Math Madness Wednesdays: Shapes, Shapes, Everywhere Shapes!

Shapes, Shapes, Everywhere Shapes (sung to the tune of Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs...at least, it is in my head!).  How many of you have noticed that kids might know their basic shapes, but don't actually USE that knowledge for anything?  I enlisted my 10 and 11 year old to help me with today's idea and even they said "Wow!  I didn't realize that shapes really ARE everywhere!".  How can we help kids see shapes in everyday items, not just on a worksheet?  We take them on a Shapes Hunt!  

That is just what we did today and the kids were in control of my iPhone to capture some pictures to go along with it.  Do you have smart devices in the classroom?  You could do the same thing!  Pair or group the students and go on a SHAPES HUNT (in the class, down the halls, outside, where ever you can!).  Grab this freebie organizer to have students remember what shapes they are looking for as well as letting them jot down what they found, where they found it, or even sketches of their found objects.  

After they go on their hunt, the kids can come back and share what they found.  Want to continue with this project?  We downloaded Comic Story by beyondf while it was free (it is only 99 cents).  She had fun opening the pictures in this app and creating a comic showing off her shapes.  

My daughter found some interesting shapes and realized which ones were the most difficult to find (trapezoid, hexagon, and octagon for sure!).  It led to a great discussion about why those shapes wouldn't be as useful as some of the other shapes.   After you have identified shapes and you want to continue practicing those shapes, you can let the kids play my newest WILD game for 2-D shapes!  It is normally $3.00, but it is 50% off for the first 50 hours (until Thursday at 2 pm, PST).  Hop on over and snag it while it is on sale!

What do YOU do to help kids remember their shapes or notice the shapes around them?  Can't wait to hear!   Until next time, I am also linking up with Nancy at Teaching With Nancy for her weekly FREEBIE linky!  Check out all of the other FREE items by clicking on the badge below!

An InLinkz Link-up