Origami Polyhedra

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I love teaching geometry. It is funny because I took geometry in summer school to get ahead in math. Eighth or ninth grade is when my math brain kicked in and I wasn't in the honors program. So, the summer after ninth grade I took geometry in summer school to get into the honors program. My own exposure to geometry wasn't great because of the rushed aspect of summer school, but when I started to teach geometry, I fell in love. Geometry is a visual math. There are so many things that lend to projects in geometry and origami is a fun way of exploring shapes and can be a fun enrichment to any geometry class. I have shared different products and lessons over the years involving origami and math. Today I get to share a book that teaches the ultimate geometry lessons with origami--the polyhedra!! The book is The Complete Book of Origami Polyhedra by Tomoko Fuse. 

Discovery Math Activities Round-Up

I saw a meme on Facebook that says: "Think you're bored? When Sir Isaac Newton invented calculus it was during the plague. Do you have any idea how bored you have to be to invent calculus?" Now the truth is Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, a German mathematician, published the same discoveries around the exact same time as Isaac Newton. Each mathematician claimed the other stole his ideas, but it is believed that both actually discovered the same thing separately around the same time. (For more about Isaac Newton click here and I share a little more about both men here.) 

Bringing Origami to Geometry Class -- Product Reviews

 

Disclosure: I was sent these products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

One thing I love to do is bring origami into my classroom. Whether using the old patty paper methods to discover theorems and such or doing origami and perhaps an origami project to demonstrate using geometric terms or just to have cool geometric shapes around the room, I love adding origami. I actually have a box of origami paper in my room-- a boot box covered with Asian wrapping paper. Students come in all the time to have a piece or two just to create something for a relaxed moment. Today I am sharing a book full of geometry and geometric shapes all created by origami and two different packs of origami paper (which all will be added to my classroom supply). I have a shelf full of origami books and kits as well. The book is The Art & Science of Geometric Origami by Jun Maekawa. The packs of paper are Origami Paper 300 Sheets Vibrant Colors 4" (10 cm) and Origami Paper in a Box Japanese Washi Patterns. 

Fun Books that Teach

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Have you heard of the four gift rule? It says parents should give their kids only four gifts: something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read. With the holidays quickly approaching I want to share some fun books this week in time for you to make purchases for gifts. If your child is like mine you will be buying books for both something they want and something to read. My family has been complaining because the only things on Hazel's wish list for the most part are books. (Hard to believe when you think about all the books I get to review but they are not all of the series she loves.) Anyway, today I am going to share with books that teach something to the reader.  These books are for ages 8 - 18. Most are for ages 8-12 but there is one for high schoolers. We will start with Brain Candy 2 by Kelly Hargrave.

Origami for Geometry Class with Marbled Patterns Origami Paper

  

Disclosure: I was sent a pack of this origami paper in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

As I mentioned I am returning to the high school math classroom in the fall! One of my goals is to bring more hands-on activities as well as projects to the class. One of the classes I am pretty sure I will be teaching is geometry. I am so excited to be back in the geometry classroom. I am hoping to use origami in the classroom and definitely want to have an origami project in the geometry class. This year's teacher did this, so I am working off her idea and adding my own spin. Today I am going to share two origami tutorials all using a beautiful pack of Origami Paper 500 Sheets Marbled Patterns 6-inch paper. This particular pack of paper is being released in July 2022, but there is a similar pack of 200 sheets already available. 

New Origami Book with Easy Geometric Projects and Mathematical Explanations!!

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I am so excited to share with you a new origami book. Now some origami tutorials can be difficult to follow, but this book is amazing!! Now I have posted about how I use origami in my geometry class. Today's book is perfect for the classroom!! The book is Origami Polyhedra for Beginners: Amazing Geometric Paper Models from a Leading Japanese Expert! by Miyuki Kawamura.

The Volume -- Picture book introducing art along with science & math concepts like dots, lines, Big Bang Theory & more!

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today I get to share a book that introduces topics like art, books, as well as geometry, infinity, the big bang and more. Needless to say this book is perfect for introducing different concepts to kids. It is a picture book but has a good amount of words in it and on a page so I'm guessing it is for grades 1-3. There is no age recommendation given by the publishers. The book is The Volume by Luis Camnitzer. 

Math Monday -- Parent Graph Transformations Lessons

 

The start of this year is tough. My schedule is tough. I teach straight through on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with only lunch as a break. I have two prep periods on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but they are usually spent giving extra help to students. Our school requires teachers to be there from 7:30 to 4. School goes from 8:15 to 3:15. I have to say the extra time until 4 is a waste for me because my brain just needs a break before I can really think or function on work. I often have to wait until after dinner to get any more work done. As a teacher I feel it is a little ridiculous for any school to have set hours for teachers besides the required ones when the school is open. Teachers by nature will do the work they need to on their own time. We are not teaching because we want to be rich or famous. We teach because we want to teach and be with the kids. After three weeks in, I'm still getting use to the schedule and figuring things out.

