As we march on into April, it’s time to celebrate another month of outdoor learning. Across the globe, mathematicians and statisticians are hosting Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month to increase the understanding and appreciation of the subjects.
According to their website “Both subjects play a significant role in addressing many real-world problems — internet security, sustainability, disease, climate change, the data deluge, and much more. Research in these and other areas is ongoing, revealing new results and applications every day in fields such as medicine, manufacturing, energy, biotechnology, and business. Mathematics and statistics are important drivers of innovation in our technological world, in which new systems and methodologies continue to become more complex”
Real time application maths is an essential skill to learn at school and we’ve found one of the best ways to grasp this concept is through hands-on learning. It’s a subject that teachers often find a challenge to incorporate into an outdoor environment and that’s why we sent our design team into schools to observe maths lessons and find out how to take it outside.
We’ve done the sums and we know that sometimes making maths fun just doesn’t add up. That’s why we created a range of school playground equipment that improves children’s enthusiasm and understanding of maths and numeracy. You can read a little more about our maths equipment development and ideas proves children’s enthusiasm and understanding of maths and numeracy. You can read a little more about our maths equipment development and ideas here.
Maths is an incredibly important part of our daily lives and in a school setting it’s extremely important to find new and innovative ways to make maths accessible to everyone. Thinking of heading outdoors this week to celebrate #MathStatMonth? Here’s a few ideas to get you started:
Numbers
Maths Mark Making. Sometimes outdoor learning can be as simple as 1,2,3. Grab some paintbrushes, water and chalk and head over to the concrete with the little ones to practice writing those numbers.
Number Hunt. Older children can enjoy a number hunt around the playground. Hide numbers around your outdoor space for children to find, snap pictures of or write down descriptions of where they are. Extend the activity by asking them to keep an eye out for numbers around the house or on the way home.
Measurement
Stick measuring. Get your hands grubby and go stick hunting for this activity. Ask your children to find sticks of all shapes and sizes in the playground. Bring them all back together and sort them from largest to smallest. Ask them to think about the sticks that are curved, wider or different shapes.
Measuring car races. Everyone will enjoy this maths game! Set up a car racing ramp and measuring tube at the bottom to help children learn how to measure the distances that their vehicles have travelled.
Shapes
White line pebble maths. Use pebbles and stones from around the playground for this fun activity. Paint lines across all of the pebbles and ask the children to arrange them into different shapes. Introduce angles to make it even more fun.
Rock Shapes. For younger children grab some chalk and draw some shapes on the ground. Collect objects from around the playground to trace the shapes and introduce some fun games.
Problem Solving
Natural algebra. Learn the basics of algebra with objects found around the playground. Using these objects with chalk can help children solve basic algebra problems through teamwork.
Hula hoop clock. Learn how to tell the time with an outdoor hula hoop clock. Made from just chalk, a hula hoop and twigs, ask the children to move the hands to the times you shout out.
Want more? Head over to our Pinterest page where you can find our dedicated Outdoor Maths boards.
If you’re interested in finding out how we can help you incorporate more outdoor maths into your school routine, book a consultation with one of our local advisors.