Caesar cipher. Part 2.

More coded messages. Bel asked me for more codes, so I grabbed some facts for kids and encoded them online. If you want your child to learn more about Caesar cipher, we did an activity about it. coded-facts1-1Download If your child is having trouble decoding, you can help by asking him/her if he/she knows any...

Mixing sidewalk paint.

Mix water, food coloring, and flour to make sidewalk paint. I was inspired by my kids' "color equations" and a recipe for sidewalk chalk paint. Why not get them to actually mix color? Task Supplies: - Food coloring (red, yellow, blue), - a tablespoon, - water, - cornstarch (or flour), - 6 small bowls (~4...

Plan for the week: extensions of previous activities.

This week, I plan on re-exploring and extending previous activities. Here are some ideas: Monday: How close to 100 with Cuisenaire rods. Tuesday: Dienes shapes. Instead of putting them in a chain, I will give the kids graphs (a triangle; a square; a diamond with one of the diagonal drawn) and invite them to put...

Domino tiling.

What can you cover with dominoes? Task Supplies: a coin, dominoes, a chessboard, and masking tape. If you don't have dominoes, cut out rectangles that would cover two squares of the chessboard. Preparation: use the masking tape to select a smaller part of the chessboard. Start with putting tape around 3x3 square. What to do:...

Measuring.

We take containers all around the house and see which containers can hold more water. I think Nia is getting tired of counting things. The kids will love this one because they get to use the kitchen sink and play with water. Please keep the information for later activities (I am looking for a 3oz,...

5 choose 2.

Figure out how many ways we can put two balls in 5 spaces. This activity is taken from Math From Three to Seven. Task 1 Supplies: 30 pennies and 20 dimes. Or you can also have 30 objects of one color and 20 of another color (beads, pegs, etc.). What to do: - Invite your...

Dienes shapes and Cuisenaire rods.

Figure out and count how many ways to get to 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. This activity is a precursor to Pascal's triangle. There are lots of activities with Cuisenaire Rods online. I couldn't find free downloadable templates so I made my own. The smaller ones are 1in by 1in. Here is a printable...

More logic puzzles

I found this website with somewhat easier logic puzzles. https://www.woojr.com/printable-logic-puzzles-for-kids/ Both my 5 year-old and 7 year-old like them. The 7 year-old started writing her own puzzles. I am not sure whether it is because they like puzzles or because they are currently very bored. We got a package yesterday and they spent a good...

Cutting shapes.

Figure out different ways to cut out shapes from a quadrilateral. Task Supplies: paper, pencil, scissors and a straight thin object (pencil or ruler). What to do: We start with a non-convex quadrilateral like in the picture. With a single straight line cut (your child can place the straight rod on the paper instead of...

Dienes shapes.

Make a chain of shapes where the next one differs from the previous by one feature. This activity was from Math from Three to Seven, although I couldn't find the shapes anywhere so I made my own. Dienes shapesDownload Task 1: build-up Supplies: paper, colored pencils What to do: 1) tell your child we are...