.

Check out this leapfrog Maths activity by Nrich for more ideas.

15. Riverside crossing maths investigation

Another classic maths investigation we all know and love. Acting it out helps children to conceptualise their reasoning as well as having fun with maths.

Here's the story:

A farmer returns from the market, where she bought a goat, a cabbage and a wolf. On the way home she must cross a river. Her boat is small and won't fit more than one of her purchases.

As such, she cannot leave the goat alone with the cabbage (because the goat would eat it) and she can't leave the goat alone with the wolf (because the goat would be eaten). How can the farmer get everything on the other side?

1. Take the goat to the other side. 2. Return, pick up the cabbage and take that to the other side. 3. Now pick up the goat again and take it back to where it started. 4. Unload the goat, and pick up the wolf. 5. Take the wolf to the other side where you unload it and leave it with the cabbage. 6. Go back for the goat. Job done!

16. Water fun maths investigation

Playing with water inside can always end badly for whoever has to clean up! So this one might be best done outside.

At the water tap there are two containers: one holds 5 litres and the other holds 3 litres. How can you pour exactly 7 litres of water into a bucket?

Solution: fill the 5 litre container with water. Then pour 3 of the 5 litres of water into the 3 litre container leaving exactly 2 litres in the 5 litre container. Then pour these 2 litres into the bucket and then refill the five litre container and pour that into the bucket.

17. Outdoor trails full of maths

There is a ton of Maths learning potential in any school ground, so plan a Maths trail or treasure hunt. Grab a map and compass and plan a route for children to follow incorporating playground markings with fun Maths activities. Here are some examples of what you can include (with the topics they could cover):

Shape hunts - always a favourite (angles, perimeter, area, tessellation, symmetry)

Minibeast areas (real data)

Rock trails (timelines).

Fencing, shelters and furniture (oblique lines, parallel lines, perpendicular lines)

18. Sporting fun maths activities

The summer term is a golden opportunity to do plenty of measurements in relation to a range of sports events: throwing the discus and javelin, sprinting, long jump, and more.

You can also teach children how to use and read a stopwatch or stopwatch timer on a device.

Plus, bean bag target practice is always a hit. This is where you make a target on the ground (usually concentric circles with values) and children throw a number of bags onto the target. They can then add up their score, or value.

If your school is holding a sports day this year, we've gathered several fun sports day maths activities for KS2 here.

19. Grid maths investigation

Make a 5 by 5 grid using string, or mark it out on the playground using chalk. It doesn't need to be big (although it can be!).

Tell the children that you have ten items (bean bags, cones, tennis balls) that need to be placed inside the grid. Ask them if they can place the objects in the grid so that no more than two objects lie in a line in any direction.

-
As you approach the end of term you'll also now be very aware of those pupils who aren't yet ready for their next academic year. By Key Stage 2 many children have developed gaps which teachers will find difficult to plug during whole class teaching. Third Space Learning's 1-to-1 programme of weekly maths tuition is affordable and very effective at plugging gaps, building confidence and developing children's ability to reason and problem solve. Children make up to 7 months progress in 14 weeks.
-

Looking for more end of term or holiday maths activities?

We've also got three very summer holiday based KS2 Maths investigations available to download here including the famous theme park maths investigation.

Giving your pupils fun Maths activities at the end of term rewards them (and you) for the year's hard work.

It also leaves a good impression in children's minds, so they are excited to return to more fun back to school Maths after the holidays.
Tweet us @thirdspacetweet and let us know how you get on with these Maths activities or, better still, send us a picture of your pupils doing them!
Liked this? Check out these 10 ridiculously fun Maths lessons to try with KS2.
Don't forget to download your free Holiday Maths Pack for Years 3, 4, 5, and 6.

SATs Programme 2019-20 - Boost attainment and confidence from September

Request Quote

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
19 Fun End of Term Maths Activities - Third Space Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Fun maths activities should be a part of every teacher's toolkit for teaching Key Stage 1 or Key Stage 2. And at the end of term, fun maths activities are not just recommended, they're essential.

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William Morris Gallery: Working With Pattern

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William Morris Gallery: Working With Pattern

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These puzzles (most of them old classics) from various sources can be used with pupils who finish classwork early. Most of the questions were chosen with enthusiastic, bright early teenagers in mind.

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An Inspiration of Tangles: an index and graphic guide to the best Zentangle® patterns on the web and how to draw them

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1) Take a plain piece of paper (any size - but it must be square). Draw two LARGE dots anywhere on the paper.

2) Now, draw ten smaller dots around the paper.

3) Now, choose one of those small dots, and draw straight lines from it to BOTH of the larger dots.

4) Repeat for another of the small dots - join it with straight lines to the two large dots.

5) Repeat for all of the other small dots. Do not join any small dots together, and do not join the two large dots together - just join the small dots to the large dots.

6) Now, you can colour them. You could try to colour it using two colours, so that colours do not touch each other, or using shades of the same colour (with darker shades on the outside, and getting lighter as you go in).

7) When children have mastered this technique, they can experiment:

Try having more than two large dots

Try having more / less then ten small dots

Experiment with the positioning of all of the dots. What does the picture look like when you put both large dots together in a corner?

Experiment with colours

8) When your class has made lots of these Starbursts, you can display them all together in a similar way to this:

9) When I made this display with a class, I gave a Starburst sweet to each child as a reward for helping to make the display!

Another display based on this idea can be found here.

The following activity was contributed by Sheena Florey:

I have used the Starburst idea at the beginning of each of the last two years with Y3 & Y4. They draw by hand in their sketchbooks - excellent practice with a ruler too! - and colour with a limit of three colours - no 'same colours touching sides' also adds an element of decision making & planning

The children then transfer this to an IT application - we used Colour Magic - no special tools needed for this though. To complete the picture successfully requires selecting different brush sizes, the line tool, the fill tool, printing (of course!) - and with the same limits on colours and where they can be placed, the planning element is still there. The skill of click & drag is also there, and if not done accurately, the filling in of colours can result in some interesting and valuable lessons on how to put things right.

I have found that this has developed as a favourite activity for wet play when the children enjoy making really complicated designs and weird & wonderful shapes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
1) Take a plain piece of paper (any size - but it must be square). Draw two LARGE dots anywhere on the paper. 2) Now, draw ten smaller dots around the paper. 3) Now, choose one of those small dots, and draw straight lines from it to BOTH of the larger dots.

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Math comes naturally to some, but even simple equations remain baffling brainteasers to others.

These math equations went viral for being much more complicated than they seemed - or so simple that people got tripped up overthinking them.

Here are 10 math problems that confused people across the internet.

This viral math question has two solutions.

Spotted on The Daily Mail, the question was originally created by Go Tumble and shared on Wikr before taking off on Facebook and going viral.

There are two correct ways to solve it. The first way to find the solution is to add the equation, then combine the sum with that of the previous equation. The second solution involves multiplying the second number of the equation by the number you are adding to it. The correct answer could either be 40 or 96.
Here's a full explanation of the answer.
This seemingly simple math problem racked up over five million views on YouTube.

The correct way to solve this problem is to use the modern interpretation of the order of operations, also known as PEMDAS or BODMAS:

Parentheses/Brackets

Exponents/Orders

Multiplication-Division

Addition-Subtraction

If same precedence, left to right

The correct answer is 9, but controversy ensued because the historical order of operations from before 1917 differs slightly. With that version of the rules, which is still taught in many schools, the answer would be 1.
Here's a full explanation of the answer.
We'll tell you what's true. You can form your own view.

From 15p €0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.

This Common Core math quiz caused a firestorm on Reddit.

The first question asks the student to calculate 5 x 3 using repeated addition. The student wrote 5 + 5 + 5 = 15, and was marked wrong, with the teacher writing in the "correct" solution of 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 15.

The second question prompts the student to calculate 4 x 6 using an array. The student drew an array with six rows and four columns, getting the answer that 4 x 6 = 24. The teacher marked the question wrong again and drew in a nearly identical array of four rows and six columns.

"The idea that a student should be punished for recognising and applying the fundamental truth of commutative multiplication in service of drilling in a completely arbitrary convention that they can easily learn when they need it 10 years later strikes me as borderline insane," Andy Kiersz of Business Insider wrote.
Read the full explanation here.
This math problem from Singapore went viral in the US.

Kenneth Kong, a television host in Singapore, shared a photo of this 5th grade-level math question in a since-deleted Facebook post, which was shared nearly 6,000 times.

In the logic puzzle, Cheryl gives her friends Albert and Bernard different clues as to when her birthday is out of a selection of dates. She tells Albert only the day and Bernard only the month of her birthday.

By making a table of the dates and using the process of elimination, one can determine that Cheryl's birthday is 16 July.

It was later revealed that this problem wasn't a regular test question used in Singapore classrooms. It was actually used in a contest as part of the Singapore and Asian Schools Math Olympiad (SASMO).

The New York Times published a detailed explanation of the solution, which you can read here.

This second grade math question stumped kids and their parents.

A UK mom tweeted this math problem in a since-deleted tweet saying "Have you seen this one? Year 2!!" It was then picked up by a Facebook page called Parents Against Primary Testing and media outlets like The Huffington Post.

Calculating the answer is simpler than it seems: 19 people getting off the train can be represented by -19, and 17 people getting on the train as +17.

-19 + 17 = 2, meaning that there was a net loss of two people. If there are 63 people on the train now, that means there were 65 to begin with.

That said, many are convinced the answer is 46.
Here's a full explanation of the answer.
This question doesn't actually involve math at all.

The Guardian pointed out the simple solution: turn the picture upside down and you'll see that the numbers are in numerical order from 86 to 91.

You can read the full explanation here.

This word problem is a trick question.

Nothing is actually missing here - it's just deliberately confusing wording. It all adds up if you look at the total, not the debt owed.

Twitter user Mat Whitehead laid it out in a table to show that there's not a missing $1 after all, which you can view here.

This math question from Vietnam isn't that difficult, but extremely time consuming.

The challenge: use each digit 1-9 only once to fill in the snake and make the equation equal 66 (colons are division signs).

According to VNEXPRESS, this puzzle is meant for third graders. There's no trick or complicated math necessary - finding the correct configuration of numbers comes down to trial and error and process of elimination.

Here's a tip: it's easier if you rewrite the snake as an equation and follow the order of operations.

Here's a full explanation of the answer from The Guardian.

More than 50% of students at Harvard, MIT, and Princeton got this question wrong.

It seems obvious that the answer is 10 cents, right? Wrong!

One dollar is only 90 cents more than 10 cents, not a full dollar more. The correct answer is five cents: $0.05 + $1.05 = $1.10.
Here's a full explanation of the answer.
Allegedly, only one out of 10 people could ace his math quiz without a calculator.

No calculator? No problem. The easiest way to go about solving this without a calculator is to round the numbers up or down to multiples of five, estimate the answer, and choose the option closest to your estimate.
Here's a full rundown on how to do it. * The Dutch plan to build the world's biggest wind farm Read the original article on Business Insider UK. © 2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.
* Germany paid people to use electricity over Christmas
* We could see twice as many big earthquakes this year, scientists warn

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10 maths equations that stumped the internet

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Math comes naturally to some, but even simple equations remain baffling brainteasers to others. These math equations went viral for being much more complicated than they seemed - or so simple that people got tripped up overthinking them. Here are 10 math problems that confused people across the internet.

