52 weeks

17
Jul
lego graph with quadrants labeled

Week 7: Cartesian Coordinates

This week learners can get hands on with plotting. I encourage learners to investigate the history behind the Cartesian Coordinates (it’s interesting – I was just reading about it in Infinite Powers by Steven Strogatz). The idea is to plot with D&D figures, chalk, legos, or watercolors. Make art out
3 min read
10
Jul
lux blox arranged in a line as a bar chart for the digits of pi

Week 6: Randomness using pi

This week learners will create a work of art using pi. The goal here is not to understand pi, but to play with randomness. We will dive into the ratio of circumference and diameter on another week. Pi’s decimals go on forever and without pattern. Here are some ideas to play with that randomness: Bui
1 min read
02
Jul
a bird and tree fractal make with photography composites

Week 5: Tell a Tale (or comic)

No matter what grade/age, stories are fun. This week I encourage learners to read and write math stories. Take a concept and illustrate it through the art of story. Write comics, picture stories, murder mysteries, fantasies, plays, etc. Students can act their story out, create a stop animation, or i
1 min read
26
Jun
a sketch of an icosahedron with charcoal

Week 4: Polyhedra Study

Leonardo da Vinci was an amazing mathematician, inventor and artist. His sketches in The Divine Proportion are a wonderful collection to study. Spacial awareness and being able to draw what we see is a skill that can be mastered through practice. This week, I encourage learners to sketch polyhedra f
1 min read
19
Jun
an origami octahedron with geometric paper

Week 3: Sonobe Octahedron

Octahedrons are such a fun shape. This week we are going to learn an important fold in origami that can be used to make so many mathematical shapes, puzzles and works of art. We are going to learn Sonobe. Below is a video of how to create the basic fold and then assemble the octahedron. […]
1 min read
05
Jun
embroidery with green string of curves formed with straight lines

Week 1: Embroider Curves with Lines

Welcome to 52 weeks of math! I will be posting a new activity every Wednesday for 52 weeks of hands-on math. Week 1 is one of my favorites – drawing with thread. In this activity, learners will play with their rulers (or thread) to create curves with lines. The idea is to have students draw […]
2 min read

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Sophia

Mathematics educator and creative coder exploring the beauty of mathematical concepts through interactive visualizations and playful learning.

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