I often feel like math gets a bad rap, and people feel like there’s no room there for creativity. Like you are either a “math minded” person, or a creative person. Not both. But to tell someone (especially kids!) that you can only be one or the other seems stifling and unfair, and certainly not the way to develop a growth mindset. To that end, why not combine math and art to use BOTH sides of the brain. Apply and explore mathematical ideas while creatively designing a unique piece of art.

This onion print project provides opportunity to explore concentric circles and circle properties. But it is simple enough that young kids can enjoy it and learn basic facts about circles, but older kids can dive more deeply into the math behind this shape.

*Please Note: This post contains affiliate links which support the work of this site. Read our full disclosure here.*

This project was originally included in my Math in Nature Enrichment Curriculum. But whether or not you have that resource, you can still easily do this project and look for other examples of concentric circles together with your kids.

Materials Needed for the Onion Art Project:

• Red onions (other onions will work, but in my experience, red onions will give more pronounced rings in the final print)
• Paper for painting on (we used construction paper)
• Paint
• Paper plates
• Paint brushes (optional)

How to Create Your Concentric Circle Onion Art Print:

As I mentioned, this project is super easy. To begin, squirt different colors of paint on paper plates (one color per plate).

Cut several onions in half, so the layers are visible. Give each student a piece of paper and paint brush and they are ready to begin!

Note: We used a wide paint brush from IKEA to paint a thin layer onto the onion. If you don’t have brushes, you could have kids simply dip their onion into the paint on the plate.

Once all the materials are ready, kids add a layer of paint to each onion and “stamp” it onto their paper to create designs.

I suggest using a different onion for each color. Then kids can add different colors onto their piece of art if they like. This will also give them different onions with slightly different prints to include in their artwork.

Depending on the paint and paper you use, you will need to let the pages sit for awhile to dry before making observations or exploring math with them. I suggest waiting overnight.

Exploring Circles with Onion Prints:

Here are some things your students can do after their art work is dry.

• Label the parts of a circle on onion prints to work on vocabulary
• Count and label the number of circles in each onion print. How many layers are in each onion?
• Measure the diameter of the outer most circle and inner most circle and find the difference. Do the same with circumference.
• Find the area of one of the circle prints. How might this compare to the volume of the actual onion?
• Calculate an approximation of pi using several of the circle prints (pi = circumference/diameter)
• Find and measure more concentric circles in real life!

If your kids are young, and all these circle measurements are too advanced, look for other shapes they can add on top of the circles. Once the circles are dry, maybe they find squares to dip in the paint and add a layer of squares. What about some triangles?

Let your kids get creative and discover shapes in the world around them to add to their shape art print!

Looking for more simple, yet engaging math art projects? Try one of these below:

• Explore circles with bubble prints
• Creating symme-trees at Christmas time
• Explore symmetry with crayon melts
• Pi Day Art with sidewalk chalk

And if you’re looking for the ultimate collection of math art project ideas (including edible math art!) be sure to check out my friend Karyn’s new book: Math Art & Drawing Games for Kids

Buy the book on Amazon HERE!

Find more amazing and easy math art projects on Karyn’s website, Teach Beside Me, HERE!

Have fun combining math and art!

The post Onion Prints: Concentric Circle Math Art Project appeared first on Math Geek Mama.

*Note: This post contains affiliate links which support the work of this site. Read our full disclosure here.*

What is Symmetry?

First, we need to understand a mathematical definition of symmetry. One way to think of line symmetry is as a mirror image.

In other words, one side of the line of symmetry is an exact mirror image, or reflection, of the other side.

Mathematically, this means that every point on one side of the line is equidistant from the line of symmetry as it’s corresponding point on the other side of the line.

So if a point is 5 units from the line of symmetry, it’s reflected point is also 5 units away, in the opposite direction.

Thus, if you were to fold the image in half, one half would line up exactly with the other half.

There are other types of symmetry as well, such as rotational symmetry, but line symmetry is the easiest, most natural place to begin with children.

