While we may not be able to sort all the problems in the world from our classrooms, we can certainly do our bit for the environment. Embracing natural or sustainable materials in practical maths activities can immerse children in ideas about sustainability, recycling and our relationship with the natural world.
1. Draw number lines, shapes and hopscotch games on the ground outside
Using playground chalk to draw number lines, shapes and hopscotch games on an outside space can turn maths lessons into active, outdoor play.
Children can hop along number lines to practice counting, addition and subtraction, or jump through hopscotch grids to recognise shapes and numbers or answer more complex questions for older children.
Each year my class drew a huge scale chalk map of the country on the playground, We scaled up a tracing of the coastline made on cm squared paper to a 1m grid laid out in the playground and marked major towns and rivers. It proved so popular with parents and passing walkers, we finally made it a permanent feature using paint on one rare sunny afternoon! All the teachers in school then started to use it an outside resource to study distances, coordinates, area, places, history, travel, holidays…
MArk, Teacher
2. Leaf and flower symmetry art
I find it is always nice to find ways to connect creativity with mathematical thinking.
Collecting leaves or petals and arranging them into mirror or circular patterns provides a beautiful and tactile way to explore forms of symmetry.
The work of Andy Goldsworthy is a great inspiration for exploring ideas of art and shapes with natural materials.
3. DIY weighing scales
Creating their own balance scales using wood (wooden coat hangers are ideal), string and paper cups allows children to compare weights and measure mass. I find the experience of making the apparatus themselves gives them a deeper understanding of what is actually happening.
If there is one idea that gets to the heart of problem solving, using or adapting non standard objects as measures is possibly it. It develops a ‘common sense’ around numbers and measurement that builds useful life skills…. converting volumes and weights for recipes, estimating materials needed for decorating or DIY, etc.
4. Paper strip fractions
Many pieces of plastic apparatus can be recreated by yourself or the children from card or paper.
Folding and cutting strips of paper to visualise fractions such as halves, quarters and thirds helps make abstract concepts more concrete. A simple yet effective activity that helps children grasp the basics of fractions through direct manipulation and visual representation. The ability for the children to colour and personalise their own strips allows them to better express and explore their understanding.
You can download a printable set of fraction strips to 12ths here.
5. Story stones for word problems
It is always fun to paint stones to make outdoor displays. Painting numbers, symbols and simple pictures onto stones creates a versatile resource for your lessons. A permanent marker pen can work well too to mark pebbles.
The children then use these stones to visualise a range of maths problems or sums helping to make abstract concepts more relatable, engaging and memorable.
If you have a garden area you can have a wide array of small stones painted with digits and symbols secreted around the place. Children can seek them out and bring them to a central spot for an outdoor lesson or maths practise.
6. Nature-based counting collections
I always encourage children of all ages to collect items like acorns, pinecones or pebbles to create and extend our counting collections to integrate nature with maths learning. These natural objects can be used for all manner of counting, sorting and pattern creation.
Autumn is a great time to collect some new natural maths bounty too! Seasonal maths!
7. Maths gardens
A school garden is a living classroom! Consider a theme when replanting or laying out a garden where each section represents different maths concepts, such as geometry (shapes of garden beds) or measurement (growth tracking).
Our vegetable bed has a wooden post marked every 10 cm so that the children can quickly assess the height of their growing plants!
8. Recycled material geometry
We often use recycled materials such as cardboard or fabric scraps to create geometric shapes and patterns which encourages children to see the maths in everyday objects.
As well as promoting sustainability, it opens their eyes to the elaborate geometric designs often used in fashion.
9. Interactive maths trails
Designing a maths trail around the school grounds with stations that include maths challenges and puzzles turns learning into an adventure.
I had installed a array of numbered wooden orienteering markers all around the school walls and the grounds. By hanging clues and puzzles on them, I could set a challenge where the children would need to work out the clue to find the next marker. Sometimes I would use letters to spell a final clue word or location.
10. Eco-friendly maths games
Encouraging them to develop their own board or card games using recycled paper and natural elements, such as leaves or seeds, can make maths practice fun and environmentally conscious.
Final thoughts
Hopefully you can find a practical alternative to some of your regular maths resources among those examples.
I find that integrating natural things we find around our classroom environment provides a nice way to instil a sense of environmental responsibility while creating a more holistic and engaging learning experience.
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