Support Materials --

Math for All

Shapes in Space

During this math program you will:

explore geometric shapes with your children.
provide opportunities for your children to explore relationships between different geometric shapes.
explore how 2-D shapes are used to form 3-D figures.

Note: Prepare for "Shapes in Space"by looking for geometric shapes around your own house; along the streets where you drive; or at your child's school.

Activity #1

The Outline of Things
In this activity your children will match common household items to outlines which you have traced on the back of a shopping bag. Start by finding a variety of household items that are easily recognized as geometric shapes - squares, rectangles, triangles, and circles. Trace the items on shopping bags or other available paper. Have your children match and name the items.
Materials:

several shopping bags or newsprint
markers
geometrically shaped household items

Additional Activities:

Play a guessing game at home, on a walk, or as you drive along by describing something you can plainly see that is a square, rectangle, triangle, or circle.
With older children try describing the shapes found in buildings, traffic signs, etc. See if they can draw these shapes.

Activity #2
In this activity children will learn to make a square, a rectangle and a triangle by combining four smaller triangles for each shape.
NOTE: Kindergartners should have a game board that outlines where the triangle pieces fit to make the three main shapes. Older children can use a game board that outlines the three main shapes only.

The game is played by two or more players using separate game boards. Player rolling the highest number starts.
Players take turns rolling the die (R.N.G.). When a 1, 2 or 3 is rolled, player may select that many pieces to fill in a shape on the game board. When a 4, 5 or 6 is rolled, the turn is forfeited.
To complete the last shape, player must roll the exact number of pieces needed. First player to complete all three shapes wins.
Materials:

1 die (random number generator)
1 game board
12 colored triangle pieces for each player

Additional Activities:

Make additional geometric shapes of your own choice using more pieces. Can you make a shape using 12 pieces? 24 pieces?
If the price of each piece is $.25, what is the price of the shape you just made? Use your calculator.

Activity #3
"Toothpicks and More Toothpicks!"
In this activity you will help your children explore geometry by using - manipulating toothpicks.

Straight Line: make a line using 4 toothpicks.
Square: make a square using 4 toothpicks; using 8 toothpicks.
Triangles: make a triangle using 3 toothpicks; using 6 toothpicks; using 9 toothpicks.
Rectangles: make a rectangle with 6 toothpicks; with 8 toothpicks; with 10 toothpicks.
Materials:

1 box of flat toothpicks

Additional Activities: If you mastered all of the above tasks, you might enjoy the challenge of "Math."

Make the fish with 8 toothpicks and a button. Make the fish swim in the opposite direction by moving 3 toothpicks and the button.
Remove 2 toothpicks to leave 4 equal squares.
Move 3 toothpicks to make 3 equal squares.

Try this at home:

Remove the crust from a bread slice. What shape do you have?
Cut the bread into two equal parts. What shapes do you have? Is there more than one way to cut the bread into two equal parts? Describe the shapes.
Cut the pieces into two equal parts again. What shapes do you now have?