Finish the Picture: Symmetrical Pictures for Kids

This set of drawing pages for kids will help them to see symmetry and practice creating a mirror image with the help of grid lines.

Some of the images are easier than others, so you may want to begin with the simpler practice pages (although they are not in any specific order in the download).

For young kids, you might want to begin by folding the paper down the center to show them the line of symmetry.

Then explain that after drawing the other side, the picture should line up when they fold it again.

Older kids, who are ready and able to be more precise with their drawing (and also able to understand a more exact definition of symmetry), might use a ruler to measure some of the points of the drawing.

They can then measure the points on the other side to ensure it is symmetrical.

Obviously, they don’t need to measure every single point on the drawing, but measuring a few key points will help them create a more exact mirror image.

And of course, no matter how exact their drawings are, or how deep their understanding of symmetry, I hope your kids enjoy these finish the picture pages!

For more examples of symmetry, try reading a fun book together such as:

• Seeing Symmetry by Loreen Leedy
• What is Symmetry in Nature? By Bobbie Kalman
• Is It Symmetrical? by Nancy Allen

Or explore even more with a symmetry art project:

• Melted Crayons: Symmetrical Art Project
• Symme”trees”: A Christmas Math Craft

Want a wide variety of symmetry learning ideas that are ready to use right now? Grab my complete set of Exploring Symmetry Lessons! This symmetry unit begins with open exploration of symmetry in nature, and progresses to symmetry vocabulary and even symmetrical area challenges for older kids. Learn more by clicking the button below:

>>Buy Exploring Symmetry HERE<<

And of course, to download the set of 10 finish the picture pages, just click the link below to grab it free in my shop.

{Click HERE to go to my shop and grab the finish the picture symmetry pages}

The post Symmetry: Finish the Picture Pages {Drawing Mirror Images} appeared first on Math Geek Mama.

*Please Note: This post contains affiliate links which help support the work of this site. Read our full disclosure here.*

Over the years, I’ve come up with lots of fun ways to celebrate this day with my kids. We’ve sung silly Pi Day songs, and created sweet friendship cards to spread the Pi Day joy.

This year is no exception!

We’re a little early with this project, because the weather was beautiful, warm and not raining for the first time in what feels like weeks. So I jumped at the chance to get outside and create one of a kind math art as we begin to think about Pi Day.

Get Outside: Sidewalk Chalk Pi Day Art Project

The goal of this project was simple: briefly introduce my kids to circles and circle measurements, as well as using a compass, and then let them create unique chalk art.

So before letting them loose, we sat together in the driveway and I explained what a compass is, and how to use it. We talked about what makes a circle a circle, and measuring the diameter and circumference of a circle.

Then I explained that if you take the circumference of a circle and divide it by the diameter, it will equal the number pi. No matter how big or how small your circle.

Yes, I explained all of this to my 7, 8 and 9 year old.

Even though these concepts might normally be taught in middle school or high school Geometry, if kids understand how to measure and divide, they can understand how to find the number pi.

My kids were amazed that this would hold true for any and all circles! I love seeing their amazement and wonder!

Related: Learn what makes a triangle a triangle.

Then I explained their project for the day. The only requirements are that they use the compass to create a variety of overlapping circles. Any size, any quantity.

Then they can color all the different parts in any way they liked.

They loved this idea, and thought immediately of a color by number type of picture.

So yes, the end result will look like a color by number, but without the numbers!

Ready to get started with your own Pi Day art project? Here’s what you need.

Materials Needed for this Pi Day Art Project:

• Chalk compass*
• Colored chalk*
• Black construction paper (if you’d rather do this inside with chalk and paper)
• Printable lesson (optional, depending on the age of your kids)

*You could also do the same thing with pencil and paper, and color the circles in with colored pencils.

As I said, the weather was beautiful and I was looking for a chance to get outside. So we did this on the driveway with sidewalk chalk.

