Games Toys: R is for Robot Area and Perimeter Art Project

This post is part of the 2016 Virtual Curriculum Fair. The theme this week is Discovering Patterns in Math, Science, and Logic. Be sure to read this entire post, because there will be links to additional homeschool blog posts related to this week's theme.

The math curriculum that we use is mastery-based. I tend to supplement with online programs, hands-on activities, and math projects to provide variety and fill in any learning gaps.

I am addicted to teaching so one hobby I like to do in my spare time is search for educational ideas. Today's math project was inspired by an old classroom idea I used many, many years ago. Seeing it on the Internet again reminded me of my students' excitement when using this project to explore and learn about area and perimeter.

I want to share with you Alyssa's Robot Area and Perimeter Art Project. We utilized this activity to review perimeter and area.

First, she built a robot using our colorful centimeter blocks. Each body part was a different color. I asked her to include a head, neck, body, legs, and arms. You can definitely extend this activity by adding on more body parts. I also asked her to use only rectangles and squares. We also reviewed the formulas for finding area and perimeter.

Then, she figured out the area for each part separately. She wrote down the dimensions on the mini chart and did the calculations in her head. She had to remember to double (or multiply) the amount for the legs and arms, because she had two of each.

Alyssa also calculated the total area for her robot showing her work on a separate sheet of lined paper.

Next, she colored in her robot using the coordinating colors. She removed the corner blocks and placed a matching color dot on the grid paper so she'd remember the dimension and size of the body part. She wrote a descriptive paragraph about her robot. This is a great time for you to ask your child to compare or combine body parts. She wrote about the attributes and total area of her robot. Her robot's name was Felicity who is named after one of the American Girl dolls.

Finally, we verbally discussed what the perimeter was for each body part.

As you can tell by the photos she truly enjoyed this hands-on math project. She'll have time to explore the blocks next week. I'll ask her to create another robot with specific dimensions and then she'll compare the calculations for both robots.

The grip paper was found at Hand 2 Mind. The centimeter blocks are best to use with younger children or with older children in the concrete stages of learning. It helps them visualize the concept better. You could color in the centimeter grid paper to create your own set of centimeter blocks or print them on colored paper. Keep in mind the pieces will be tiny and you'll have to cut each one so have a place to store them when finished.

Try searching for colored manipulative blocks to see what you can find. In the past, I've used colored one-inch tiles for this and other activities especially when Alyssa was younger as seen at Kent State University Math. Click on the first link under Bold 1" Grid or visit Do 2 Learn and scroll down to the 1" grid paper.

Other Helpful Links
Perim-Bots Game
Robot Perimeter or The Texas Teacher
Step Into Second Grade

Please visit my Skip Counting, Area, Multiplication Oh My post for additional math ideas.