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Great for developing ruler skills and developing mathematical vocabulary: perpendicular, horizontal, vertical, diagonal etc

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Art Lesson Online: Op-Art! Make Mind-Boggling patterns at home or in the classroom. It's so simple!

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These KS1 tasks focus on spotting patterns and creating sequences.

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Sequencing and patterns based on Aboriginal Art

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Finished product above. Check out the lesson below.

Here I uploaded my ABB pattern project that I do with my K's. We talk about patterns and Aboriginal Art. I love the math kids get with this project!

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Finished product above. Check out the lesson below. Here I uploaded my ABB pattern project that I do with my K's. We talk about patterns and Aboriginal Art. I love the math kids get with this project!

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A fun, processed based Fibonacci art project for kids. Great for S.T.E.A.M. learning at home or at school.

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Hundreds of free Inky puzzles for printing.

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EYFS: Can be used to explore colour, pattern and shape.
KS1: A Maths game where you connect the colours to score points and add them up.  Who can make the most connections?

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Every now and then an idea pops into my head that turns out to be great. It doesn't happen very often mind you. Most often my ideas are total flops, but this one turned out to be pretty good, if I may say so myself.

It's a simple idea, just a whole lot of hexagons with different coloured sections. We call them 'Hexi Cards'.

Hexi Cards are simple little hexagonal cards with five different coloured wedges on each card.

The best things about these hexi cards is that they are really easy to make, and they can be used in lots of different ways.

How to Use Hexi Cards.

Little children will have fun with the hexi cards by simply using them to make patterns and shapes. My toddler had a lovely time playing with two sets of cards on the floor.

Preschoolers who are learning colours and math skills such as matching and patterns can use them to work on skills like labelling and matching colours, or finding matching pairs of hexi cards.

Older kids will also love matching and making patterns with the hexi cards. They could use them for a simple game of memory or my big kids made up their own domino-type game to play with the hexi cards.

To play 'Hexo dominoes' they used three sets of cards, one set for each player, and took turns matching coloured wedges. There was lots of problem solving, logical thinking and turn taking practice going on!

For older kids you can add a maths component to the game. For each colour you match you get one point. If you can match two or three colours in one go you get a point for each colour you match. You'll need a piece of paper to keep score as you play, which is great for practicing simple addition.

You can have so much fun with a simple set of coloured hexagonal cards!

Download a set of Free Printable Hexi Cards

You can download the free printable Hexi Cards here.

Simple download the pdf file, print a few copies on to some cardstock, and let your kids explore with them.
This printable is an A4 sized pdf file, you will need a pdf reader such as adobe acrobat to open it. If you are printing on US 'letter sized' paper be sure to select 'fit' or 'shrink to fit' from your printer options.
Please remember that the printables at picklebums.com are for personal use only, you may not sell, share, or link directly to these files.
What will you do with these Hexi Cards?
We'd love to see how you play with them so feel free to pop over to my facebook page and share a photo.

If you love free printables that make your kids think while they have fun, you might like one of these...

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Every now and then an idea pops into my head that turns out to be great. It doesn't happen very often mind you. Most often my ideas are total flops, but this one turned out to be pretty good, if I may say so myself.

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A great set of maths puzzles for upper primary children. All answers are given. Many teachers use these as a weekly challenge. They are ideal for printing out in colour and laminating, making a long lasting resource.

These puzzles can also be found in MathSphere: It's All Figured Out!

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A great set of maths puzzles for upper primary children. All answers are given. Many teachers use these as a weekly challenge. They are ideal for printing out in colour and laminating, making a long lasting resource. These puzzles can also be found in MathSphere: It's All Figured Out!

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Pattern, counting

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These shell mandalas are a great lesson in math and art and make a wonderful seaside-themed finger gym to build fine motor skills.

Shell mandalas

What to do with a bucket of shells?

One art idea we return to often is making mandalas, but we'd never made one from shells before.

Time to give it a try!

This activity makes a fantastic finger gym for children to develop their fine motor skills. picking up, moving and placing the small shells really helps to develop finger and hand strength and dexterity.

We started by sorting out our shells into groups, matching by shape, colour and sizes.

This is a good opportunity to look at the fine details on the shells, and to talk about which creatures used to live in them.

Then all you need for a mandala is to make a start and let the patterns flow.

A circle is a good shape to begin with...

and you can build it up from there, using any colours, patterns and shapes that suggest themselves to you.

Combing math and art

As you're making your mandala your brain is working with lots of mathematic ideas. You are:

:: counting, and making repeating patterns

:: comparing sizes and finding sizes that match

:: matching things that are bigger than or smaller than the shell you are placing

:: working with fractions as you place matching shells a quarter and half way around your circle

:: playing with a radius and circumference, even before you might know their names

Plus you are getting a fine motor skills workout.

The finished shell mandala can be as big and detailed as you like.

It might have a flower shape, or be made of circles, or any design you want.

But beware - mandala-making is catching. You might find yourself making mini mandalas on the kitchen table, using tiny stones you've hidden in your pocket!

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These shell mandalas are a great lesson in math and art and make a wonderful seaside-themed finger gym to build fine motor skills. What to do with a bucket of shells? One art idea we return to often is making mandalas, but we'd never made one from shells before.

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A great set of maths puzzles for upper primary children. All answers are given. Many teachers use these as a weekly challenge. They are ideal for printing out in colour and laminating, making a long lasting resource.

These puzzles can also be found in MathSphere: It's All Figured Out!

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A great set of maths puzzles for upper primary children. All answers are given. Many teachers use these as a weekly challenge. They are ideal for printing out in colour and laminating, making a long lasting resource. These puzzles can also be found in MathSphere: It's All Figured Out!

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You can print sudoku free, with 4 or 6 puzzles per page.

You can choose between five levels: sudoku easy, medium, hard, expert and evil.

The solution of each printed Sudoku is available online from the number.

Puzzles for kids, you can print up to 16 per page.

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You can print sudoku free, with 4 or 6 puzzles per page. You can choose between five levels: sudoku easy, medium, hard, expert and evil. The solution of each printed Sudoku is available online from the number. Puzzles for kids, you can print up to 16 per page.

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We operate the media businesses for Sports Illustrated and TheStreet, and power over 140 brands including History, Maxim, and Biography. Maven is publicly traded under the ticker symbol MVEN.

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Combine math with art in one of our favourite hundred square activities - can you make 100 colours?

100 colours hundred square activities

This activity blends math and art, and encourages children to think about what 100 really means.

We use visual art to help give them a hands-on, concrete understanding of the concepts of numbers, counting, place value and patterns.

You can do this individually or as a small group activity.

This lesson works perfectly alongside our other 100 Days of School activities, and our colour theory lessons.

Exploring 100 colours

Materials needed

:: large sheet of paper

:: ruler

:: set square (optional)

:: pencil

:: watercolour paints in a range of colours

We start by taking a big sheet of paper - you can use wallpaper, gift wrap, decorators' lining paper, a roll from an easel, or butchers' paper.

We use a pencil and a ruler to draw out a ten by ten square grid, which will be the framework for our hundred square.

Using a set square for the corners will help you be more accurate with your lines.

The 100 colour challenge

Then comes the 100 colours challenge. Can you paint each and every square in your grid a different colour?

Yes, really - can you invent 100 different shades? Your children might think this is impossible - or maybe they are confident that they can.

We used a simple watercolour palette to paint our hundred square. We had 14 colours to begin with - only 86 to invent! Your children will need to experiment with colour blending to be able to fill all the boxes.

It's interesting to listen to the children as they work and ask some questions.

:: How many colours exist?

:: How do you create different colours?

:: Is it possible to invent a brand new colour?

:: What's their favourite colour?

:: How would they describe different colours?

:: Can they make up names for the different shades they are blending?

Completing the one hundred colours challenge is a great exercise in its own right, and you will produce a beautiful work of art when you're finished.

Take a minute to admire your one hundred colours - can you see any patterns in your grid?

Are they any colours which are very similar, with just a subtle difference between them?

100 square activities

We can then use our colour 100 square for math activities.

I love to have materials available to use for math that look so appealing. There is so much cross-over between math and art and it's a pleasure to work on math using something so beautiful. It's a great aid to children who learn through visual input.

Once the paint was completely dry, I used a permanent marker to draw on the numbers one to 100, with one number in each square on the grid. Your children might like to write in the numbers themselves, but I think it is important here to make sure all the numbers are written correctly. As you will be able to use the 100 square for lots of different math activities it's important to present the numbers in the right form, to reinforce the correct way to write them.

How to use a hundred square

How do you use a hundred square with your children? Sometimes simply having it on display lets them almost daydream about it, and they might surprise you by telling you about a number pattern they've spotted on it.

With such a beautiful hundred square there's even more reason to have it out on display, ready to use when you need it.

I encourage my children to use the number square anytime they want to have a visual reference to help them answer a math question. You'll notice the way they use the hundred square changes as they develop their math skills.

Young children might use it for basic counting, older children might refer to it for times tables help.

You can find lots of ideas for using a number line in our archive, which work well on a hundred square, but here's an idea we love to give a clear visual picture of what One Hundred really means.

Counting real things

In our Garden Classroom we like to count how much produce we are growing over the year. When it was time to harvest the last of the summer tomatoes we gathered a gorgeous basket of all different shades of tomato - a nice match with our one hundred colours. But how many tomatoes did we have?

At first glance we didn't think there was a hundred. To my daughter One Hundred is still such a big number and she didn't think we could possibly have that many homegrown tomatoes.

So, we counted them. Using our one hundred square was a great way to match the tomatoes with the written numbers, and it was a fun game to lay out the rather roly-poly tomatoes.

As we got closer to filling up every square on our grid we still had lots and lots of tomatoes in our basket. Can you guess how many tomatoes we had in total?

Three hundred and thirty six! Wowsers. Maybe 100 isn't such a big number after all.

More 100 Days of School activities

Are you celebrating 100 Days of School with your children? Use these one hundred days of school free printables and hundred day activities to celebrate all the learning they have done.

More colour lesson plans

Try one of these colour lessons with your children to explore the colour wheel.

:: 10 colour lessons

:: warm and cool colour lesson

:: easy colour theory lesson using famous art

:: nature colour wheel

More creative math activities

If you like combining math and art, and 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, download my ART of CIRCLES teaching resource.

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Combine math with art in one of our favourite hundred square activities - can you make 100 colours? This activity blends math and art, and encourages children to think about what 100 really means. We use visual art to help give them a hands-on, concrete understanding of the concepts of numbers, counting, place value and patterns.

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Lots of different styles including Kakuro, Sudoku and visual-spatial puzzles

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Printable puzzles. Thousands of 'em. All free.

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By Cheryl Trowbridge

This lesson is adapted from a math activity my own kids did in middle school, where they used colored string to "stitch" their patterns on card stock. I simplified this lesson for my students (4th grade and up), replacing the needle and thread with markers and a ruler....

