OBJECT LESSONS

THE FACE

• Children tend toward self centeredness.
• The face has it all: number, size, shape, symmetry, ratio, and proportion.
• Have the students do activities that include faces.

FOOD

• It’s motivating!
• Math is a key ingredient in food.
• Recipes almost always involve measurement and fractions.
• Packaging is full of mathematical information.

GRIDS AND GRAPH PAPER

• Easily modified to create a truly endless variety of squares, rectangles, and arrays.
• Helps students to visualize.
• Offers a model for fractions, decimals, percents, and more.

THE ROCK

• Come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors.
• Cheap, abundant, durable, and available.
• Make excellent counting and grouping tools.
• They’re old and tell stories of our planet and beyond.

PAPER

• Many ways to use paper: collages, jewelry, sculptures, and more.
• Perfect for cutting and folding.
• Good for all ages.

SHOES

• Shoes
• Shoes are a very simple way for children to learn mathematics
• Shoes come in different sizes, colors, and kinds during the year to be able to teach different lessons
• Shoes can be used to measure length and size or be used to learn how to chart

FLAGS

• Flags help people feel connected to their homes and help them feel like they belong
• Flags have simple icons and different shapes in them like squares, rectangles, and stars
• Children can use flags to learn how to compare the differences in length and width of different flags.

JOURNALS

• Journals can be used to track a child’s progress and growth of ideas.
• Journals can be personal and be used for students to come up with their personal ways of solving math problems.
• Journals can be used for the student to jot down feelings and ideas about a math problem.

THE CLASSROOM

• The classroom gives the students a chance to explore their world two and three- dimensionally.
• The students can look at the difference between positive and negative spaces.
• The classrooms should stay consistent so children can remember.
• The classroom is a place where children can become more creative.