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Educational Toys

Starting from Math

Through nature walks and purposeful play outdoors, students will strengthen their numeracy skills while connecting them to their place. All lessons are adaptable based on the students' skills as well as the natural surroundings.

Map

1

Nature Scavenger Hunt

Through this activity, students will build numeracy skills while getting to know the natural area at their school. 

2

Colour Walk

Have students explore the natural area. Recording natural objects they see on the chart according to colour. Through this activity, students will gain awareness of their natural surroundings.

3

Adding Nature

Using natural objects as manipulatives, students create and solve math problems while familiarizing themselves with the place.

Nature Scavenger Hunt

Curricular Competencies

Math

  • Develop mental math strategies and abilities to make sense of quantities

  • ​Develop, demonstrate, and apply mathematical understanding through play, inquiry, and problem solving

  • Visualize to explore mathematical concepts

  • Model mathematics in contextualized experiences

Science

  • Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world

  • Experience and interpret the local environment

  • Make and record observations

  • Experience and interpret the local environment

  • Compare observations with those of others

Art

  • Express feelings, ideas, stories, observations, and experiences through the arts

Materials: ​

  • clipboards

  • worksheets

  • pencils

​

  1. Explain that we will be gathering data outside.

  2. Review the 4 columns: name of the object, a small sketch, tally (add as you go), count the tally at the end and write the number.

  3. As a class brainstorm six natural objects that could be found in their natural surroundings (e.g. back forest, field, etc.). Write them in the object boxes.

  4. Go outside, explain boundaries and expectations. Check in with students as they explore and count. Remind students to leave the number column until the end. 

  5. Regroup and have students count their tally marks and write the number for each object. 

  6. Discuss which object you found the most, least, and any surprising data.

 

Extensions:

  • Have students make bar graphs of their findings. 

  • Choose one object and make a more detailed sketch. Try out different shading techniques. 

Colour Walk

Curricular Competencies

Math

  • Develop mental math strategies and abilities to make sense of quantities

  • ​Develop, demonstrate, and apply mathematical understanding through play, inquiry, and problem solving

  • Visualize to explore mathematical concepts

  • Model mathematics in contextualized experiences

English Language Arts

Science

  • Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world

  • Experience and interpret the local environment

  • Communicate observations and ideas using oral or written language, drawing, or role-play

Art

  • Express feelings, ideas, stories, observations, and experiences through the arts

Materials: ​

  • clipboards

  • worksheets

  • pencils

​

  1. Review safety rules when walking. Hand out a colour chart with red, dark blue, light blue, light green, dark green, brown, black, red, orange, and yellow. Review how to draw tally marks.

  2. Hand out worksheets, clipboards, and pencils. As a class, walk around the school's natural area (e.g. around the playground, woods, perimeter of the field, etc.)

  3. Stop at each various spots. Have students use their "observation goggles" and write/draw objects of each colour in the boxes. Ask: is there anything else you see? Where do you think we will find the colour...?

  4. Walk back to the school. Gather in a circle and discuss findings. As a class, count and tally how many objects were found for each colour. Make a bar graph showing how many plants or animals were found for each colour. Discuss which colour had the most and least. Use inquiry prompts to lead discussion.

 

Extensions:

  • Have students fill out their own bar graphs using their own data.

  • Draw or paint a picture using the colours you saw during the walk. Include elements of plants or animals. 

  • Write a story using one object from each colour.

Adding Nature

Curricular Competencies

Math

  • Develop mental math strategies and abilities to make sense of quantities

  • Develop, demonstrate, and apply mathematical understanding through play, inquiry, and problem solving

  • Visualize to explore mathematical concepts

  • Model mathematics in contextualized experiences

  • Represent mathematical ideas in concrete, pictorial, and symbolic forms

  • ​Explain and justify mathematical ideas and decisions

Science

  • Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world

  • Experience and interpret the local environment

  1. Take the students outside to a spot where there are many different small natural objects (e.g. pinecones, leaves, sticks, rocks, etc.)

  2. Explain to students that they will be making their own math sentence (can be addition or subtraction) using natural objects. For example: 3 rocks + 5 rocks = 8 rocks. Outline boundaries and have students show you their equation when they are finished. Optional: photograph for teacher's assessment).

  3. Once finished, have them make a different equation and ask a friend to solve it. 

 

Extensions:

  • Discuss: Which natural object you use to make your math sentence and why? How many different objects?

  • Make a different kind of math sentence (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division).

  • Ask your math sentence as a word problem (a math story) to a friend, can they solve it?

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