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A collection of 9 posts

a grid of hexagon pieces for a game with penguins and a rotational sign of 3 hearts to none

Hex-a-Huddle Board Game

This week Quanta Magazine published an article on penguins and their hexagonal behavior. I shared this article with my 14yr old daughter, Opal, and we started discussing how this would make a great board game. We designed pieces, drafted our prototypes in Affinity Design, and then utilized a Glowfor

A block print of a fibonacci sequence

52 Weeks of Math Activities

Week 51: Block Prints

I love thinking of mirror images when I am block printing. I will never forget the time I printed SPARK backwards on accident for a summer art camp and my kids laughed at the reverse phonics. This week I encourage learners to take a math concept, tessellation, or shape and create a print. Ways to […

the corner of a flip book

52 Weeks of Math Activities

Week 50: Flip Books

This week I encourage learners to play with their animation skills. Take a math concept, problem, or design and play with ideas to animate it. Start simple to warm up and then build on the ideas. Flip books are fun. I recommend using thinner paper that can be seen through so it is easier to […]

black paint on paper made from a pendulum

52 Weeks of Math Activities

Week 49: Pendulum Labs

Pendulums are wonderful physics toys that are great for exploring periodic functions. For week 49, I encourage learners to get out some string, weights, and stop watches. Here are some ideas for playing with math and pendulums: Start with a string and a weight to observe basic pendulum motion. Nuts,

a game finished with blue marks and the red strike diagonally showing X won

52 Weeks of Math Activities

Week 33: Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe

Games don’t have to be complicated to require some good thinking skills. We all learn tic-tac-toe when we are younger. We soon learn how to always come to a stalemate with an equal opponent. Once you get the strategy, it can get a little boring… But what if we add a layer (or two) of […]

a gif of a flipping origami piece

Additional Materials

Flipping Origami Class Video

After teaching this a few times this week, I created a video for those that missed it or want to go back. We made two different origami toys that have some flipping fun. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

4 shapes with the same angles (drawn on isometric paper)

Additional Materials

Isometric Drawing (Class Video)

After teaching this a few times this week, I created a video so those that may want to pause and draw at their own pace while playing with isometric paper. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I love doodling on Isometric paper – enjoy! Here is a link to the isometric […]

an impossible shape where the outer edges are a hexagon

52 Weeks of Math Activities

Week 32: Isometric Drawing

Let’s get out our pencils, isometric paper, and thinking caps this week! Isometric drawings are often used in engineering and design as a way to display 3D ideas. They can also be used to create optical illusions and escheresque works of art. To start, print some isometric paper, or set your digital

paper torn with ink showing a person walking toward the sun

52 Weeks of Math Activities

Week 31: Angle Inquiry

Sometimes the simplest things have wonder hidden within. This week, learners can play with the angles of polygons. How many degrees are in a triangle? In a quadrilateral? In a hexagon? Is there a pattern? Here is a warm-up activity: Draw a triangle (any triangle), and cut it out. Next, rip the corne