The Greedy Triangle

I decided to share with "A" one of my favorite math books The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns. It is a very cute picture book about a triangle that gets "dissatisfied" and goes to a shape-shifter to become shapes with more sides and angles. It is an excellent introduction to shapes for children. If you can't find it at your library you can watch it on SchoolTube.

After watching the book online we did an art project where we taped off shapes on watercolor paper. You should really use painter's tape but we just had scotch tape on hand. Then paint each shape a different color. When the paint is dry then you pull the tape away. This is one of my favorite pieces of art we have done so far!

My finished piece (a little out of focus)

"A's" turned out pretty awesome too-HE LOVE THIS!

I then had "A" make shapes using a print-out for reference. The idea I got from Counting Coconuts. Originally, I tried to have "A" make the shapes out of colored toothpicks on the shape guide. However, when we started to run out of room he had a total meltdown. To smooth thinks over I just had him make the shapes out of popsicle sticks and chose a new project for a permanent reminder of our shape learning.

1st attempt didn't go so well

Set up a new way to make shapes

Meltdown free!

I decided a better keepsake would be a shape book. I made the book with two pieces of cardboard and pages in side-one for each shape we learned (plus I added a circle). I used construction paper to make a greedy triangle for the cover. I added the guide sheet we used for popsicles in the inside cover. Then I wrote the name of the shape and how many sides it had on the top.  "A" then got to become a shape detective and look through magazines for shapes and glue them to the appropriate page. I have to admit it was difficult to find pentagons, hexagons, and octagons in my magazines. To help him out I found shapes online and cut and pasted them in Word. After printing them out he had to cut from that page and then find what page in his book they belonged to.

Example of pages=Circles

Octagons (we also did quadrilaterals, triangles, pentagons, and hexagons)

SHAPE-TASTIC FUN!!!

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