Alternatively, this would also make a lovely art project using chalk on black construction paper. This is probably what we’ll do on the actual Pi Day, now that my kids are familiar with the compass and the idea of the project.

Once you have all the supplies, kids simply draw various circles. It is a little tricky to use a compass on the driveway and have perfect circles come out. But just encourage kids to do their best. It doesn’t have to be perfect!

After kids are satisfied with their circle design, they can color it in however they’d like.

The result is a beautiful, unique design!

What I loved about this project is that all of my kids were able to participate and learn something, at their own level.

Even my 5 year old was able to learn how to use and practice making circles with the compass!

Now if you want to kick the learning up a notch, you can download the free printable math lesson to go along with this art project.

There are 2 pages included. The first is for younger kids and introduces the vocabulary terms and challenges them to measure the diameter of each of their circles.

The second is a more in depth investigation, in which older kids can discover the number pi on their own.

It includes a table to record the circumference measurements, diameter measurements and the ratio for each of their circles. Hopefully they will notice then that each time the number is close to a pi approximation: 3.14.

Then they take the average of all of their ratios, which will hopefully be an even closer approximation of the number pi.

You can then discuss their findings together as a group.

I hope you enjoy this fun, hands on Pi Day Art Project! If your kids have a fun, unique piece of art to share, tag me on Instagram so I can see it!

Happy Pi Day friends!

{Click HERE to go to my shop and grab the FREE Pi Day Art Project Recording Pages!}

Even MORE Pi Day Ideas:

• Ultimate List of Pi Day Resources
• Activities for “Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi” by Cindy Neuschwander
• Race to Pi: Simple Pi Day Card Game
• Hands On Pi Day Investigation for Middle School and Beyond

This post is part of the 28 Days of STEAM series at Left Brain Craft Brain! Check out the full collection of integrated learning ideas here.

The post Simple Pi Day Art Project {Free Printable!} appeared first on Math Geek Mama.

*Please Note: This post was written in partnership with Princess Awesome, and I was supplied with the perfect Pi Day gear. It also contains affiliate links. For more information, read our full disclosure policy.*

Materials Needed for this Pi Day Craft:

• Printed Pi Day cards (download at the end of the post)
• Pencils of your choice (to give away)
• Card stock (white or colored)
• Crayons or colored pencils (to color and decorate the cards)
• Scissors
• Single hole punch
• Calculators (optional)

How to Assemble Your Pi-lentines:

These cards are very easy to assemble, because I am all about easy! To get started, print out the cards of your choice.

The Pi Day craft download below includes a variety of options.

Three options are designed to fit over a pencil.

Then there are two rectangular options that can be printed to simply hand out (without a gift) or included with a small calculator.

I found these calculators at the dollar store, and they seem to be the perfect size for kids, in fun colors.

Obviously if your kids have a large class, you may not want to purchase a calculator for all of them. But if they’re only going to pass out cards to a couple of friends, they might like their very own calculator.

I printed our cards on white card stock because my kids love to color. So they were able to spend time decorating them and making each card their own before we attached it to the pencil.

If your kids aren’t interested in coloring them, you can print on colored card stock.

After printing out your card choices, cut them out around the edges.

The top and bottom are what you’ll use to slide the pencil through.

Using a single hole punch, punch a hole in the top and bottom. Depending on the size of your pencil, you may need to punch twice to make a slightly larger hole. My first punch did not create a big enough hole for the pencil to go through.

Just be careful that you don’t make it too big. This could cause the pencil to fall out, or the card to rip.

Once it’s colored, cut out, and hole punched, simply slide the pencil through and it’s ready to share with friends!

Or if you’d like to use the rectangular cards, simply cut them out and color, then hand them out. Or attach them to a calculator to give out to friends.

I could easily open and then reseal my calculators, so I simply slid the card inside, then sealed it back up.