Have you ever marveled at the fascinating patterns found in nature??
I like to introduce my students to these patterns by showing real life examples of the *Fibonacci Sequence (0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, etc.), a pattern that appears in the spirals of sunflowers (which have 55 clockwise spirals and 34 counterclockwise spirals), pineapples (which have 8 seeds in a clockwise spiral and 13 in a counterclockwise spiral), pine cones, shells, and more. In this lesson, students use other number patterns to create interesting, symmetrical designs.

Materials:

*Fibbonacci (c.1180 - c.1250) was an Italian mathematician from the middle ages who is best known for spreading the use of the Hindu-Arabic numeral system (numerals 0-9 and the idea of place value) and the number pattern which became known as the "Fibonacci Sequence". Prior to this time, only Roman numerals were used in Europe!

Filed Under: Tagged With: Lessons, markers, math, pattern, string design, symmetry Abstract (Non-representational), Abstract Design, Drawing, Markers / Pen and Ink, Math with Art, Middle School Art

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Designs with Number Patterns * TeachKidsArt

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This lesson is adapted from a math activity my own kids did in middle school, where they used colored string to "stitch" their patterns on card stock. I simplified this lesson for my students (4th grade and up), replacing the needle and thread with markers and a ruler....

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With these classic brainteaser puzzles, students can infuse their own creative design - then play and solve them together! ThinkFun brainteasers provide a classroom-bonding experience and a lot of creative, brain-building fun!
Getting Started
As a group, you'll need to decide:

Where will you create and display your puzzles? We recommend designating a special Puzzle Corner.

Who will choose the puzzles?

How often will you build new puzzles? Will you create a schedule?

For advanced Puzzle Corners, who will develop the Hint sheet?

Building the Brainteasers
For each brainteaser, we supply instructions and an explanation to help you build it. The puzzle you create must have clear instructions and be easy to touch and play. Let your creativity shine and make these as simple or fancy as you wish!

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Learn how to use ThinkFun brainteasers and puzzles in the classroom, and how to build your own!

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We hold these truths to be self-evident, that kids need to move around, and creating opportunities to move during math class can pay off in spades.

Therefore, we have a collection of some of our favorite math/movement quick activities to share. These are especially good for K-4, though they're adaptable to older and younger grades too. They provide a dose of movement, fun, and mathematical practice in an abbreviated time frame-perfect for station breaks and transitions.

If we're missing any of your favorites, let us know! A PDF with Common Core tagging is available at our Lessons page.

Teacher-led Games

Student-pair Games

Finger Speed-Sums (1-5 minutes)
Students meet in pairs with one hand behind their back. On the count of three, they each put forward some number of fingers. Whoever says the sum first wins. Then the pair breaks up and each person finds a new person to play with. Advanced players can use two hands instead of just one.

Finger Speed-Differences (1-5 minutes)
Same as speed-sums, except whoever find the difference between the two numbers first wins.

Five High Fives (1 - 2 minutes, or longer with the exploration)
Students try to give a high-five to five different classmates. When they've gotten their five high-fives done, they sit down. This game is part mystery: sometimes it will be possible for everyone to get a high-five; sometimes not. The difference (which the teacher knows but the students don't) is that it is only possible if there are an even number of people giving high-fives. Try this game at different times and let students guess whether they think everyone will get a high-five or not. Why does it only work sometimes, not always?If you make it four or six high-fives instead of five, then everyone will be able to get their high-fives every time.

Why we love these games

Getting kids moving is a win-win. Movement refreshes your students while giving them another take on math concepts. These games are super quick and super fun for everyone.

Tips for the classroom

1. Make sure kids never feel ashamed if they don't already know the right answer. You can also tweak competitive games to make them collaborative.

2. You enthusiasm is critical in these games. Figure out your favorites, and expand on them, or get the students to come up with their own variations. If you're into them and having a good time, the kids will have a good time too.

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Quick Physical Games for the Math Classroom

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We hold these truths to be self-evident, that kids need to move around, and creating opportunities to move during math class can pay off in spades. Therefore, we have a collection of some of our favorite math/movement quick activities to share. These are especially good for K-4, though they're adaptable to older and younger grades too.

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The sky's the limit with this Rocket Science lesson plan.

Rocket Science supports and develops science and maths skills and is a brilliant hook for lessons on space. Children will learn about predictions, fair tests and measuring values; whilst building and launching their own stomp rocket!

Learning through Landscapes developed this resource for a range of levels and includes references to the curriculum in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The activity idea is adaptable for different age groups. For more ideas check out their Curriculum Linked Resources book in the Outdoor Library.
(Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. You can share, use and build upon it as you need to.)
Related

Thank you for supporting Outdoor Classroom Day!

Thanks for joining the movement we can't wait to see what you get up to on the day! Please share this with your colleagues and friends to help us make it possible for every child to get outdoors to learn and play every day 🙂 Check out the resources tabs for ideas for the day - and to make learning and play part of every day!

Wohoo! Top marks for signing up!

Thanks for joining the movement we can't wait to see what you get up to on the day! Please share this with your colleagues and friends to help us make it possible for every child to get outdoors to learn and play every day 🙂 Check out the resources tabs for ideas for the day - and to make learning and play part of every day!

Thank you for supporting Outdoor Classroom Day!

We'll send you a newsletter shortly. Time to play is critical for every child - share your moments with us by tagging #OutdoorClassroomDay and make every day a day to learn and play outdoors!

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Forces and Motion: Rocket Science - Outdoor Classroom Day UK & Ireland

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The sky's the limit with this Rocket Science lesson plan. Rocket Science supports and develops science and maths skills and is a brilliant hook for lessons on space. Children will learn about predictions, fair tests and measuring values; whilst building and launching their own stomp rocket!

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Have you ever made a Möbius strip? We've made simple ones before as part of our creative math learning explorations but a little blurb in a math games book inspired my 9 year old math whiz to take the Möbius strip to the next level. In case you don't know what a Möbius strip is, it's a one-sided non-orientable surface. In other words, it's a surface with only one side. Sound crazy? It sort of is.

The wonderful thing about Möbius strips is that they are also rather artistic, and as you may recall from our post of over a dozen math art projects one of the best ways of getting my math-oriented son doing artsy thing is to make sure there is a math element involved. You can make the simple loops ( I'll explain how below), which are fun in and of themselves, or you can really impress your kids when you transform the strips with a few snips of the scissors.

How to make a Möbius strip:
What you need:

Paper strips. We cut ours in various sizes. For our project, pieces at least 12 inches are best.

Scissors

Pencil

Tape or glue. Tape eliminates waiting time, always a good thing.

Ruler (optional)

Enthusiastic children (If they aren't enthusiastic at the start of the project, they will be by the end.)

Instructions:
Mark an X on both ends of the same side of the paper strip. Half-twist the paper so the Xs touch. Tape or glue together. Voilà. Now you have a groovy Möbius strip. Make as many as you can stand.

Möbius strip Cutting Experiment no. 1

With your pencil, draw a line down the middle of the strip, making a continuous line until you reach the starting point. Take your scissors and cut down this line.

When you reach the end you will be holding the strip as you see in the photo on the right. Do not let go immediately! Ask your kid:

What is going to happen when I pull these apart?

He will answer: "Mom, you get two strips. Duh."

Then, let go.

Listen to your kid say,

I don't want to give away what happens. If you can't stand the suspense, you'll just have to try it yourself. Or, you know, watch my video:

Incidentally, we repeated this experiment by cutting along another line down the middle, and the results were also quite unexpected.

Möbius strip Cutting Experiment no. 2

This time, instead of drawing a line down the middle, make your starting point one third of the way from the edge of the Möbius strip.

Continue the line until you reach the starting point. You will see ( what looks like) two parallel lines on the surface. Cut the strip.

Once again, before making the final snip, ask your kids what will happen.

Prepare to be impressed. Cut another line if you dare.
Have you ever played around with Möbius strips?
I can't give away all the secrets but Kiddo was mighty impressed when we reached this creation:

UPDATE! UPDATE! Watch how we turned Mobius strips into HEARTS!

The book that inspired this math art project: (affiliate link)

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Have you ever made a Möbius strip? We've made simple ones before as part of our creative math learning explorations but a little blurb in a math games book inspired my 9 year old math whiz to take the Möbius strip to the next level.

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Printable Maths Puzzles for Young Children

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Printable Maths Puzzles for Young Children

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These free math puzzles, counting mazes, dot-to-dot puzzles and math worksheets are an enjoyable way for kids to improve their math skills and to test their knowledge of numbers. Basic logic puzzles and lateral thinking problems can also be found here:

Little Animals Activity Center: From the BBC, a series of easy addition and subtraction games for ages 4 to 11.

Primary Games.com Math: Fun and easy math games designed with kids from Grades K through 4 in mind. These games will help children master the basic mathematical operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, improve their logic skills and develop an understanding of basic geometry.

Brain Boosters: Here, you'll find a wide variety of fairly easy logic problems, number and math play puzzles, lateral thinking problems to help improve critical and logical thinking and word puzzles to hone reasoning skills.

CTK Math Games For Kids: This site offers nearly one hundred puzzles, games and activities to help develop and test your mathematical skills.

Connect-the-Dot Puzzles: These dot-to-dot games are a fun way for youngsters to acquire basic number recognition and counting skills.

Maze Puzzles: On this page, you'll find various holiday-themed maze puzzles as well as counting mazes to help youngsters improve their multiplication skills.

Cool Math 4 Kids.com: These math puzzles, brain benders, and logic games start out easy, and get more difficult as you work through the list.

Towers of Hanoi - Kid's Version: In this strategy puzzle, the challenge is to move the rings from the 'tower' on the left to the 'tower' on the right. The difficulty is that you can only move one ring at a time and only place a smaller ring on top of a larger ring.

Rush Hour: This game is an online version of the sliding block puzzle invented by Nob Yoshigahara in the 1970s. It involves finding a way in which the red VW beetle can escape from the traffic jam. Can you complete all twelve levels?

Math Games and Brain Teasers: Interactive math puzzles and games for all ages.

Sudoku for Kids: Very easy 4x4 Sudoku puzzles in PDF format to print and solve.

Very Easy Sudoku Puzzles: These sudoku games have the traditional 9x9 grid, but have more "givens", making for an easier game for those who are just beginning to develop their solving strategies. These printable sudoku games come four to a page.

Math Links for K-6 Teachers: These lesson plans include various activities and ideas for primary school educators to use in teaching children the basic concepts of math.

Tangrams Strategy Puzzle: An online version of the ancient Chinese puzzle in which seven geometric shapes (Tans) must be arranged in such a way that they match the different figures that are given.

Free Math Facts Worksheets: Create free customizable worksheets to print and use in class. Answer keys are also available.

Free Elementary and Preschool Math Activities: Lots of math-related games and activities: geometry games, measurement games, number sense games and more!

IKnowThat.com Math: Make learning about counting money, place values, fractions, and geometry fun with these entertaining math games.

First Grade Math Worksheets

Free Printable Math Worksheets from About Homeschooling

Tangram Pattern to Print

Free Math Worksheets

Crammed with brain teasers, math games, puzzles, and trivia, this book makes working with numbers fun! Kids can decode hidden messages, learn to create magic number squares, connect the dots using math and much more. Kids will have so much fun with these activities, they might just forget they're learning!