For the Love of Geometry: Math Lessons at Crafty Moms Share

It has been awhile since I did a Math Lessons post. Here is one for older children that can be adapted for any who can read and write and know a bit of geometry. It is a seasonal one for Valentine's Day. I used it in my high school geometry class for several years. It is also a nice crossover to writing and English classes. I gave the students a list of vocabulary words from the geometry book glossary. Some of the words we had learned and some would be taught later in the year. They had to write love poems or odes using some of the words. For some classes I gave a certain number of words to use and in others I graded based on how many were used. Click on the picture to go to get a Word version of the page.

Origami in the Geometry Classroom

 

Disclosure: I was sent these packages of origami paper in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Last week was a stressful and emotional week at school and home, so I wasn't able to post. I have realized when I'm not in the right mindset my reviews are hard to write. For a while I have wanted to share some ideas I use in my geometry class with origami paper. I will be sharing four new packages of origami paper with you in this post. I keep a box of origami paper in my classroom and students come and get some when they are feeling creative or need to relax. I also use it in my geometry class. I have the kids do a project using geometric terms project using geometric terms, but I also use it for some easy discovery and illustrating properties. I have been wanting to share these ideas with you. May is the perfect time to introduce it since origami is a Japanese art form and ties into Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Ada Byron Lovelace & the Thinking Machine --Book Review & Multicultural Mathematics

Disclosure: Creston Books gave me a copy of this book free of charge to review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

I always get so excited to see a picture book about a mathematician and especially about a female mathematician!! I love introducing Hazel to various mathematicians and find the picture books are the best way except there are not many picture books about mathematicians out there. When I saw Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine by Laurie Wallmark and illustrated by April Chu I knew I had to check it out. It did not disappoint me!!

Math from the Middle East: Middle Eastern & Northern Africa Blog Series and Giveaway

This post is part of the Multicultural Kid Blogs' Middle Eastern and Northern African Heritage Month Blog Series and Giveaway. To enter the giveaway scroll to the bottom. I thought I would continue my look at multicultural mathematics by looking at some of the Middle Eastern mathematicians and mathematics from the Middle East. Unfortunately I was not able to find books that shared this information that Hazel could understand. I am sharing a bit about a few mathematicians and lessons to go with their discoveries as well as a bit on Islamic art and lessons as well.

Back-to-School--Math Resources #STEM

Disclosure: Oriental Trading sent me this products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Are your kids back at school yet? My Facebook feed is filled with first day pictures and it isn't quite time for the Northeast where the majority of my Facebook friends live. Hazel does not start until after Labor Day, but I know plenty who start earlier. To help those who are starting or who homeschool I thought I would use my teaching skills and review some mathematics resources for you today. Did you know that Oriental Trading has a whole curriculum section? Yes, Oriental Trading, my go-to for party and craft supplies has school curriculum! I figured I might as well use my math teaching experience to check some of this out. I focused on three areas--geometry, fractions and multiplication. Hazel is just learning her multiplication facts so I figured something to help her with that would be good. I found Learning Resources tri-FACT-a Multiplication and Division Game. (There is an addition and subtraction version as well.)

Origami Animals and Origami Paper Review and How I Use It in My Classroom

 

Disclosure: I was sent these products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I am heading back to school for teacher training and the pre-school year prep. One of the things I always have in my room is origami paper and books. I use them with my geometry classes and pull them out during breaks and students come in to get some when they need a break or something to do with their hands. Today I am going to share with you an origami kit and three packs of origami paper which I will be adding to my classroom collection! We will start with the kit which is Fun with Origami Animals by Sam Ita. It is recommended for ages 6 to 10. I would say it is perfect for beginners no matter the age.

Back to School...Classroom Decor, Things I Learned and Free Resources

 

It was very different teaching last year versus when I left teaching 17 years ago. So much has changed from technology to expectations. When I taught previously every high school used Geometers' Sketchpad and now there are free and easier to use programs like GeoGebra. Graphing calculators were a huge deal and it was hard to get students to buy them. We actually often had a class set or at least a few for the ones who could not afford them. Now if they do not have the calculators, they can use online programs like Desmos. Although I did not permit Desmos during tests since it was too hard to monitor what they were really doing on their devices with online searches and such. I discovered I liked Desmos better for some things because of the ease to use it. However, I still teach kids to use their graphing calculators because they are able to use them in standardized testing like the SAT and ACT. 

