Learning math outdoors may seem like a monumental task with little kids. You may even gasp at taking your entire third grade class outside to learn math. With this in mind, I created a cheat sheet to help you find ways to make learning math outdoors a fun, engaging activity – whether you are a parent or an educator.
Keeping your Children Engaged
Many of us are social isolating, staying 2m apart from one another, and are continuing to find ways to make learning engaging for our kids. So much of their learning is on a computer. We don’t want them to fall behind. As a result, children are seeing increased screen time and decreased social interaction. Don’t worry! I have an easy, cheap and free solution.
I think you’ll agree with me when I say that our children need to continue learning. They need that continuous development of skills and pretty much constant engagement with us or technology or loudest toy in the playroom. Why not try spending more time outdoors?
Daily Dose of the Great Outdoors
Two o’clock is my favourite time of the day. Want to know why?
My meetings with my third grade students have finished. I have answered my emails and my inbox is clear. My own children have completed their work for the day. Work is done and it’s time to play!
Okay, what that really means is that we get to go on our family bike ride! Two o’clock is our set-in-stone outdoor activity that we do daily regardless of the weather.
Learning Outdoors
You must be wondering – what does this have to do with learning math outdoors? The Great Outdoors is the perfect place to bring learning of all kinds. You start with walks and bike rides. Then…
Dare I say?
It’s the easiest place to teach math to kindergarteners and primary school-aged children. Hear me out…
Learning math outdoors is easy! Trust me on this one.
Children can exercise, breathe fresh air and get a focus boost just by being outside. The benefits extend to you, too!
Your Cheat Sheet…
If you’re not sure where to start, then you are in the right place. Here is a “cheat sheet” to get you thinking about how to think with a math brain when you are outside with your children.
1. Use manipulatives
- Anything you can pick up, touch, move, kick, roll, squish, pull, blow, or throw….you can use as a math manipulative. What are manipulatives? A manipulative is an object that a child can manipulate, or move, to help perceive a math concept.
2. Count anything and everything
- Count anything and everything that you can see, smell, touch, taste or feel. Are you going for a bike ride? Ask your child how many wheels are rolling down the path. What if two more bikers joined our ride? How many wheels would there be then? Did you pick a bunch of flowers? How many petals do they have? What if you picked three more flowers – then how many petals would you have? Make the questions as simple or as complex as you need to keep your child thinking.
3. Use plants to start math discussions
- Look right outside your front door to find plants that spark math discussions. For example, while I was holding this clover, these are some questions that popped into my mind: How many leaves does this plant have? What shapes do you see? (Showing the front) Do you see a line of symmetry? (Showing the back) Do you see a line of symmetry? How many of these clovers would it take to cover my hand/a patio stone/the driveway?
4. Find & Make Symmetrical Pictures
- Using grass, rocks, weeds, or other natural items, invite your child to create something with a line of symmetry. What is a line of symmetry? It is an imaginary line that passes through the centre of an object indicating equal halves. Not only can you create symmetrical objects, you can go on a hunt for them as well.
5. Measure it!
- Look at the space around you. Everything can be measured! Don’t worry if you don’t have a ruler, you can use any natural items or even your hands and feet to measure. These are non-standard units of measurement. The patio stone pictured above can spark many math questions. How many rectangles can you count within 1 patio stone? 2 patios stones? Estimate, then measure: How many rocks long is this patio stone? How many flowers long is this patio stone? Were the estimates you made close? How close were you?
6. Design patterns of all kinds.
- Patterns can easily be found outdoors. There are repeating patterns in brick work on pathways and flower petals. There are growing and shrinking patterns all around us. Use natural materials like flowers, rocks, grass, and sticks to create patterns of all kinds.
Learning Math Outdoors
Ultimately, this cheat sheet is sure to get you started with thinking about math learning outdoors. You don’t need money to get started and you don’t need to buy anything – you just need to spend a bit more time outdoors. If you’re looking for more activities to keep your children busy while outdoors, read about Outdoor Scavenger Hunts here.
So, if you’re a teacher and you’re looking to bring your students outside more often but you’re not sure where to start, then you have come to the right place. Why not try a drama game outside with your students?
Additionally, I have a newsletter that I email out with new blog post and new products in my TPT store as well as ideas and activities for outdoor learning. Sign up below….
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