Reading level: Ages 9-12 Paperback: 135 pages ISBN: 9781580627733

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17 Fun Games That Will Help Kids Learn Math

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These free math puzzles, counting mazes, dot-to-dot puzzles and math worksheets are an enjoyable way for kids to improve their math skills and to test their knowledge of numbers. Basic logic puzzles and lateral thinking problems can also be found here: Little Animals Activity Center: From the BBC, a series of easy addition and subtraction games for ages 4 to 11.

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This example uses Russian architecture but you could use base it in Liverpool- the Metropolitan Cathedral or Liver Buildings would be great to recreate in this way.  So easy to link to coordinates work too!

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It is time for another Around the World lesson, with a stop this month in Russia. If you are interested in learning more about the language, culture and how to teach your children about it, you have found the right place.

We even have a guest post about Russian food over at Mama Smiles, stop on by to learn more!

Learning with art and math: Famous Landmarks

For this lesson, I wanted to incorporate art, math, geography, and FUN. Inspired by a local sidewalk chalk art festival, the kids and I did a little research on the famous Russian buildings.

The colorful domes of Saint Basil (more info here on the Kremilin and Red Square area) inspired the children!

It was time to grab our brand new box of sidewalk chalk and head outdoors!

We printed an image of Saint Basil and I used a permanent marker to gird 1″ x1″ squares across the printed picture. I cut the extra off so that all we had was the picture with the grid to look at. We then got to work making a larger grid on our driveway.

As you can tell, I much prefer assistance than perfection! We couldn't find the yard stick and settled for using a left over piece of shelving and non-standard units of measurement (I counted the holes in the metal and divided by 6, because that is how many squares I needed)

Then, using the grid (the one in yellow) that I drew (kids in upper elementary school and older can do this on their own!) I started to sketch the basic outline, starting at the lower left corner.

Don't worry if it doesn't look pretty - as you can tell, mine didn't!

Start adding colors. Chalk is messy, so wear some play clothes and rub it in when you have the color you want in the place you want it. (otherwise, the chalk just blows away) You can blow on a little section to see what I mean!

Older kids can help fill in the colors. Teach them how to look back at the grid and figure out which square in the big grid corresponds with which square on the little grid. (Now we are getting into some really advanced mathematical terms that I can't even remember - help!)

Little ones will still be little ones! They want to help too. Although this activity is geared for kids ages 4 to adult, littles can help fill in big areas (like the tree or sky) They can also just add whatever they want to add and you can work it into the drawing!

As I said before, I like participation and not perfection!

Buildings of Russia with Sidewalk Chalk

And this is a project even I couldn't resist helping to color in!

The more chalk and colors that are added, the more the building begins to take shape. Although Saint Basil Cathedral is an iconic symbol of Russia, has historical significance, and beautiful colors, there are many other buildings to choose from for this activity.

If you have 2 older children, they may want to try to draw 2 different buildings. Maybe even invite some friends over for a playdate and have different groups work on different buildings! I would love to see kids at school try this too!

How neat would it be to see a bunch of buildings from Russia scattered on the sidewalks and driveways!

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Learning with art and math about the buildings of Russia

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It is time for another Around the World lesson, with a stop this month in Russia. If you are interested in learning more about the language, culture and how to teach your children about it, you have found the right place.

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Komodo in Venice - a fun maths puzzle for all the family

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Here's a fun maths puzzle that you can do with your children at home. It starts easy and gets gradually harder - so it should be suitable for all Komodo learners from age 5 to 11

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Maths on the Playground Ideas for EYFS/KS1- Hand Made Places

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Maths on the Playground Ideas for EYFS/KS1- Hand Made Places

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Fun & Practical Outdoor Maths Activities for EYFS & KS1 Children
Early years numeracy is one of the most vital core topics for children. So why not support their learning through play? If you're familiar with our blog, you'll know that Hand Made Places are big supporters of outdoor learning. That's why we're sharing plenty of ways you can introduce outdoor maths activities into EYFS and KS1 lessons and playtime.

You can encourage children to develop their numeracy skills without them even knowing it! For our EYFS & KS1 maths activities, we suggest you create an outdoor learning area using:

Playground markings

Mirrors

Sand and water play

Weighing and measuring scales

Playground dice

Sensory gardens

Musical instruments

Fence panels

Blackboards and whiteboards

How to use your outdoor learning area for EYFS & KS1 maths

To make this resource useful for teachers following a curriculum, we've split our outdoor activities into different maths topics...

Counting, adding and subtracting - Number lines and grids

To introduce number lines into imaginative play, decorate the playground with brightly coloured creatures, then divide them into segments!

Just seeing the numbers in order while they play will be enough practice for some pupils. For others, you can teach them specific games and activities which combine the outdoor markings and maths topics. Here's our suggestion:

When your friend gets near the dragon's head, they need saving! To save your friend you must:

1. Stand on the dragon's tail,

2. Guide them along its back by counting backwards from 20.

You friend can only step forwards when you say the number, so be quick!
Another way to encourage children to play maths games on the playground is creating outdoor 'board' games.

Snakes and Ladders is a classic game which is perfect for improving practical addition skills. Simply use playground markings to create a number grid and watch as pupils create their own maths games using outdoor dice.

Odd/even numbers and times tables practice - Musical instruments

Use percussion instruments to create engaging maths activities for children who need to practise their times tables.

Start with odd and even numbers: the leader counts in order, whilst children get used to the pattern of 'odd and even' by striking their drum or chime on even numbers. Once they are used to this, test them by calling out numbers at random and see who can identify even numbers when they're out of sequence.

You can also use this activity for any times table, not just for multiples of two. For a particularly exciting activity, assign odd numbers to one group, even to another, multiples of five to a third group and multiples of ten to your final group. Then, when the leader counts in order, children find themselves in a maths lesson which feels more like a concert!

What makes this an outdoor activity? Of course you can play musical instruments inside, but at Hand Made Places we always have our reasons for doing things differently!

The principle behind outdoor learning is to remove the pressure of the classroom, something which can be particularly strong in maths lessons! In making this an outdoor maths activity, you allow children to feel a bit more relaxed in their learning. Furthermore, placing instruments outside makes it more likely they'll keep counting at play time!

Place value and ordering numbers - Fence panels and blackboards

We've grouped these two maths topics together as you can combine them in one outdoor activity.

At Hand Made Places, we believe every part of the playground can and should be used productively. That's where fences come in!

First, assign three or four consecutive pickets to represent place values (hundreds, tens, ones).

Assign the rest of the fencing to ordering.

You can attach signs or even engrave your fence to make this an on-going, easy-to-practise game.

In this maths activity, the teacher puts a number on an outdoor blackboard, written in digits if EYFS or in words if late KS1. Then the child adds beanbags or balls below the "place value" pickets, to represent the "building blocks" of the number. Finally, the child takes their place along the number-line fence; this is a great way to improve communication skills, as they talk to their friends to find out whether their number is higher or lower.

Shapes - Sand pits, playground markings and playground furniture

This outdoor shapes activity is perfect for introducing at EYFS before relating it to maths in KS1.

First, set up your playground in different "shape" zones according to the objects and markings in each area. For example keep toadstool seats in the circle zone, and sit block seats on square markings.

Secondly, take children to the sandpit for a practical, sensory session. Encourage pupils to draw and identify squares and circles in the sand before making sandcastles from round and squared buckets.
This really helps to build on the relationship between 2D and 3D shapes.
Finally, give children hula hoops, balls, books, space-hoppers, boxes and building blocks to sort into their correct shape zones.

Symmetry - Mirrors and blackboards

To demonstrate symmetry, pick an object from the playground (for example, a symmetrical leaf) then draw it on the board. Then, invite the children to hold the leaf up to a mirror to explore, before identifying and drawing the line of symmetry on the board.

The outdoor environment means you can make these sorts of maths activities as structured or as investigative as you like. Encourage the children to explore this with different shapes, or even with each other! Using a standalone mirror means children can place larger objects half-behind the panel.

Measurement - Scales, water trays and planters

For EYFS and KS1 children with developing motor skills, activities for learning about measurements can get a little messy, no matter how mathematical! That's why it's a great opportunity to take your lessons outside to allow children to explore the world of measuring and weighing.

Why not set up an outdoor "messy area" for sensory activities focused on this maths topic? Children will relish the chance to make mud pies following a recipe, weigh the contents of a water jug, or measure the distance between seeds.

So there you have it, our top tips for teaching maths outdoors using engaging, practical activities!

If you're interested in creating your own outdoor learning area for EYFS & KS1 maths, get in touch with our team today for a quote.

Enjoyed this article? Fundraising for the NSPCC's Number Day? Let us know on Twitter and share it using the links below... promote productive learning through play!

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Fun & Practical Outdoor Maths Activities for EYFS & KS1 Children

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Fun & Practical Outdoor Maths Activities for EYFS & KS1 Children Early years numeracy is one of the most vital core topics for children. So why not support their learning through play? If you're familiar with our blog, you'll know that Hand Made Places are big supporters of outdoor learning.

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Parabolic Curves

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We adore math art projects. I've been eyeing the idea of using parabolic curves in a creative endeavor with my math-loving kid for a while. I was experimenting in my own art journal with the groovy way you can fool the eye into thinking a group of straight lines is actually a curve when my 10 year old leaned over and said, "That is so cool!!"

That's when I knew I had a great math art activity for us to do together. Since my sons are naturally drawn to S.T.E.M. - themed activities, I do try and find ways to sneak in the "A" to make it S.T.E.A.M., in which the "A" stands for Art and Design. Last week I shared our Fibonacci Art Project, and like that lesson, our exploration of parabolic curves is just that: a process-based exploration.

I'll give you the basic instructions for how to make parabolic curves and then let you and your kids explore math art on your own! (Note: this post contains affiliate links)
What you need:

Pencil (believe me, you do not want to start with ink!)

Eraser (see above!)

Pens. We've switched from Sharpies to Flair pens. You only have to smell them to find out why.

Rulers or straight edges. It's easier to create squares if you have a triangle or t-square. I think it's well worth having a math set. They aren't very expensive and they are loads of fun, not to mention being handy for school projects.

Protractor. Optional, but a must if you want to do a circle design. We get a lot of use from our 360 degrees protractor

Paper. We made ours in our art journal. The mixed media visual art journal is our absolute favorite, which regular readers (waving hello!) know that I frequently sing the praises of. Alternatively, you can use graph paper.

Sharpener. You want sharp, sharp pencils for this project!

Colored pencils. Optional, but fun.

Instructions:

1. Create a set of crossed lines, preferably at a 90 degree angle. ( Kids can experiment with different angles once they've learned the basics.) For ease, make sure each line is an even measurement. We used 1 cm and 5mm increments

2. Divide the lines into equal divisions. In my example I've uses 5 millimeter increments.

3. Draw angled lines. Start on the bottom line in the left hand corner at the furthest mark. ( See photo above.) Draw a line from the mark to the first mark on the adjacent line. Draw a second line from the second furthest mark and connect it to the second mark on the adjacent line. ( See photo below.)

