Teaching off of a Whim

It amazes me how much we try to cram into a week of school, much less into an entire school year.  I spend my weekends planning for the following week, occasionally I'll get excited and do a week and a half, or on the rare occasion, two weeks!  But things come up, new ideas get found, and like a kid in a candy store, I have to try it!!!!

Today was one of those days.  I picked up a book from the local library called The Perfect Square.

This book called out to me from the new picture bookshelf primarily because we are working on geometry in math.  So as I browsed through the pages, I realized that there was so much more to this book!  Now without ruining the story for those of you who haven't read it, it's the story of a square who is perfectly happy being a perfect square.  But then it becomes no longer a perfect square, but the square still makes the best of its situation.

**LIGHT BULB MOMENT!!!** 



Math and Art!  I passed out perfect squares of construction paper and the kids made them not so perfect.  Here are the results:

I was a square, but now I'm a Valentine.

 

 

I was a square, but now I'm a big scary monster!

I was a square, but now I'm a town.

I was a square, but now I'm a heart.

I was a square, but now I'm a tree.

As the glue dries on these fun and creative works of art, I will be compiling their creations into a book after typing out their captions.  I recommend this book to everyone studying geometry!  Such a inspiring story and fantastic artwork for adults and children alike.

A hui hou! (Until next time!)

Jenn