Monday Math: Outdoor Math

As weather gets nicer (mostly?) there are ways to incorporate math outside in your yard... or inside...

Dart Math:

Materials: Can draw with chalk outside, or use white board and markers, real darts for older kids, nurf or toy dart boards also work.

Pick up a set of Sticky Darts and draw two dartboards side by side. You can do this outside with chalk too. You can label the rings with any numbers you like. Kids throw the darts and then add, subtract, multiply, or divide the numbers – your choice!      Learn more: Inspiration Labs

Bracelet Fact Game:

Materials: pipe cleaners, colored tape or thin post-it notes

This activity helps children to remember basic facts in an area of your choice. Help your child or group of students decide on facts to practice (addition, subtraction, multiplication or division). Start with five to learn and practice. These should be facts that the child knows how to figure out but needs to gain in recall speed.

Activity: To play this as a game with two players, have each player play with the same facts on their bracelet. One player keeps the facts on the questions and the other player turns hers’ over to the answers. The first player asks a question or gives an answer and the other player locates it on her bracelet. For example, if player one calls out 5 + 5, the second player finds the answer 10 on her bracelet and calls it out. Starting with the answer is fun too, where the answer of 10 is called out and the other player locates the question 5 + 5. Children can also play on their own by quizzing themselves and checking answers.

Beach Ball Facts:

Materials: large beach ball, sharpie pen

This game can be played with as little as one player to a whole large group of players.  Before playing write math facts on the spaces of a beach ball. Choose facts based on your child’s needs. To play alone, the player simply tosses the ball up in the air, catches it, and answers the question closest to him on the beach ball. If playing with other children, the ball is tossed back and forth and each player answers the question closest to him when he catches the ball. This game is easy to take with you and can be used in all different subject areas by simply changing the questions.

Hopscotch Counting or Facts

Materials: sidewalk chalk, and flat small sticks

I just taught my own children the game of hopscotch and we played for hours. In this version, it is played the same way as the original with a little twist in the labeling of the boxes. Instead of labeling each square with numbers one through ten, have your child practice skip counting. We labeled boxes by 2’s and 3’s to practice but you could decide on something different. Another fun idea is to start the first number higher, maybe 22, and then count by 2’s. Your boxes would be labeled: 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, and 40. Facts can also be written in the boxes with or without the answer. You could make boxes labeled 1+1 = 2, 2+2 = 4, etc. and have your child say the facts as he/she moves through the box.

Chalk Clock

Materials: sidewalk chalk

Draw a giant clock face with hours and minutes on the playground with sidewalk chalk. Choose two students to be the hour and minute hands, then call out a time and send them out to become the clock. Add more complicated elements by having them add to or subtract from the initial time too. (“Now it’s 23 minutes later!”)

Dance Angles

Materials: sidewalk chalk or masking tape

Teach kids about transversals and the angles they create with some fun dance moves! Get the details for “Dance Dance Transversal” at the link below.

Learn more: Communicating Mathematically

Math Flower:



Materials: sidewalk chalk 

It’s amazing how many math games you can play with sidewalk chalk! For this one, kids draw a basic flower with 10 numbered petals as shown. Then they write a number to multiply (or add or subtract) by in the middle, and fill in the petals with the correct answers.

Learn more: Tinker About

MORE NEXT WEEK

More Sources:
https://www.hoodamath.com/games/findhqbackyard.html
https://www.learninghouse.ca/products/1810/products_detail/backyard-math-with-zac.html
http://www.math-games-and-activities-at-home.com/support-files/top10.pdf
https://www.messforless.net/outdoor-math-game/
https://www.playfullearning.net/resource/outdoor-math-games/
https://www.weareteachers.com/active-math-games/