4. Continue until all the lines have been drawn.

TIP: The starting/ending points of the first and last few lines can get "lost". To make it easier, number the marks. ( See photo below)

Voila! A "curved" line appears.

5. Optional: go over pencil lines with marker and/or use colored pencils to create colorful designs.

TIP: For kids just starting out, divide the lines with wider marks. My example above is 5 mm, but Kiddo preferred to work with 1 cm sections.
Variations:
1. A single parabolic curve, while cool, is just the beginning. Encourage your kids to create boxes, triangles, and interlocking shapes as a basis to create elaborate math art designs!

2. Connect the dots in a circle! My son created a "parabolic eyeball".

For inspiration, here are some of our experiments, straight from our art journals. ( You can see I need to work on my photo editing skills, ha ha ha.)

Watch more of our math art ideas in action:

MORE: Tessellations and the Pi Skyline are two of our favorite math drawing projects. Little kids can practice connecting the dots, too, with a giant dot to dot. Or check out more fantastic patterns in these math art books.

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Super Cool Math Art with Parabolic Curves

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We adore math art projects. I've been eyeing the idea of using parabolic curves in a creative endeavor with my math-loving kid for a while. I was experimenting in my own art journal with the groovy way you can fool the eye into thinking a group of straight lines is actually a curve when my 10 year old leaned over and said, "That is so cool!!"

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Lots of ideas from Third Space Learning

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Fun maths activities should be a part of every teacher's toolkit for teaching Key Stage 1 or Key Stage 2. And at the end of term, fun maths activities are not just recommended, they're essential.
Whether you're a Year 6 teacher, looking to reward your pupils for their hard work in the last few weeks (we're thinking a SATs well done), or a lower KS2 teacher, looking to build your pupils' ability to collaborate and reason in Maths, now is the perfect time to bust out of the classroom and into the outdoors for your maths fun.

Our pick of fun Maths activities for the end of term

So here are our 19 favourite fun end of term Maths activities to do in primary school.

They'll get your pupils active, learning, and full of great Maths ideas they can even do on their summer holidays to help limit their "summer brain drain".

And don't worry, in case of a British summer, we've made sure that most of these maths activities can also still be done in the classroom.

(If on the other hand, it's a British winter that's greeting your end of term, we recommend you try these end of term fun Christmas activities , take a look at our roundup of some wellbeing fun ideas for you and your pupils at Christmas or set your pupils a fun but testing KS2 Christmas maths quiz.)

1. Stick numbers from 1 to 9

If you have school grounds with lots of twigs lying around, this activity is a must. If not, you can always ask children to bring them in.

Get children collecting twigs. Once they have plenty, their challenge is to make the numerals 1-9.

Can they make number 2 with 2 twigs? What about number 3 with 3 twigs, and so on? Can they spot the angles they make? Can they make a 3 with 3 angles? A 4 with 4 angles? A five with 5 angles?

How about Roman numerals? Could they make a clock face showing all the Roman numerals from I - XII? Let children snap sticks to size if they need to!

Finally, can children make sums using Arabic and Roman numerals? For example, 9 x VII = 63.

See also: 13 Outdoor Maths Activities for Early Years to Year 6

2. Angles and shapes activity with sticks

Twigs are great for making shapes and demonstrating a variety of angles. Challenge children to make as many shapes as they can with right-angles. Can they make a regular dodecagon? How many interior right-angles does this shape have?

Though twigs aren't perfectly straight, making right-angles can be great fun especially when children are challenged to build a 2D shape such as a house or a boat. Put children in a group and challenge them to make the biggest shape with 10 pieces of bamboo? Can they make a shape with 12 angles?

As an extension, can they make some 3D shapes, such as a tetrahedron using twigs and twine?

3. Take your maths inspiration from Goldsworthy

This one is a great follow up to the sticky activities and helps children discover the natural connection between Maths and art. Link your twig Maths work to sculptor Andy Goldsworthy by encouraging children to design and build their own Maths outdoor works of art.

Show examples of his work to inspire children. Get them to combine materials to make different shapes and collect stones, flowers and twigs to create a special environmental art sculpture. As an added bonus, photograph their creations and put them up around your classroom.

This Maths activity is perfect for the end of term because it allows children to explore and become enthused about Maths in a natural way, so they look forward coming back to Maths lessons over the holidays.

4. Material measurement activity

Ask children to explore outside and collect various natural materials such as sticks, leaves, pine cones, etc.

Next, ask them to measure various their own body parts and compare their findings with the items. For example, how many pebbles does it take to measure your arms? How many leaves does it take to measure your leg? Discuss why results may vary.

5. End of term Maths daisy data handling

This end of term Maths activity is probably best done outside. Mark out a quadrant on the grass and get children to count the numbers of daisies or flowers in a particular grassed area.

You can mark out the same sized quadrant in different areas, for example under a tree, by a fence or by a path. Then get children to compare the number of daisies in each section and show their findings on bar charts.

For an extra challenge, ask how could they calculate the blades of grass in a specified area?

6. Measure me, treasure me fun maths activity

This one is a classic that can be done outside or recreated in the classroom. Find the approximate age of a tree using just a tape measure or piece of string!

Children measure the distance around the trunk roughly one metre from the ground. As every 2.5cm of girth correlates to around one year's growth, they can then work out the age of the tree.

For example, a tree with a girth of 100 cm will be roughly 40 years old (100 ÷ 2.5 = 40).

If you can't get outside with the children, just get them to stand still and recreate trees themselves to measure (they'll have loads of fun pretending their arms are branches!)

7. Caretaker Maths investigation

Tell children they are going to help the school caretaker solve a problem: he has been asked to plant 10 trees in five rows, so that each row contains 4 trees. How would they do it?

For this problem, children can pretend to be the trees themselves and become part of the problem or they could use plastic marker PE cones.

Place them in groups and challenge and challenge them. Which group can solve the problem first?

Solution: the trees would be planted in a star shape (as below) with each tree planted at each apex and at each intersection point.

8. Fun maths activities counting leaves, twigs and branches

Once again, these end of term Maths activities are great for the outdoors, but easily recreated inside. Just create paper cut out of leaves for children to work with.

Guesstimate the number of leaves on a deciduous tree. To work this out, children count the number of leaves on one twig, estimate the number of twigs on a branch and the number of branches, then multiply these numbers together to get a rough total. For example:

Number of leaves on one twig: 12

Number of twigs on a branch: 22

Number of branches on the tree: 16

Total number of leaves on the tree: 12 x 22 x 16 = 4224

9. Mean mode and median with leaves

Ask children to take a number of leaves from the same tree and then measure the length and width of each one. They can then record the range and calculate the average dimensions using mean, mode and median.
Are you considering our 1-to-1 maths interventions for your school?
If you're looking for a way to reduce the marking you have to do whilst making a drastic improvement in maths attainment, particularly for SATs, you can take advantage of our 1-to-1 online maths tuition programmes.

Book your no commitment 10 minute demo to discover the impact our 1-to-1 interventions can have for your pupils - it's never been easier or more affordable. Call us on 0203 771 0095 or contact us here to learn more about how we can help turbocharge maths in your school, even for low prior attainers!

10. Leaf sorting activity

Collect together various leaves from around the school grounds or a local park/area. Then compare them by colour, size, etc. using a Carroll Diagram.

This activity is discussion-rich because leaves come in all shapes, sizes and colours. As such, children can talk in depth about these differences and how best to categorise them.

As an extension, why not conduct a survey of all the different types of trees in your area? You can record findings on a map with a key and then display the number of different types of tree on a bar chart.

11. End of term maths activity with matchsticks

If you don't have twigs, why not use rulers or glue sticks for this fun end of term Maths activity. Or ask children to bring them in from their walk into school.

Use twigs to create a variety of 'matchstick' puzzles but on a larger scale.

Show children this mathstick picture ask them to copy the shape below with their twigs. Then ask the question below. Then give the instruction:
Move two twigs to make 7 square rectangles.
Can they work out what to do?

There are hundreds of matchstick puzzles to try, so you won't run out. Take a look at Maths on Fire or copy some examples from the internet to use as problem solving challenges outside.

12. Algebra with sticks!

Twigs and sticks are superb natural materials for exploring patterns and for exploring algebra. For example:

Shape 1 = 4 sticks

Shape 2 = 7 sticks

Shape 3 = 10 sticks

Following this logic, can children work out how many sticks would be needed for Shape 10 (a shape with ten square rectangles joined together)? Can they find a rule?

Children could also investigate different shaped patterns such as triangles or houses, like below:

Or, instead of twigs, you could make some patterns using stones instead and ask children to investigate the next pattern is a sequence like below:

Then you can challenge children to work out what the fifth and sixth shapes in the pattern would look like. Can they develop an expression to show the number of stones needed for the nth shape? Take a look at Transum's matchstick patterns for more ideas on what to do.

13. Wishing well Maths investigation

Here's one to act out on the playground or the field.

Tell children that a frog has fallen down a wishing well that is 21m deep. The frog jumped 3m every 15 mins then has to rest (the frog slips down 1m each time it rests). If the frog started at 18:00 what time did it reach the top of the wishing well?

For this you could use a line on a field (or draw one). In groups, children can re-enact the jumping and falling, measuring as they go.

Solution: it would take 195 mins to cover the distance and it would reach the top at 21:15.

14. Leapfrog fun Maths activity

This leapfrog maths investigation is a great one to act out. You could use chairs as the lily pads, mark out lily pads on the playground or use PE hoops.

Here are the rules:

There are two families of frogs - red and yellow (children can wear coloured bibs to represent these).

Each family contains 3 frogs.

The red frogs live on the left of the pond, the yellow frogs on the right.

One day they decide to swap places!

There are 7 lily pads which the frogs must use to cross the pond.

Frogs can only jump to empty lily pads.

Frogs can only jump over ONE other frog at a time.

Frogs don't know how to jump backwards!

Can children master the sequence of moves and work out the minimum number of jumps needed to swap places?

Solution: the minimum number of jumps is 15.

As an extension, get them to try 4 frogs in each family with 9 lily pads. 5 frogs in each family with 11 lily pads. Finally, try 6 frogs in each family with 13 lily pads.

Check out this leapfrog Maths activity by Nrich for more ideas.

15. Riverside crossing maths investigation

Another classic maths investigation we all know and love. Acting it out helps children to conceptualise their reasoning as well as having fun with maths.

Here's the story:

A farmer returns from the market, where she bought a goat, a cabbage and a wolf. On the way home she must cross a river. Her boat is small and won't fit more than one of her purchases.

As such, she cannot leave the goat alone with the cabbage (because the goat would eat it) and she can't leave the goat alone with the wolf (because the goat would be eaten). How can the farmer get everything on the other side?

1. Take the goat to the other side. 2. Return, pick up the cabbage and take that to the other side. 3. Now pick up the goat again and take it back to where it started. 4. Unload the goat, and pick up the wolf. 5. Take the wolf to the other side where you unload it and leave it with the cabbage. 6. Go back for the goat. Job done!

16. Water fun maths investigation

Playing with water inside can always end badly for whoever has to clean up! So this one might be best done outside.

