We're Going on a Shape Hunt!
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Activity Description
“We're going on a shape hunt. Do you see a circle?”
Shapes are everywhere—from the pancakes on our breakfast plates to the street signs around town. After sharing a book about shapes and reviewing various shape “models” you've created, learning to spot them in the environment is more than just a fun game for children. It also helps them tie together different skills such as recognizing and identifying shapes and using words and pictures to describe their location. Just as important, this activity will also give children a sense that they know something important, making it highly likely that their shape-hunting skills will continue long after the game is over!
Why This Is Helpful
Math and reading skills may seem a world apart, yet many activities can work to strengthen both at the same time. Learning to identify shapes in the world around us is one of them.
When children look at shapes in a book, they learn to attach words to mathematical ideas. When they find these same shapes around them, they begin to see how math connects to their world, which is just as important as thinking critically, sorting, and naming, all skills they’ll use to describe what and where the shape is.
This activity was modified from the ReadWriteThink lesson plan “Going on a Shape Hunt: Integrating Math and Literacy.”
Here's What to Do
- Before beginning this activity, create several shapes to use as examples. Depending on the age and grade level of the child, you may cut out your own simple, two-dimensional shapes (such as a square, circle, triangle, rectangle) or you may choose to use empty containers to represent three-dimensional shapes (such as a cylinder, cube, rectangular prism, or triangular prism). A few ideas to consider include
- Having the child help you make and label the shapes if you think that he or she knows what they are and would enjoy the review.
- Covering any containers you use with plain paper so that the child can focus on the shape as opposed to its contents (that is, a cylinder as opposed to an oatmeal container).
- Using more "unusual" two-dimensional shapes such as ovals, trapezoids, or different kinds of triangles. This can offer a chance to compare and talk about different shapes (for example, how is an oval different from a circle?). For examples and definitions of both two- and three-dimensional shapes, please see Helpful Information About Geometric Shapes and Solids.
- Having the child help you make and label the shapes if you think that he or she knows what they are and would enjoy the review.
- Share a book about shapes. Some good examples include The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns, Round Trip by Ann Jonas, Eight Hands Round by Ann Whitford Paul, and Round Is a Mooncake by Roseanne Thong, though you may substitute any of your favorite shape-related books. After reading first for pleasure, go through the book again, pointing to and talking about the various shapes illustrated on each page.
- Introduce the concept that shapes are found not only on the pages of these books, but all around us. If you are indoors, encourage the child to look around the room. What shape is the clock? The table? The mirror? Point out that the book you just read is itself a shape! If you are outside, notice the shapes that occur in nature. What shapes can be seen in the flowers and trees? How about the moon? And finally look for shapes in familiar things, like the outside of the house or the family car. What shape is the front door? The roof? The tire? The steering wheel?
- Prepare for your hunt by singing the Shape Hunt Chant, a silly song that lets children know what shapes they’re going to be searching for. Repeat the chant for each shape, holding up the example you’ve prepared for the child’s reference. Invite the child to take part by pausing after the line “Do you see a…?” Then hold up a shape and let the child call out its name.
- Now you’re ready to become shape hunters! As you sing the shape hunt chant, explore the world around you, letting the child take the lead. When you reach the line that says, "Do you see a circle?" ask the child to find and point to a circle in the environment. Do the same with each new shape that you have introduced. From bicycle wheels to pizza slices, you’ll be amazed at how many shapes a child can find!
More Ideas to Try
- Make a list of all the different objects the child finds for each shape, then discuss your findings. Were there more circles or triangles? Were there more squares or rectangles?
- Visit the Colors and Shapes page on the Number Nut website to play shape-related games.
What You Need
- Construction paper and scissors, if cutting out two-dimensional shapes
- A variety of shaped containers (such as an empty can, shoe box, or ring box) if demonstrating three-dimensional shapes
- Any shape-related picture book, such as The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns (Scholastic, 2008); Round Trip by Ann Jonas (HarperCollins, 1990); Eight Hands Round: A Patchwork Alphabet by Ann Whitford Paul (HarperCollins, 1996); or Round Is a Mooncake: A Book of Shapes by Roseanne Thong (Chronicle Books, 2000)
- Shape Hunt Chant
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