Other Ways to Celebrate Pi Day:

As I mentioned, I think it’s perfectly reasonable to enjoy celebrating the number pi with young kids. So here are some other ideas you may enjoy:

• Pi Day sing-along songs (great for kids of any age!)
• Exploring Pi with Sir Cumference (literature based math lesson)
• Race to Pi: Easy Card Game for Kids of All Ages

Plus, see this page full of so many other ideas, you could celebrate Pi Day for a week.

Join Princess Awesome to Spread an Excitement for Math:

I created this Pi Day craft in collaboration with Princess Awesome. If you’re unfamiliar, they’re a girls clothing company that celebrates girls’ interests in girly, twirly dresses and math and rocket ships.

As they state on their website,

“It is crucial that girls have access to clothes that tell them that they can be and do anything. If you’ve ever met a little girl, you know they already know this is true.

They encourage young girls to be anything they want to be, so I’m excited to share their “Pi in the Sky” dresses. My girls are in love with these comfortable play dresses. Plus, it has allowed us to talk about math in our everyday conversations.

If you have a little girl who would love to show off this perfect Pi Day dress, be sure to check them out!

Ready to create these Pi Day cards with your kids? Click the link below to grab them for FREE from my shop:

{Click HERE to go to my shop and get the FREE Pi Day Craft cards for friends}

And if you create this Pi Day craft with your kids, tag me on Instagram, I’d love to see their creations!

The post Pi-lentines: Sweet Pi Day Craft for All Ages appeared first on Math Geek Mama.

*Please Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links which help support the work of this site. Read our full disclosure here.*

Materials Needed for Q-Tip Shapes:

• Large pile of Q-Tips
• Cups of water
• Food coloring
• Paper towels
• Poster board or construction paper

Getting Started with Q-Tips to Learn Math:

I originally had an entire plan of math topics I was going to explore with my kids using Q-Tips, but following their lead, our plans changed.

But now I have some ideas for another day!

Because my daughter has been working on not only recognizing shapes, but seeing shapes in the world around us and putting shapes together to form other shapes, we started by making shapes.

I asked both kiddos what kinds of shapes they thought they could make with Q-Tips and they got to work!

They had no trouble forming a square, rectangle, triangle, parallelogram, rhombus and pentagon.

Then I asked what kind of design or other shapes she and her brother could create by putting the shapes together.

Well, that was all it took and their imaginations were off!

They got creating and made the tabernacle, and showed where the ark would be in the Holy of Holies.

They then made a rocket, and explained the different parts to me.

Then, as we were admiring their design, I thought, “Wow, this would be even more fun if the Q-Tips were colored!” I asked what they thought about that and they exclaimed, “YES!!”

I’d never done this before, so I wasn’t entirely sure how well this would turn out, or if it would work at all, but I’m pretty pleased with the result!

To Dye the Q-Tips for Math Shape Art:

First, I filled some cups with water. Then I mixed several drops (maybe 4-6) of food coloring in each cup.

Then I let the kids put a large handful of Q-Tips in each cup and make sure they were fully submerged.

We left the Q-Tips in the cups for maybe 10 minutes (I didn’t time it, but it wasn’t too long, so don’t think you need to leave them to soak all day or anything).

We then carefully removed the Q-Tips and laid them out in a single layer on a paper towel to dry.

We left them on the paper towel overnight, and now they are dry, colored and ready for shape play again!

Once we had a set of colored Q-Tips, I let my kids play with shapes again and they got to work designing a castle. As they created it, they told me all about the different parts and rooms.

“This is where the King sleeps.”

“This is the tower for the guards.”

“Here’s the door where people can enter.”

All throughout, we had conversations about the shapes they were using, and even shapes they weren’t using. For instance, my daughter wanted the tower to be a cylinder.

“Why are you having trouble making a cylinder?” I asked.

“Because the top and bottom is a circle, but I can’t make a circle with straight lines.”

While you could certainly let kids glue their masterpieces down to construction paper, we haven’t. They simply create a design on a large poster board, then take them all down and create something new.

