Math Centres

Numbers and Equations

• Make a Number Book
• Play Dominoes
• Math stories:
  Using tiny toys and back ground scenes, make math stories. eg: It was a busy day at the airport today. 3 airplanes landed at the airport and 3 more landed after, there were 6 airplanes all together at the airport...
• Create equations for a certan number using manipulatives such as beans, keys, unifix cubes, etc. and have each child draw pictures of the various combinations.
  eg: for the number 7, 5 beans + 2 beans = 7 beans
• Stick some stickers on a piece of tag board and laminate. Ask children to circle the stickers into groups of ten using a washable marker. They ask them to count by 10's then 1's to find the answer.
• Bean Race:
  This game can be played in small groups or in pairs. Students take turns rolling a die. Each time they roll it, they pick up the number of beans that corresponds to the number on the die. The first one to get 100 beans wins.
• Play War

Geometry

• Tangram Puzzles
• Shape Pictures:
  Cut out hundreds of shapes out construction paper and ask students to glue them onto another piece of paper to make a picture.
• Make Toothpick Shapes:
  Using plasticine and toothpicks, have students make shapes that resememble those drawn on a series of cards.
• Make Geometric Solids:
  Provide students with photocopies of the maps to geometric shapes. Ask them to cut them out and glue the sides together to make solids.
• Graphing Geometry in the Classroom:
  Draw a columns on a large roll of paper and label each column for each geometric solid and/or shape they are studying. Ask students to draw pictures of things from the classroom that fall under each column. Eg: a chalk board could go under the rectangle column and a trash can could go under the cylinder column.
• Make Objects Out of Geometric Solids:
  Have students make things out of all the geometric solids that they put together or beforehand, collect boxes, cans, etc. for them to use.

Patterns

• Make Pattern Necklaces and Bracelets out of Fruit Loops
• Make Patterns Using Unifix Cubes
• Make Patterns Using Keys
• Make Patterns Using Stamps

   

Measurement

• Weight Centre:
  Have a variety of scales and ask students to try weighing things from the classroom. Fold a piece of paper in half and on one side draw an object on the other side draw something that ended up being lighter.
   
• Rice Centre:
  Have a variety of jars and a large container of rice. Allow students to explore the volumes of the different jars.
• Measuring With String:
  Have pieces of string that are a wide variety of length. Allow students to find things around the classroom that are longer, shorter, the same size as the pieces of string.
• Mesuring With Rulers
• Measuring With Paper Clips
• Measuring With Shoes
• Reading a Thermometer:
  Provide some thermometers as well as bowls of water that are of different temperatures. Ask students to record the temperature of each of the bowls.