My girls love to mix and mash in their mud kitchen. I op shop for pots and pans, measuring jugs, mixing spoons, cups and bowls… anything that might inspire their love of mud pies! I encourage mud kitchens because they are a great way to explore measurement, capacity and ratio. Today, I directed their mud kitchen creations in a different…
Read More
The next in the series of post combining Math and Art, we are going to consider the Mathematical beauty of String art. The earliest examples of string art can be traced back to Mary Everest Boole, a mathematician who lived in the early 1900’s. She developed a style of ‘curve stitching’ to help children explore math though playful activities. The…
Read More
Do you know the thrill of identifying bird songs you recognize or the frustration of not being able to tell who is who in the jumble of sounds birds make? As a Birder, knowing the songs of birds will give you a new appreciation for the species and the place in which you live. You’ll be able to tell who…
Read More
Materials needed: Bug Symmetry Templates from Art for Kids Clear Acetate Sheet – A4 size Sharpie Pen – Black Gouache/Acrylic Paint Tape To transfer the bug to the acetate, place the bug under the clear sheet and tape both to a window. Use the sharpie to trace over the half bug. Next flip the bug template and lay the clear…
Read More
For our second post looking at Math and Art we have been inspired by Australian artist Erica Wagner. In particular we looked at Bittern Birds in the Garden Forest Song Hope is a Curlew Migrating South Then, I showed the children the work done by some Grade 2 students, incorporating cereal boxes, line and water-colour. My challenge to them was…
Read More
Maurits Cornelis Escher was a Dutch artist who made mathematically inspired art. The very first time I saw an Escher, I knew that he would become one of my favourite artists. He would often use a technique called tessellation to create a picture where the images morph into each other. Look at this piece where the birds interlock creating a…
Read More
Recently a few Instagram accounts put out a Nature Poetry Play prompt for a month of Spring Poetry inspired play. I decided to play along with my children, but of course adding a bit of math fun into the mix! The prompts were: WEEK 1 – EARTH WEEK 2 – FIRE WEEK 3 – AIR WEEK 4 – WATER Come…
Read More
NOW CLOSED! The Art and Photography Competition 2021 offers a great opportunity to showcase masterpieces of art created and photographs taken through the year by the whole family, including mum and dad. It’s a fun way to wrap up our nature study adventures for 2021. The competition opens on 22nd October 2021 and will close on 26th November 2021. Winners…
Read More
Spring is celebrating its arrival with a fantastic show of buds, blossoms, and flowers. Rainbow colours are scattered across gardens and bushlands as plants proudly declare the beginning of a new season. As a flower observer, spring offers the opportunity to see again with new eyes and to search for and observe plants we may have missed seasons before. Perhaps,…
Read More
Celebrating Math In Nature! Hello! Welcome to the 149th Playful Math Education Blog Carnival – Celebrating Math in Nature! I’m so glad you have stopped by as we are going to have fun looking at lots of ways in which you can combine a love for nature with a love for math. It’s time to discover, explore and investigate the…
Read More
When the sun starts to shine and the winter cold has disappeared, it’s time for an outside treasure hunt! It’s time to hunt for bugs! Put on your boots! Grab a magnifying glass, a butterfly net, and a jar, and come with us to find some mini-beasts! There are so many insects, bugs, arachnids, and invertebrates hiding in your backyard!…
Read More