At the water tap there are two containers: one holds 5 litres and the other holds 3 litres. How can you pour exactly 7 litres of water into a bucket?

Solution: fill the 5 litre container with water. Then pour 3 of the 5 litres of water into the 3 litre container leaving exactly 2 litres in the 5 litre container. Then pour these 2 litres into the bucket and then refill the five litre container and pour that into the bucket.

17. Outdoor trails full of maths

There is a ton of Maths learning potential in any school ground, so plan a Maths trail or treasure hunt. Grab a map and compass and plan a route for children to follow incorporating playground markings with fun Maths activities. Here are some examples of what you can include (with the topics they could cover):

Shape hunts - always a favourite (angles, perimeter, area, tessellation, symmetry)

Minibeast areas (real data)

Rock trails (timelines).

Fencing, shelters and furniture (oblique lines, parallel lines, perpendicular lines)

18. Sporting fun maths activities

The summer term is a golden opportunity to do plenty of measurements in relation to a range of sports events: throwing the discus and javelin, sprinting, long jump, and more.

You can also teach children how to use and read a stopwatch or stopwatch timer on a device.

Plus, bean bag target practice is always a hit. This is where you make a target on the ground (usually concentric circles with values) and children throw a number of bags onto the target. They can then add up their score, or value.

If your school is holding a sports day this year, we've gathered several fun sports day maths activities for KS2 here.

19. Grid maths investigation

Make a 5 by 5 grid using string, or mark it out on the playground using chalk. It doesn't need to be big (although it can be!).

Tell the children that you have ten items (bean bags, cones, tennis balls) that need to be placed inside the grid. Ask them if they can place the objects in the grid so that no more than two objects lie in a line in any direction.

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As you approach the end of term you'll also now be very aware of those pupils who aren't yet ready for their next academic year. By Key Stage 2 many children have developed gaps which teachers will find difficult to plug during whole class teaching. Third Space Learning's 1-to-1 programme of weekly maths tuition is affordable and very effective at plugging gaps, building confidence and developing children's ability to reason and problem solve. Children make up to 7 months progress in 14 weeks.
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Looking for more end of term or holiday maths activities?

We've also got three very summer holiday based KS2 Maths investigations available to download here including the famous theme park maths investigation.

Giving your pupils fun Maths activities at the end of term rewards them (and you) for the year's hard work.

It also leaves a good impression in children's minds, so they are excited to return to more fun back to school Maths after the holidays.
Tweet us @thirdspacetweet and let us know how you get on with these Maths activities or, better still, send us a picture of your pupils doing them!
Liked this? Check out these 10 ridiculously fun Maths lessons to try with KS2.
Don't forget to download your free Holiday Maths Pack for Years 3, 4, 5, and 6.

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19 Fun End of Term Maths Activities - Third Space Learning

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Fun maths activities should be a part of every teacher's toolkit for teaching Key Stage 1 or Key Stage 2. And at the end of term, fun maths activities are not just recommended, they're essential.

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Maths and party are not two words you often hear in the same sentence but party games provide us with some great ways to engage students in the classroom. Here are a few of my favourite ideas:
Pass the parcel:
A simple idea which is great for a starter. this works very much as the party game but each layer has a question selotaped to it, before students can unwrap their layer they have to answer the question! In the past I have asked each student to write a question on a slip of paper as a plenary, then I use these questions in the pass the parcel the following lesson. I have done this with GCSE groups too and used exam questions cut up from a past paper. Students to the left and right can peer mark the answer to check it is correct! I have my classroom organised into five tables so I make five 'parcels' so each table has one to pass around, but you could adapt this depending on how your room is set up. All you need is some music and a prize for the middle and away you go!
Balloon modelling:
Balloon modelling is an exciting venture for anyone, old or young, this PowerPoint " Welcome to the fun fair!! " takes you through the steps needed to make a balloon dog. Students have to measure their balloon (bought cheaply from homebargains, be sure to leave a 10cm section at the end which is un-inflated) then work out and mark the fractions on (starting from the end which is tied), then they fold and twist. It really is simple and makes a great fun lesson when studying fractions of amounts, it could be adapted to work for percentages or ratio. You could also extend the idea and get students to investigate making some of their own models! The video below shows how to make the twists, if you have younger students you may want to do this for them:
Four corners
This is great for types of shapes or number types. In each corner of the room you have a picture of a shape or a number hung up. You call out a property such as 'four vertices' or 'square number' and students must go to the corner which fits that property. If students go to the wrong one they are 'out' and should sit down, you can make it progressively more challenging by having several conditions they have to meet.
Simon says
This is a classic which can be adapted for practising drawing shapes, you give an instruction - for example 'simon says draw a horizontal line 4cm in length' and students have to do it, you continue on in this way until they have constructed a shape, the catch is sometimes you give an instruction which does not start with 'simon says' in this case they should not follow it. Get ready for chaos!
Keep tuned as this week I will also be blogging about dance maths... Get in touch @numberloving and check out our free and premium resources in our TES NumberLoving Store.

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Maths and party are not two words you often hear in the same sentence but party games provide us with some great ways to engage students in the classroom. Here are a few of my favourite ideas: Pass the parcel: A simple idea which is great for a starter.

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Maths on the Playground Ideas for EYFS/KS1- Hand Made Places

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Maths on the Playground Ideas for EYFS/KS1- Hand Made Places

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Fun & Practical Outdoor Maths Activities for EYFS & KS1 Children
Early years numeracy is one of the most vital core topics for children. So why not support their learning through play? If you're familiar with our blog, you'll know that Hand Made Places are big supporters of outdoor learning. That's why we're sharing plenty of ways you can introduce outdoor maths activities into EYFS and KS1 lessons and playtime.

You can encourage children to develop their numeracy skills without them even knowing it! For our EYFS & KS1 maths activities, we suggest you create an outdoor learning area using:

Playground markings

Mirrors

Sand and water play

Weighing and measuring scales

Playground dice

Sensory gardens

Musical instruments

Fence panels

Blackboards and whiteboards

How to use your outdoor learning area for EYFS & KS1 maths

To make this resource useful for teachers following a curriculum, we've split our outdoor activities into different maths topics...

Counting, adding and subtracting - Number lines and grids

To introduce number lines into imaginative play, decorate the playground with brightly coloured creatures, then divide them into segments!

Just seeing the numbers in order while they play will be enough practice for some pupils. For others, you can teach them specific games and activities which combine the outdoor markings and maths topics. Here's our suggestion:

When your friend gets near the dragon's head, they need saving! To save your friend you must:

1. Stand on the dragon's tail,

2. Guide them along its back by counting backwards from 20.

You friend can only step forwards when you say the number, so be quick!
Another way to encourage children to play maths games on the playground is creating outdoor 'board' games.

Snakes and Ladders is a classic game which is perfect for improving practical addition skills. Simply use playground markings to create a number grid and watch as pupils create their own maths games using outdoor dice.

Odd/even numbers and times tables practice - Musical instruments

Use percussion instruments to create engaging maths activities for children who need to practise their times tables.

Start with odd and even numbers: the leader counts in order, whilst children get used to the pattern of 'odd and even' by striking their drum or chime on even numbers. Once they are used to this, test them by calling out numbers at random and see who can identify even numbers when they're out of sequence.

You can also use this activity for any times table, not just for multiples of two. For a particularly exciting activity, assign odd numbers to one group, even to another, multiples of five to a third group and multiples of ten to your final group. Then, when the leader counts in order, children find themselves in a maths lesson which feels more like a concert!

What makes this an outdoor activity? Of course you can play musical instruments inside, but at Hand Made Places we always have our reasons for doing things differently!

The principle behind outdoor learning is to remove the pressure of the classroom, something which can be particularly strong in maths lessons! In making this an outdoor maths activity, you allow children to feel a bit more relaxed in their learning. Furthermore, placing instruments outside makes it more likely they'll keep counting at play time!

Place value and ordering numbers - Fence panels and blackboards

We've grouped these two maths topics together as you can combine them in one outdoor activity.

At Hand Made Places, we believe every part of the playground can and should be used productively. That's where fences come in!

First, assign three or four consecutive pickets to represent place values (hundreds, tens, ones).

Assign the rest of the fencing to ordering.

You can attach signs or even engrave your fence to make this an on-going, easy-to-practise game.

In this maths activity, the teacher puts a number on an outdoor blackboard, written in digits if EYFS or in words if late KS1. Then the child adds beanbags or balls below the "place value" pickets, to represent the "building blocks" of the number. Finally, the child takes their place along the number-line fence; this is a great way to improve communication skills, as they talk to their friends to find out whether their number is higher or lower.

Shapes - Sand pits, playground markings and playground furniture

This outdoor shapes activity is perfect for introducing at EYFS before relating it to maths in KS1.

First, set up your playground in different "shape" zones according to the objects and markings in each area. For example keep toadstool seats in the circle zone, and sit block seats on square markings.

Secondly, take children to the sandpit for a practical, sensory session. Encourage pupils to draw and identify squares and circles in the sand before making sandcastles from round and squared buckets.
This really helps to build on the relationship between 2D and 3D shapes.
Finally, give children hula hoops, balls, books, space-hoppers, boxes and building blocks to sort into their correct shape zones.

Symmetry - Mirrors and blackboards

To demonstrate symmetry, pick an object from the playground (for example, a symmetrical leaf) then draw it on the board. Then, invite the children to hold the leaf up to a mirror to explore, before identifying and drawing the line of symmetry on the board.

The outdoor environment means you can make these sorts of maths activities as structured or as investigative as you like. Encourage the children to explore this with different shapes, or even with each other! Using a standalone mirror means children can place larger objects half-behind the panel.

Measurement - Scales, water trays and planters

For EYFS and KS1 children with developing motor skills, activities for learning about measurements can get a little messy, no matter how mathematical! That's why it's a great opportunity to take your lessons outside to allow children to explore the world of measuring and weighing.

Why not set up an outdoor "messy area" for sensory activities focused on this maths topic? Children will relish the chance to make mud pies following a recipe, weigh the contents of a water jug, or measure the distance between seeds.

So there you have it, our top tips for teaching maths outdoors using engaging, practical activities!

If you're interested in creating your own outdoor learning area for EYFS & KS1 maths, get in touch with our team today for a quote.

Enjoyed this article? Fundraising for the NSPCC's Number Day? Let us know on Twitter and share it using the links below... promote productive learning through play!

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Fun & Practical Outdoor Maths Activities for EYFS & KS1 Children

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Fun & Practical Outdoor Maths Activities for EYFS & KS1 Children Early years numeracy is one of the most vital core topics for children. So why not support their learning through play? If you're familiar with our blog, you'll know that Hand Made Places are big supporters of outdoor learning.

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Free maths problems for children. These activities which display well on an IWB aid the teaching of problem solving in maths.

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Art Lesson Online: Teach symmetry using art! Beautiful & simple activity, perfect for home & school!