Queen Goharshad -- Brave with Beauty -- a Multicultural Children's Book Day Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Have you ever heard of Queen Goharshad? She was queen of Khorashan back in the 1400s. Khorashan was in present day Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey. She is remembered for the buildings she built including the Goharshad Mosque (in present day Iran) and for supporting the arts. Today I get to share with you a wonderful picture book based on this amazing woman and her accomplishments. The book is called Brave with Beauty: A Story of Afghanistan by Maxine Rose Schur with art by Patricia Grush, Robin Dewitt, and Golsa Yaghoobi. It is recommended for ages 7 to 9.

Geometric Origami Project -- Origami Bunny Balloon Tutorial with Geometry Terms

 

In geometry class we have been talking about the special segments in triangles. It is the perfect time to introduce my origami project. To start I shared a tutorial with them making an origami bunny balloon. I use terms from our lessons like median, midsegment, angle bisector and more throughout the tutorial. The kids make one with me in class. Then I give them my assignment. The kids enjoyed spending the class trying different origami projects. You can watch my tutorial here. I love that I am making an origami bunny balloon when lunar new year is going on and it is the year of the rabbit in Chinese Horoscope. 

Math Themed Calendars

 

Disclosure: I was sent these calendars in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

With the new year approaching I have to share something I am excited to add to my classroom. I am sharing two math-themed calendars or what I will call math themed. I have two page-a-day calendars that will work in my classroom. One is Origami Page-A-Day 2024 Calendar by Margaret Van Sicklen and Workman Calendars, and it will be perfect in my geometry class as well to enterain the kids who visit my room for origami paper. The other one is Original Sudoku Page-A-Day 2024 Calendar by Workman Calendars and Nikoli Publishing, and it is perfect for adding some problem solving and logic skills to kids. 

Dollhouse Scaling Project -- Geometry Class Project

 

This weekend I found a mini-room box kit on clearance at a craft store. I picked it up and thought it would be great for my classroom when I teach ratios, similarity and scaling. It is 1/24-scale which is also known as 1/2 scale. The 1/24 scale means that for every 24 inches (or 2 feet) an object is in real life, the miniature will have 1-inch. All the dollhouses I have worked with previously have been 1/12 scale or sometimes called 1:1 scale. It is for every 12 inches (or 1 foot) a real-life object is the miniature will measure 1 inch. The kit was easy to put together though I did mess up the wallpaper on one piece.

Math Lesson: Finding Shapes and Patterns Everywhere!

Congratulations to Danelle for winning the Pocoyo's Circus DVD. Come back tomorrow for a new giveaway!

I haven't done a math lesson post in awhile, so I thought I would share some great picture books on shapes and patterns and a fun activity I use to do with my geometry students made easier for younger kids. The first book I am sharing is Round is a Tortilla: A Book of Shapes by Roseanne Greenfield Thong. Since it is still Hispanic Heritage Month, this is the perfect book to share and use for shapes. The book goes through many shapes: circles, squares, rectangles, stars and more. Each shape has several different things that are that shape. Many of the objects are mentioned in Spanish or are Hispanic in origin. We really enjoyed reading this book as it taught a bit about the culture as well as the shapes.

The next book is A Star in My Orange: Looking for Nature's Shapes by Sana Meachen Rau is a fun book about looking for stars in nature. Some we have thought of are on the leaves of tomatoes. This one had a few of its points bent and/or broken, but you can get the general idea.








 Another place is in an apple when you cut it horizontal instead of along the length of the core.

Our final book for today is part of the Math Every Day series and it is Patterns Outside by Daniel Nunn. It is a wonderful book to introduce looking for patterns. The focus of  the book is patterns found at a park in nature.




Now to go with these three books, I thought a fun activity would be a shape scavenger hunt and scrapbook.  This is an activity I use to do with my high school geometry students. Their list was much longer and harder, but I made a simple one in Word that you can use or change to what your child knows. (I did this project with the students at the beginning of the year to introduce many of the vocabulary words to them.)

The activity itself is to find different triangles either in a picture from a magazine, newspaper (some place they can cut it out) or take a photograph of one. Ideas would be the triangle formed to make a roof, a triangle musical instrument, the triangle in a butterfly wing, etc. I gave numbers for each shape. The list is done by pages so all the pictures of the triangles will be on the same page, then the pictures of squares, etc. The object of the activity is for kids to see geometry and shapes everywhere as well as get use to the terms. If you try it, please let me know how you like it! Again feel free to adjust the shapes and vocabulary words to make it age appropriate for your child(ren).