And now we have a pile of pretty, colored Q-Tips to use in future math learning!

Other Ways to Use Q-Tips to Learn Math:

• To model addition and subtraction problems
• For measurement or estimation practice
• To create a hands-on number line to practice problems
• To build tally marks to keep count
• To create a recursive pattern in algebra
• Practice counting to 100
• Exploring symmetry

And so much more! What ideas do you have? Have you ever used Q-Tips to learn math or explore shapes? Share other ideas in the comments!

Want more ideas to learn about shapes? Try one of these:

• Exploring triangles with The Greedy Triangle
• Go on a shape scavenger hunt
• Create 3D shapes with a 3D drawing pen

This post is part of the 28 Days of STEM at Left Brain Craft Brain! For more fun STEM projects and “STEM on a Budget” ideas, see the full list here!

Want to win a $50 Amazon gift card (to buy awesome STEM supplies ) as well as fun STEM books? Enter below! Giveaway ends March 13th!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Math on a Budget: Learning with Q-Tips! appeared first on Math Geek Mama.

*Please Note: I received this pen and was compensated for my time in writing this post. But all ideas and opinions are my own. Read our full disclosure here.*

Before receiving and trying out this pen, I was completely ignorant to the fact that such a thing even exists. So to have one and play with it and learn together with my kids has been so much fun!

Learning About 3D Shapes with Atmosflare 3D Pen:

To get started, I made some 3D shapes with the pen. The kids were so excited to watch as I formed the shapes, constantly asking questions and wondering what I was going to do next.

After completing each shape, I would ask questions about it such as, “What would you call this shape?” “What shapes do you see on it?” and “How many sides does it have?”

Once they were dry and firm, I would let the kids hold and examine them, and make observations of their own.

I then created other shapes so that we could compare them.

Two main shapes that I wanted them to compare were a triangular prism and a square based pyramid, as these are often confused.

This allowed for good discussions about the shapes of the faces because the triangular prism has two bases that are triangles, and faces that are rectangular, and it does not come to a point.

A pyramid, on the other hand, as one square base and all the faces are triangles, and comes to a point.

After drawing and playing with our 3 dimensional shapes, I let my kids try out the pen to see what they could create!

Tips for Using the Atmosflare 3D Pen:

*Please note: This product says it is intended for ages 14+. I allowed my 6 and 7 year old to use it with close supervision, but you should use it at your own risk.*

Using the pen takes a bit of practice. It’s not that the pen is difficult, but obviously, I’m not used to drawing in mid air, so I had to try different things and techniques to achieve what I wanted. (And as you can see from my pictures, the shapes are not perfect, but it worked! )

When first starting, you need the ink to adhere to something, so we started on a poster board and drew up from there. Then you can start at different parts of your artwork and build up and out!

Also note that you have to keep the pen moving slow and steady as you draw. If you stop, the ink gets stuck in the tip, but if you go too fast, your creation will not hold together.

And lastly, the ink is a little sticky, so I suggest drawing a little, then letting it set and then continuing on.

If you’ve drawn something that is held together well (i.e. the ink is not too thin), it should be fairly long lasting! We still have our 3D shapes to look at, play with and discuss!

Other Ideas for Learning with a 3D Drawing Pen:

• Learn about architecture and recreate famous buildings
• Learn about proportion and scale modeling
• Practice measurement by measuring the height and width of your art work

Have you ever used a 3D drawing pen? What other ideas do you have for learning with a 3D pen? Amazingly, you can get this pen for only $29.99 on their website or at Toys R Us!

You can also follow Atmosflare on social media: Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram!

 Looking for more resources to explore 3D Shapes? Try one of these:

• 3D Shapes Game Bundle
• Printable Nets for 3D Shapes
• Exploring Euler’s Formula with “Sir Cumference”
• Exploring the Volume of 3D Shapes
• Form 3D Shapes out of play-doh

The post Learning About 3D Shapes with Atmosflare 3D Pen appeared first on Math Geek Mama.