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Maths and party are not two words you often hear in the same sentence but party games provide us with some great ways to engage students in the classroom. Here are a few of my favourite ideas:
Pass the parcel:
A simple idea which is great for a starter. this works very much as the party game but each layer has a question selotaped to it, before students can unwrap their layer they have to answer the question! In the past I have asked each student to write a question on a slip of paper as a plenary, then I use these questions in the pass the parcel the following lesson. I have done this with GCSE groups too and used exam questions cut up from a past paper. Students to the left and right can peer mark the answer to check it is correct! I have my classroom organised into five tables so I make five 'parcels' so each table has one to pass around, but you could adapt this depending on how your room is set up. All you need is some music and a prize for the middle and away you go!
Balloon modelling:
Balloon modelling is an exciting venture for anyone, old or young, this PowerPoint " Welcome to the fun fair!! " takes you through the steps needed to make a balloon dog. Students have to measure their balloon (bought cheaply from homebargains, be sure to leave a 10cm section at the end which is un-inflated) then work out and mark the fractions on (starting from the end which is tied), then they fold and twist. It really is simple and makes a great fun lesson when studying fractions of amounts, it could be adapted to work for percentages or ratio. You could also extend the idea and get students to investigate making some of their own models! The video below shows how to make the twists, if you have younger students you may want to do this for them:
Four corners
This is great for types of shapes or number types. In each corner of the room you have a picture of a shape or a number hung up. You call out a property such as 'four vertices' or 'square number' and students must go to the corner which fits that property. If students go to the wrong one they are 'out' and should sit down, you can make it progressively more challenging by having several conditions they have to meet.
Simon says
This is a classic which can be adapted for practising drawing shapes, you give an instruction - for example 'simon says draw a horizontal line 4cm in length' and students have to do it, you continue on in this way until they have constructed a shape, the catch is sometimes you give an instruction which does not start with 'simon says' in this case they should not follow it. Get ready for chaos!
Keep tuned as this week I will also be blogging about dance maths... Get in touch @numberloving and check out our free and premium resources in our TES NumberLoving Store.

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Maths and party are not two words you often hear in the same sentence but party games provide us with some great ways to engage students in the classroom. Here are a few of my favourite ideas: Pass the parcel: A simple idea which is great for a starter.

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Games - Beetle Drive - Kids Puzzles and Games

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A beetle drive is a fun and cheap way to raise funds and also a great game that you could play with a small group of children or even the whole class. All you need to get started is a dice and to print off our great beetle drive sheet.

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Ideas for investigating measurement outside

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Resource Overview

Maths is all around us, so why not use the great outdoors as a teaching tool? This carousel lesson suggests six fantastic outdoor Maths activities, all based around the theme of measurement. Challenge children to explore quirky quadrats, and have a go at some green 'guess-timation' of distances; encourage them to investigate the heights, ages, and number of trees of leaves on trees, all whilst using a variety of mathematical skills. These tasks could be done on a rotation, or over a series of lessons instead, depending on your preference. However you choose to run the activities, just enjoy learning without worksheets, and remember that a classroom doesn't need to have four walls!

Some activities inspired by Wild Time For Schools, with thanks. Explore more outdoor ideas here: http://schools.projectwildthing.com/.

Photo © BCC

Curriculum Objectives

Key Stage 2 (Age 7-11)

Year 5 (Age 9-10)

Convert between different units of metric measure (for example, kilometre and metre; centimetre and metre; centimetre and millimetre; gram and kilogram; litre and millilitre).

Calculate and compare the area of rectangles (including squares), and including using standard units, square centimetres (cm^2) and square metres (m^2) and estimate the area of irregular shapes.

Use all four operations to solve problems involving measure using decimal notation, including scaling.

Know angles are measured in degrees: estimate and compare acute, obtuse and reflex angles.

Year 6 (Age 10-11)

Solve problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Solve problems involving the calculation and conversion of units of measure, using decimal notation up to three decimal places where appropriate.

Use estimation to check answers to calculations and determine, in the context of a problem, an appropriate degree of accuracy.

Use, read, write and convert between standard units, converting measurements of length, mass, volume and time from a smaller unit of measure to a larger unit, and vice versa, using decimal notation to up to three decimal places.

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Maths is all around us, so why not use the great outdoors as a teaching tool? This carousel lesson suggests six fantastic outdoor Maths activities, all based around the theme of measurement.

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Lots of ideas for linking maths and art

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On this page you will find a selection of fully-resourced lessons with a 'mathematical art' theme. The activities in these lessons will help to reinforce many important mathematical skills such as accurate measuring and constructing, visual problem solving and strategic forward planning.

Each resource is accompanied by brief instructions and photos of students' work. If you have any questions about these resources, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I hope you have found something here to try out with your students. I would love to see photos of your students' work if you do. If you post anything on social media, perhaps use the hashtag #mathsart. And do watch this space for new ideas - I have plans for a 'constructing a mandala' lesson, and one on Islamic tiling patterns too... oh, and maybe one on fractals... So much mathematical art, so little time!

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Fully resourced lessons with a mathematical art theme.

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It's not a birthday party without games! From pinatas to Pin the Tail on the Donkey, the entertainment options for children's birthday parties are nearly limitless. Help your young student have a birthday that is both fun and educational by introducing a great game at the party-you can sneak a little math in there, too! The three games below seem like nothing but crowd-pleasing fun to children, but you'll see that a bit of basic arithmetic made its way in as well.
Tens Go Fish
Turn this game into a math-focused experience by looking for pairs that add up to 10 instead of ordinary pairs of cards. Remove all face cards from a deck-multiple decks, if you have a large group-and give each player five cards. The rest of the game follows the general rules of Go Fish, except players are on the hunt for a card that makes the pair add up to 10. If you have a 6, you're on the lookout for a 4, for instance. Did that player not have the 7 you asked about? Time to go fish! The first player to run out of cards wins.
Hi-Ho! Cherry-O
This colorful and tactile board game is a great way to introduce a little counting while still having fun. For small groups of preschool-aged children, try a quick game of Hi-Ho! Cherry-O. Practice basic counting skills while picking fruit from the tree and putting it into the basket. Take the game to the next level by playing it on a picnic blanket to follow the theme. If you have more kids than game pieces, you can alternate playing with eating a picnic snack.
Math Bingo
Solve simple math while playing this crowd favorite! Math Bingo is centered around the concept that one set of the numbers-either those on the card or those being called-are math problems that need to be solved. For a beginner version of the game, give all players normal Bingo cards with numbers in the designated spots. Then, instead of calling numbers, call simple problems. If you say, "8 - 3," all children with the number "5" on their cards can mark it off. For a more challenging version, make each square on the Bingo card hold a problem appropriate for the students' ages. If you call "32," students with "8 X 4" or "64 ÷ 2" can mark off that square.
For more tips and strategies to help your student succeed in school, visit varsitytutors.com. This post comes from the TODAY Parenting Team community, where all members are welcome to post and discuss parenting solutions. Learn more and join us! Because we're all in this together.

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3 Math-Focused Party Games for Young Students

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It's not a birthday party without games! From pinatas to Pin the Tail on the Donkey, the entertainment options for children's birthday parties are nearly limitless. Help your young student have a birthday that is both fun and educational by introducing a great game at the party-you can sneak a little math in there, too!

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A Suduko-based game for younger children

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Stardoku is a simple online version of the classic puzzle game- sudoku. This game has been specially customized for young learners, to help them build and enhance their logical and reasoning skills, in a fun way. In this version, instead of numbers, kids have to place different colored stars on the grid in such a way that every row and column of the grid contains one of each colored-star. The game has 2 levels, easy (4x4 grid) and hard (6x6 grid), for kids to choose from.

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Stardoku is a simple online version of the classic puzzle game- sudoku. This game has been specially customized for young learners, to help them build and enhance their logical and reasoning skills, in a fun way.

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Maths is a great lesson to take outdoors with endless possibilities for teaching many different subject areas. I first started taking my lessons outside when I saw how much of a positive impact it had on one of my slightly more challenging students. In class I found it very difficult to motivate them, causing them to distract not only themselves, but the rest of the table! It was a subject I dreaded teaching as I was on constant high alert and would feel extremely drained after the lesson...that was until I took it outside!

I have never looked back since and, wherever possible, teach the curriculum outside of the classroom. It's been extremely successful for me in not only in improving my enjoyment in teaching, but the children's learning.

Here are 9 lesson ideas that I have used and developed to take maths lessons outside.

Grouping Up - A fun lesson starter (ages 4 - 12)
Outdoor lesson starters are a great way to get students out of their seats and active while practising their mathematical skills. For this activity your class will get into groups as quickly as possible based on the criteria you read out (e.g. get into a prime number/an even number/a group with 4 noses).
Download differentiated criteria sheets here: www.educateoutside.com/resource/grouping-up-math-starter/
Symmetry Ideas (ages 4 - 12)
Symmetry is a really fun and easy topic to take outside with minimal preparation.

Symmetry hunt - Find objects with 1, 2, 3, or 4 lines of symmetry. You can then get them to record their findings on a sheet, take a photo of it, or simply just let them enjoy finding symmetry - not everything has to be evidenced and assessed!

Symmetry bugs - Get your class to design and build their own symmetrical bugs using sticks.

Check out loads of outdoor symmetry ideas and resources here: www.educateoutside.com/resources/symmetry/

Data Handling Ideas (ages 7 - 12)
Data handling is another subject area where the opportunities for outdoor learning are endless. Below is just a few of the ideas I have used to great success:

Collect data about types of plants or animals in the outdoor space.

Measure their heart rate after different types of exercise.

Do litter picking and collect then look at data about the different kinds of litter you found.

For more ideas and resources check out some data handling ideas here: www.educateoutside.com/resources/data-handling/

Tree Height (ages 10 - 12)
Trees can be used for lots of outdoor learning activities, many of which will fit into your maths lessons. If you are looking at measurement, conversion, or estimation this is a great activity for you. Your class will estimate and measure the height of trees using only themselves, a pencil, and a ruler. You could then go on to using this information for a data handling unit.
For instruction on how to measure the height of trees check out this resource: www.educateoutside.com/resource/measurement-tree-height/

Compass Directions (ages 7 - 12)
In pairs, armed with a compass and record sheet, get each partner to go around your outdoor area, stand in a spot, and record what they can see at different compass headings. They will then swap sheets with their partner and try to figure out where they were stood by using the information they recorded onto the sheet. For more of a challenge, students can use more precise headings.
See this resource for more information: www.educateoutside.com/resource/compass-directions-where-am-i/

Shape Hunt (ages 4 - 6)
This is a really simple but fun activity for your little ones who are looking at shape recognition. Get them to go into your outdoor space and see which different shapes they can see in the area. This can be done verbally with a teacher, learning assistant, partner, or by recording it on a record sheet.
Download the record sheet for free here: www.educateoutside.com/resource/shape-recognition-shape-hunt/
Number Recognition (4 - 6)

There are lots of ways to look at number recognition in the outdoors. I love using task cards with simple instructions to collect a certain number of sticks, leaves, or stones. Some of the cards involve finding a simple number, others involve finding a simple number and size/colour, and more challenging cards involve finding two different numbers.
Check out the resource here: www.educateoutside.com/resource/numbers-1-10-outdoor-counting-and-simple-addition/

The Human Clock (7 - 12)
Time can be a difficult subject to teach at the best of times. The human clock game makes this tricky topic active and fun for your students. Create a large clock using sticks, chalk, or anything else that works for you and read out different times, getting your students to make the time using their bodies as the clock arms while lying on the floor. This activity works really well as a whole class; however, it can also be very effective when students are working in small groups using differentiated time task cards that you can get using this link: www.educateoutside.com/resource/time-the-human-clock-game/

Addition Olympics (7 - 12)
Get your class outside, keeping fit, while doing maths! Addition Olympics is a great activity for your students to practise column addition with carrying. In pairs, get them to complete timed activities where they add their results together using column addition to get a combined score. My class absolutely love this activity and frequently play it in their own time!
Check out the activity sheets here: www.educateoutside.com/resource/addition-olympics/

I hope you have found some of these ideas helpful and are able to use them with your class. Remember, getting children to enjoy learning is half the battle and taking lessons outside can play a big part in this. Venture away from the classroom and enjoy!

