Exploring Summer Math with Math Eyes: A Fun Lesson Idea for the End of the School Year

As the school year draws to a close, I want to share an exciting lesson idea that I co-taught recently. It's all about helping children mathematize their summer and continue engaging with math even during their break. So, grab your math eyes and let's dive in!

Inspiration struck when I recalled Adrienne Gear’s captivating concept of using "poetry eyes" from her book, Powerful Poetry. It got me thinking: What if we shifted the focus to "math eyes"? And that's exactly what we did!

The Launch: 

We kicked off the lesson by sharing with the children, "Math is hiding everywhere! As a mathematicians, we realize math is all around us. You just have to use your math eyes to see it in the world. As mathematicians, we pay attention and notice things from a math perspective. We use our math eyes to discover math in everything! Can you think of any math hiding in summer?"

We drew some math eyes on the board and encouraged the children to turn and talk with their peers, discussing, "What math do you think is hiding in summer?" When we reconvened, they eagerly shared their ideas, building upon one another's thoughts.

Some of their suggestions included planning a birthday party or another summer gathering, exploring the outdoors (parks, zoos, camping), engaging in sports (angle measurements, counting equipment), going shopping, and more! As the children shared their ideas, we documented their thoughts on the board, making their thinking visible. Throughout the discussion, we paused two or three times for additional turn-and-talk sessions, asking, "What new ideas are coming to you now? What ideas would you like to build on and share more about?"

The ideas began to flow and the children couldn't contain their enthusiasm! They even invented spontaneous road trip games and collaborated on new game ideas together.

Creating Personal Summer Math Plans: 

Next, we invited them to create their own personal Summer Math Plans. To demonstrate the process, I voiced my thoughts aloud, wondering, "Hmmm, I really like the birthday party idea, but my birthday falls in December. Does it make sense to include it in my plan?" Then, I shared another idea, saying, "During the summer, my family spends a lot of time at our cabin. When we go, we have to plan meals for everyone. Since it's asparagus season, and we all love it, I need to figure out how much asparagus to buy. Let's say each person eats about 5 pieces of asparagus. How much will I need to feed my family? What if our neighbors join us for dinner too? How much then?" I recorded my summer math wonder on my own Summer Math Plan.

Afterward, we gave the children time to create their own summer math plans. We noticed that some of them needed a little nudge to move beyond basic counting. With some extra guidance and sharing examples that extended beyond counting (especially for upper elementary students), we were able to witness some truly impressive summer math plans taking shape!

We are thrilled to send these plans home with the children, in the hopes of inspiring meaningful family math conversations during the summer break.

Check them out here!

Try It Out!

I encourage you to try this engaging activity in your classroom as we wrap up our school year. Have the children create their own 'Summer Math Plan,' and don't forget to share a photo of their plans with me! I would love to see the creative ways they plan to embrace math during the summer.

Keep the math magic alive!