We often get so caught up in the technology that is being developed around education and learning that we forget the simpler, tactile resources that are already available to us at minimal cost.
This simple lesson was inspired by my 7-year old son who was bored.
All you need is a blank square sheet of paper, coloured pencils or markers, a ruler and time!
Start with the following simple questions.
· What shape is this?
· How do we know it is a square?
· How many ways can we fold it in half?
Use different colour pencils to demarcate the different folds, so that you end up with the following.
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My son and I discussed the new shapes that were created and ended off by writing in the number symbols and number names for each triangle.
For older children, this can be extended to discuss axis of symmetry, multiplication, halving and doubling, fractions, angles, measurements, area and patterns.
Send in your suggestions of other Maths concepts you can explore or pictures of how you used this in your class.
Happy Exploring!
Neshni Naidoo
Director: Vedic Maths Forum South Africa