About the Author
Adam Harvey is a primary school teacher from Guernsey, spending most of his time in KS2, with a huge passion for learning outside the classroom. As a child he spent the majority of his time outside, taking risks, getting muddy and, without knowing it, learning lots from doing so! Because of this, he has helped developed www.educateoutside.com which gives teachers access to resources.

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9 ways to take your maths lessons outside

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Blog post written by: Adam Harvey, Primary School Teacher in Guernsey and developer of resource website: www.educateoutside.com. Maths is a great lesson to take outdoors with endless possibilities for teaching many different subject areas. I first started taking my lessons outside when I saw how much of a positive impact it had on one of...

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Kids love to create interesting designs with their names... a fun project to start off a new school year and a great way to create motivation and make each project personal! Here are two options for adapting this lesson to different ability levels:

Note! Read about my ' new & improved' version of this lesson here and check out my detailed pdf packed with step-by-step photos and lots of helpful tips in my TpT store!

Directions for lower grades: 7. Then, trace over all your pencil lines with Sharpie.
1. First, fold both of your papers in half diagonally, then in half again. Unfold both of them and set one aside.
2. Cut out one of the triangles created by your fold lines on just one of the papers.
3. With the flat edge along the bottom and the point facing up, write your name with large stick letters so that it fills the entire triangle.
4. Now, draw an outline around your stick letters to make nice, thick letters that touch all three sides of your triangle. Trace over your pencil lines with Sharpie.
5. Next, place the triangle with your name on it under one of the corresponding triangles on the other paper. Trace your outline letters with pencil onto the new paper. (It can be helpful to use a light box or even tape your papers to a window for tracing. You could also try using a more translucent paper if it's difficult to see your lines.... cheap copy paper works great for me.)
6. Continue tracing your name onto each section, flipping your name over each time you trace it to achieve a "mirror image". (Flipping your name over each time you trace it is essential to achieving a mirror image, so don't forget this important step!!)

8. Color with markers or colored pencils.

Directions for upper grades: 1. Follow the same directions that you would for the lower grades, but fold your paper one more time in step 1, so that you have 8 triangles instead of 4 when you unfold your paper.

2. Then line up your triangles for tracing so that each corner is made up of a mirror image of your name.
3. Outline with Sharpie and color.

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Kaleidoscope Lettering Design * TeachKidsArt

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Upper grade "Allison" , colored in warm colors with colored pencilsLower grade "Allison", colored in cool colors with markers (the same lettering, but traced only four times instead of eight!) Kids love to create interesting designs with their names... a fun project to start off a new school year and a great way to create motivation [...]

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Addition and Subtraction Problems- NRich

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Addition and Subtraction Problems- NRich

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The lower primary tasks in this collection all focus on adding and subtracting.

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In first grade, my favorite math games are the easiest! And they all use only one material...

A pack of playing cards!

Today, let's talk about two of my favorite math card games that are great for building base 10 understanding!

In total of 10, students are trying to find cards that total 10. The goal is to empty their total of 10 board so that they have no cards left.

I love this game because it's a solitaire style game...and it can be played independently or as a team. Here's how to play!

Layout 20 cards in a 5x4 array.

Then, pick up cards that total 10.

When I model this game whole group, students quickly find pairs that make 10. And then, we get stuck because there are no more card pairs to make 10. So, I push them by saying, "I still see cards that can make 10. Do you?"

And we discover that we can use 3 or more numbers to make 10!

The game is over when we cannot make any more totals of 10. Again, the goal is to have as few cards left over as possible. This is actually difficult to clear the board entirely. Try it as an adult...it's kinda addicting! #ilovecardgames

This game can easily be differentiated by playing total of 20 with your higher kids. And for my struggling learners, we use 10 frames to scaffold and help them play successfully. You can see that intervention in action along with the recording sheets we use in this blog post.

Add It Up By Tens

This game is the next level up from total of 10. We play this one later in the year. Set up this game just like total of 10 in an array of 5x4. This time you will be adding all of the numbers by composing groups of ten. As you find a total of 10, leave the pile to the side. When no more tens can be found, add up the groups of tens and the left overs to find the total.

Then, students record how they found the total...

I love this game because it pushes kids to use a base 10 strategy to add. This is great for kiddos who insist on counting on or all and never attempt to compose 10s!

Tens Go Fish

This game is basically like Go Fish except you are pairing cards that make ten. For this game, I always post a sentence frame for students to use as they play.

This game is played with 2-4 players and is great to play before playing total of 10 to build fluency with pairs of 10.

You can also find ways to scaffold this game for your struggling learners in this blog post.

These games and lesson plans to go along with them can be found in my Guided Math Workshop Plans or Curriculum Bundle!

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In first grade, my favorite math games are the easiest ones! And they all use only one material...a pack of play cards! Today, let's talk about two of my favorite math card games for building base 10 understanding.

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This art lesson can help you teach 3D shapes! How to draw three dimensional objects the easy way.

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Outdoor Maths Learning Ideas- The School Run

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Outdoor Maths Learning Ideas- The School Run

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Ask a primary school child what their least favourite subject is, and chances are they'll say maths. In Pisa international tables of maths attainment, the UK is ranked 27th - its lowest place ever - and the subject can evoke strong negative feelings in kids, and in parents who were put off during their own school days.

But while slaving over algebra and learning times tables by rote can be a turn-off for children, taking maths outside the classroom can ignite a newfound enthusiasm for the subject - and there are lots of great ways you can embrace outdoor maths at home, too.

Why take maths outdoors?

'Taking maths outside isn't just about making the subject fun. It also helps children master the very basics of the subject,' says teacher and educational consultant Juliet Robertson, author of Messy Maths: A Playful, Outdoor Approach for Early Years (Independent Thinking Press, £18.99).

'Research has found that there are several key things that children need in order to get to grips with maths, and these can all be found outside,' Juliet explains.

These are:

Access to concrete materials. 'Children need objects they can feel, move around and do things to, so that mathematical concepts aren't just abstract,' Juliet says. 'For example, they can't understand what a right angle is unless they've seen and felt one.' Natural treasures like sticks, stones and seed pods are brilliant manipulative materials that can be used for counting, measuring, comparing and more.

A pictorial understanding. 'This involves being able to represent concepts through drawing pictures, diagrams, charts and so on,' Juliet says. 'Being outside means children get to experience things in 3D and from all angles, which helps their pictorial representation and the spatial imagery needed for geometry.'

An understanding of the language and symbols of maths, including concepts like more, fewer, bigger, smaller, longer, shorter, and so on. 'Climbing a tree and looking down gives children an understanding of scale, for example, and they're more confident using mathematical language if they have something interesting to talk about,' Juliet says.

Learning maths in an outdoor environment also makes the subject real and relevant to children. For instance, shifting tree stumps around can provide a lesson in understanding weight that's far more meaningful than weighing plastic cubes in the classroom.

Outdoor maths in schools

The growth of the Forest School concept means that an increasing number of schools are embracing outdoor learning. It's particularly popular in Early Years classes, but can be extended further up the school, too.

'Sometimes we might go outdoors to collect data then do the number-crunching inside; or we might start in the classroom looking at right angles then go outside to see if they exist in nature,' Juliet says.

'A flexible approach is best, but you can find evidence outside for every primary school maths experience and outcome.'

10 ways to practise maths skills outdoors

Whether or not outdoor learning is part of your child's school day, there are many activities you can do at home to make maths more real and exciting.

1. How big/small/deep?

'Take a metre piece of string stick outside and use it to check and measure the things you come across,' Juliet suggests.

2. Flowerpot percussion

Collect a number of flowerpots of different shapes and sizes, and turn them upside down for your child to use as drums. Do the bigger pots produce a different sound?

3. How many steps?

'Get your child to estimate distances using large steps,' Juliet suggests. 'Set them challenges, like, "How many steps is it to the next lamp post?" Estimate then check, and see how they become more accurate with practice.'

4. Ball bouncing patterns

A good activity for kids who love sports. Take a ball outside and challenge your child to copy a pattern that you make up, such as 'bounce, roll, throw.' Say the instructions out loud. Can your child come up with their own pattern for you to copy?

5. Times tables on foot

'Practise times tables by taking steps,' Juliet says. 'If you're learning the four times table, get them to count their steps in a whisper - "one, two, three" - and then say "FOUR" out loud. Carry on, saying "five, six, seven, EIGHT" and so on: a change from practising by rote.'

6. 3D dens

Use large sticks or broom handles lashed together with rope to create the frame of a den in a variety of 3D shapes, like cube, cuboid, square-based and triangular pyramids. Talk about the properties as you're building, and let your child help using a variety of different materials.

7. Read a map

'Rather than always using the satnav, take the time to go exploring using an Ordnance Survey map: a really helpful way to learn about movement and direction,' Juliet says. 'Talking about compass points and angles will help children when they're learning about angles and bearings.'

8. Find five

Draw a line on the ground using chalk, and arrange five natural objects (a stone, a leaf, a pine cone, etc.) on one side of the line. Your child has to find five matching objects and copy your layout as a mirror image on the other side of the line: a good lesson in symmetry.

9. Money matters

'When the Tooth Fairy comes, leave your child's money in 2p and 5p coins,' Juliet suggests. 'Get them to sort the coins into groups or count them out, then go to the shops to spend them.'

10. Number hunt

When you're outside, look for numbers that occur in the environment, for example on front doors and road signs. What's the biggest number your child can find, and the smallest? Can they find a number in an unexpected place? Take photos of numbers then try to put them in order - going forwards or backwards - at home.

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Ask a primary school child what their least favourite subject is, and chances are they'll say maths. In Pisa international tables of maths attainment, the UK is ranked 27th - its lowest place ever - and the subject can evoke strong negative feelings in kids, and in parents who were put off during their own school days.

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Create Patterns with Obtuse and Acute Angles

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Create Patterns with Obtuse and Acute Angles

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Draw amazing patterns with obtuse and acute angles! Art & maths lesson perfect for home & school!

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Outdoor Maths Activities for EYFS-Y6 from Third Space Learning

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Outdoor Maths Activities for EYFS-Y6 from Third Space Learning

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13 Outdoor Maths Activities for Early Years to Y6 - Third Space Learning

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We've put together our 13 favourite outdoor Maths activities to try out in your classroom. Great for any age & perfect for the last weeks of summer term.