Geometry

This week our mathematicians have embarked on a study of 2D and 3D shapes. Our first graders discussed the characteristics of different shapes (how many sides & corners), then created some well known shapes with their bodies. They finished up by taking a shape walk in the school yard trying to spot these shapes in the wild.  They found 11 shapes in the play yard, including the elusive hexagon and pentagon.  There was an unconfirmed sighting of a decagon as well.  Encourage your child to show you some of those shapes living in your own homes.

Second graders began an investigation of 3D shapes. We started with a discussion of the characteristics of three dimensional shapes (faces, edges, corners) and learned the names of some common 3D shapes like rectangular and triangular prisms, cubes, pyramids and cylinders. The kids  were then tasked with drawing some geoblocks on paper; trying to show multiple faces in a 2D representation. Their work has been showcased in the pictures below.

It has been a fun introduction to our geometry units!

Look What I Did With a Leaf!

This week we have been spending our outdoor time looking at changes to the landscape now that fall is in full swing. We have been noticing the changing colors of leaves as well as all the different varieties. After collecting a sampling we sorted them by size, color, type and other attributes. Today our culminating leaf activity was to create a picture of an animal (real or mythical) out of leaves based on ideas from the book Look What I Did With a Leaf.  Below you will see the menagerie the kids created, soon to be displayed in our hallway. Enjoy!