Wouldn’t it be great to do a project with your class that would mix math and art, and end up with a beautiful fall classroom display plus a set of math center games? Well, here it is!
I love using integrated curriculum! Cross-curricular projects are a great way for us to help more of our students be successful, since they address multiple interests and learning strengths.
Integrated curriculum also offers great opportunities for review and overlearning, to help students retain concepts and vocabulary and apply them, too. Sometimes, changing the context of the instruction can make a huge difference in student engagement and success!
With this math and art resource, your students will roll two dice and add the numbers, and then color any space with that number. The twist is that each child has his or her own pumpkin page and chooses whatever colors they’d like. They can even work on their own, to remove the competitive element.
But let’s take it a step further – here comes your opportunity to mix math and art!
How about demonstrating how to use colored pencils to make lighter and darker tones of the same color? Then set your students to work on these pumpkins to test their skills. Here’s a pumpkin that uses only tones and shades of green. Imagine a rainbow of these in your classroom, with your students each using shades of his or her favorite color!
This is a great time for an art mini-lesson. Use a color wheel and discuss complementary colors, the opposites on the wheel. Challenge your students to choose any pair of complementary colors to complete their pumpkin. The picture at the top of this post is one example using oranges and blues. There are so many interesting variations of complementary pairs to try!
And of course, you can still just let your kiddos go wild with colors! Do you remember as a kid when we had to color maps and not let the same colors adjoin? That’s a fun twist to try with this math and art project!
So, once these autumn masterpieces are complete, how will you use them in your classroom?
* Cut away the edges and directions and hang them on classroom windows for a pretty display that you can keep up all through October and November. The sun really lights them up, as you can see here on these photos of the free subtraction version of this project.
* No windows in your classroom? (I’ve taught in a classroom like that… I feel for you… not fun.) Display each pumpkin on a piece of black construction paper for a striking wall display!
* Here’s a fun and easy way to turn your pumpkins into autumn math center games that your students will love to play again and again.
- Step One: When your students are rolling, adding, and coloring, have them color lightly (so the numbers will show through) and tell them that you have something special to do with the neatest ones. That’s usually a pretty good motivator for neat work!
- Step Two: Cut the pumpkins around their outline, like you would for the displays above and then laminate them. Now each one is a board game! Students play by rolling, adding, and covering the sum on their board. Some fall mini-erasers from your stash will be great for this, or just use erasable markers. Two students can play by sharing one board or by each using a different board. Student motivation is HIGH when they see that their own work is being put to such a good use! {Pssst! You can do this with almost any color-by-code activity page!}
Are you ready for your own copy of Patchwork Pumpkin Addition? Just click here to download!
Happy Teaching!
Originally published on Primary Inspiration Blog.
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