*Please Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and help support the work of this site. Read our full disclosure here.*

Materials Needed for Christmas Tree Symmetry Craft:

• Green paper (scrapbook paper works well because it’s large, but card stock or construction paper would work well too)
• Scissors
• Markers
• Decorations like stickers, pom poms, sequins, etc.

To Make the Tree:

First, fold the paper in half and make a nice crease. This will be the line of symmetry.

Then, draw one side of the tree on the paper, as seen below. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but if you want your tree to stand when you’re finished, make sure the bottom is relatively straight.

You could even make it a triangle (and perhaps decorate the tree with other shapes if you’re making this with younger ones and want to work on shapes and colors!)

Once you have half of the tree drawn, cut it out so that you are cutting through both halves of the paper at the same time. This way you will end up with a symmetrical tree to decorate.

To Decorate Your Symmetrical Christmas Tree:

Before decorating, take some time to explain and discuss symmetry. Talk about the middle of the tree as the line of symmetry, and take turns folding the tree so that you can see how the sides “line up” like a reflection.

Then decorate the tree by placing stickers, ornaments, snowflakes, etc. symmetrically around the line of symmetry.

To help kids make sure they are symmetrical, remind them that each decoration should be equidistant (the same distance, but opposite sides) from the line of symmetry.

For younger kids, approximating is fine, but for older kids, you may want to give them a ruler and allow them to measure each side of the tree for more precision.

If you have decorations other than balls or snowflakes (such as candy canes), make sure to show them the reflection aspect of symmetry, and that the two will not only be equidistant from the center, but also opposite each other.

If you have younger ones, add some decorations to one side of the tree first, and let them “complete it.”

When everyone is finished decorating, take some time to count the decorations. Will the number be even or odd? Is this the same every time? How do you know?

(HINT: For every decoration added to the tree, you are adding one opposite the line of symmetry).

Then, set your trees up in your home or classroom for a simple and festive holiday decoration!

Most of all, let your kids have fun and be creative as they come up with different ways to decorate their Christmas Tree Symmetry craft!

Want another fun Christmas Tree Symmetry project? I LOVE this simple idea from Buggy and Buddy! It’s really easy to make, but the final product looks so cool!

Want another fun and easy way to explore symmetry with your kids? Try this Melted Crayon Art Project! It only takes a few minutes and puts all those broken crayons to good use!

Or read the book Seeing Symmetry by Loreen Leedy together!

Want a wide variety of symmetry learning ideas that are ready to use right now? Grab my complete set of Exploring Symmetry Lessons! This symmetry unit begins with open exploration of symmetry in nature, and progresses to symmetry vocabulary and even symmetrical area challenges for older kids. Learn more by clicking the button below:

Buy Exploring Symmetry HERE

Or if you need another easy way to weave a little math into your day this holiday season, try this Problem of the Day Christmas Countdown! This is the perfect way to review everything you’ve learned so far!

The post Easy Christmas Tree Symmetry Craft! appeared first on Math Geek Mama.

*Please Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and help support the work of this site. See our full disclosure here.*

Materials Needed for Bubble Art Prints:

There are a lot of different ways to go about painting with bubbles. I didn’t actually do any research before we started, I just played around with what we had on hand to find what works. For some different ideas, check out this post (although some of these techniques don’t make nice circles that you can measure after, but they do make fun art projects!)

• Dish Soap (or bubble mix)
• Water
• Plastic cups to mix the bubbles
• Food coloring
• Poster board or card stock (these will hold the colors better and will not fall apart when wet like printer paper, though we used that as well)
• Bubble wands (or straws)

I didn’t actually measure to mix up the bubbles (I’m more of a dump stuff in and see what happens kind of girl), but if you’d like a “recipe” check out this post for proper proportions!

Once you have a variety of colors of bubbles, start creating!

