Teaching Mathematics Outside the Classroom
Shape and Space
There are plenty of ways for teaching Shape and Space in our environment. It is impossible to teach this strand without the use of real-life resources that the children can touch and observe. It provides excellent opportunities to go on shape trails around the school. Similarly it is cross-curricular whereby children could make their own shapes in an art lesson.
2D/3D Math Trail. Children go on a shape trail to identify shapes and their properties. Use clipboards and the maths sheet (sample seen on Number tab). The children can count how many shapes they see, record the colour of shapes and recognise how many sides/corners/faces they have.
Shape house. Children observe the school or a building of their choice outside the classroom. Draw their own shape house/shape school using 2D and 3D shapes. Encourage children to use rulers and a variety of shapes.
Shape Sorting. Children collect a range of objects such as a cone, a leaf, a ball and many more. Feely bag – Put them into a bag or a pillowcase. One child puts hand into bag to feel one shape. They describe the shape to the class mentioning
corners, straight sides and other shape properties. Children in the class have to guess what shape it might be.
Shape detective. Hide a variety of shapes around the school/gym/playground. Children go on a shape hunt. They discuss what shapes they found and use mathematical vocabulary to discuss the properties of each shape.
Route Finder. Walk to the gym/playground/lunch hall. Ask children to describe how they got there using mathematical vocabulary (turn right, walk forwards 2 steps). Draw a map of the route with written instructions.
Directions. Direct children to an area in the playground (take 3 steps forward, turn right and stop). Ask child where are they now. Children work in partners in the playground to direct their partner to a certain place using mathemaical vocabulary.