To Make Bubble Art Prints:

Because part of our goal was to make circle prints, we tried some different techniques to pop the bubbles on the page.

First, one child held the poster board up and the other kids tried to blow the bubbles onto it. This worked okay, but it was hard to get the bubbles to land on the poster.

Then, we simply laid it on the ground and the kids were able to get close and get the bubbles onto the poster without them blowing away.

The kids had so much fun trying different things and making observations. For instance, if the bubble popped quickly, or right off the wand, it simply splattered and did not form a circle on the poster.

However, if we were able to get the bubble to land on the poster before popping, it formed a nice ring!

And then others would pop on the paper and form a much more subtle, filled in circle.

This was SO fun for my kids, but it was a tab bit messy so I would suggest doing this activity outside. Although, it was also somewhat windy, which sometimes caused the papers to blow around or made it difficult to get the bubbles to land on the paper.

But honestly, I’m positive this bothered me more than it bothered the kids.

The Math In Our Bubble Art Prints:

After our large poster dried, we looked at it together and talked about the different circles that formed. We noticed that some prints weren’t actually circles, and we were able to discuss what actually makes a circle a circle.

(The book The Greedy Triangle is also a great way to have this discussion!)

We also talked about the bubbles before they popped, and they observed that they weren’t flat. I explained that the bubbles were spheres, but once they popped on the paper, they made circles.

Then, we used our rulers to measure the diameter of various circles. We decided to have a contest to see who could make the biggest circle, so we based this on the diameter.

Because my kids are young, we measured to the nearest inch and half inch, but if you have older kids this could be a great opportunity to measure more precisely, as well as measure the circumference and explore the number pi.

Although we did have some pretty small circles, we weren’t able to get much bigger than 2-2.5 inches in diameter.

We used bubble wands to blow the bubbles, but I’m wondering if using straws would help us make bigger prints? And perhaps using tempera paint or watercolors rather than food coloring would help make more distinct circles?

Who knows, maybe that will be an investigation for another day!

Have you ever tried painting with bubbles with your kids? If the weather is nice where you live, I highly recommend it!

Looking for more ways to explore circles and shapes? Try one of these lessons:

• Shape Scavenger Hunt (Free printable!)
• Exploring Triangles
• 10 Ways to Explore 3D Shapes

Plus, if you subscribe to my FREE email newsletter, you can grab a FREE lesson pack to use with the book, Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi to explore circumference and diameter further!

The post Math Art: Learning about Circles with Bubble Prints appeared first on Math Geek Mama.

*Please Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and help support the work of this site. Read our full disclosure policy here.*

Materials Needed for Number Bond Rainbows:

• Number Bond Rainbow Printables (at the end of this post)
• Watercolor paints  (or fingerpaints could be fun too!)
• Paintbrush
• Cup of water to rinse paintbrush

Before Painting the Facts:

Rather than simply jumping into this art project, spend some time reviewing addition facts. Start with one and talk about the different ways to build each number.

Look for patterns that develop with the facts themselves (which numbers have doubles?) as well as the number of facts for each number (how can we tell how many addition facts a number will have?).

Be sure to look at all the possibilities so that students see the commutative property (i.e. you can switch the numbers around and the solution is still the same: 3+4 = 4+3 = 7).

Depending on the age and background of your students, you may even want to spend time reviewing in a hands-on way to help kids see the addition facts, or to remind them of them.

Once you’ve had some good discussion and considered the patterns, it’s time to break out the paint!

The rainbows included in this free download go from 3-10. There are a couple of different ways you can use them.

One way would be to discuss the addition facts first (maybe even write them down for students) and then let them paint the rainbows that form by connecting the appropriate addends.

A second approach would be to simply explain how to form the rainbows (start by forming a bow with the middle two number and then work outwards), and then write out the addition facts and solutions after seeing the rainbows that form.

If you have older students, you could also have students create their own without the printables below! Or, have your third or fourth graders paint factor rainbows with their multiplication facts!

After they dry, add the solution above or below each rainbow, and then find the perfect place to display them!

However you use these, I hope you will have fun and your kids get creative as they learn and explore addition from 1-10!

{Click HERE to go to my shop to download the Number Bond Rainbows Printable!}

Looking for more resources for exploring number bonds? Try one of these:

• Exploring Number Bonds with Apple Slices
• Fall Number Bond Coloring Pages

And you may also like this set of mazes–a fun and unique way to practice addition and subtraction within 10! It also includes extension ideas, so kids don’t just focus on memorizing facts, but look for patterns and think deeply about math.

Learn more and get this complete resource here.

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Besides the cool math involved, one reason I loved this project was that it was so very easy. I read about it in the book, The Little Hands Art Book by Judy Press, and decided to try it and explain the math behind it for my kids.

It didn’t require much prep, and didn’t take long to complete, but the kids LOVED the results! I am not what you would call an artsy mom, and I don’t always ever have time for long and involved art projects. So this was a hit!

Materials Needed for Melted Crayon Symmetry Art Project:

• Wax paper (or something similar)
• Crayons (with paper peeled off)
• Vegetable peeler
• Iron

To Prep Ahead of Time:

• Make sure all the paper is off of whatever color crayons your kids want to use
• Tear pieces of wax paper for each kid
• Gather all materials together

Once you have all the necessary pieces, you’re ready to start creating! (You may want to go ahead and turn your iron on so it will be ready once you’re ready to melt the shavings.)

The first thing you’ll want your kids to do is fold their paper in half and make a nice crease. Explain that this will be their line of symmetry and that they need to keep all their crayon shavings on one side of the line.

Then it’s time for the fun part: peeling the crayons! With a little guidance, my kids (almost 6 and 7) were able to do this on their own. If you have younger ones, let them pick colors and tell you where to add shavings as you peel the crayons for them.

It may also be easier if you have bigger or fatter crayons. Keeping hold of the crayon was tricky, and because they were so thin they began to break after a few minutes of peeling.

Once your kids have all the colors arranged the way they want, carefully fold the paper in half and transfer it to your ironing board. This was the trickiest part, because I didn’t want the shavings to fall out.

I used a small ironing board, and didn’t have any trouble. Because I had the iron on a low setting (with no steam) I didn’t need anything in between the iron and the paper.

Be careful what you place it on though, because some of the crayon shavings came out the side and melted onto the ironing board. 

I tried ironing a couple of different ways, and I suggest more of a pressing of the iron than sliding it across the paper. When I slid it around, the colors smushed together quite a bit, and I liked the look of it better when I simply pressed the iron down and then lifted it before moving to another section.

You also want to press and hold to make sure the crayon melts to the opposite side so that you get a nice symmetrical image. As soon as all the crayon shavings are melted, slowly open the paper up to reveal the final product.

After the art is done and has cooled down, take some time to ask your kids what they notice. See how they explain the symmetry in their own words.

Some Ways to Explain Symmetry to Kids:

• It’s like a reflection in a mirror
• One side is the same as the other
• The image is flipped
• Each corresponding part of the picture is the same distance from the line of symmetry

If you have older kids, you may want to measure different parts of the image to show they are equidistant from the line of symmetry.

And most importantly, when everyone is done creating and has amazing math art pieces, find a place to display them proudly!

Another great way to incorporate math into your study of art is to read the book, Math-terpieces: The Art of Problem-Solving, by Greg Tang, or study mathematical works of M.C.Escher!

Want a wide variety of symmetry learning ideas that are ready to use right now? Grab my complete set of Exploring Symmetry Lessons! This symmetry unit begins with open exploration of symmetry in nature, and progresses to symmetry vocabulary and even symmetrical area challenges for older kids. Learn more by clicking the button below:

Buy Exploring Symmetry HERE

What are some of your favorite ways to incorporate math and art? Follow my Math + Art Pinterest Board, where I save all my favorite ideas!

Have FUN!

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