What it shows
Shapes are everywhere around us. Looking for them helps children name shapes and count their sides and corners.
The science
A circle has no corners. A triangle has three sides and three corners. A square has four equal sides and four corners, and a rectangle has four sides with opposite sides equal. We find these shapes in clocks, windows, roofs and plates. Naming them helps us describe the world.
Materials
Cost: free. Many items come from home or from waste; spare parts such as LEDs, motors and wire are in the store.
- Old magazines or newspapers (free)
- Scissors
- Glue
- A big sheet of paper
- Pencil and crayons
Safety
For this project: An adult must help with the scissors for young children.
Never use mains electricity: power models with cells, batteries or a low-voltage adapter. Sharp and hot tools, flames and lab chemicals need an adult or your teacher beside you. Keep magnets, button cells and small parts away from young children, and wash your hands after making.
All the safety rulesStep by step
8 steps. Do them in order, and test each part before you go on to the next. Write what you notice in a notebook as you go.
Fold the big paper into four parts and write a shape name in each part.
Walk around the house and find things shaped like each of the four shapes.
Write the list of things you found in your notebook.
Find pictures in old magazines that are circles, squares, triangles or rectangles.
Cut the pictures out with help from an adult.
Glue each picture in the right part of your paper.
Count the sides and corners of each shape and write them next to its name.
Show your collage and ask a friend to find one more shape for each part.
What you should see
A collage in four parts with pictures of circles, squares, triangles and rectangles and their side and corner counts.
Viva questions
A teacher or a judge will ask how it works. Try to answer each question before you open it, then compare.
1How many sides does a triangle have?
Three.
2Which shape has no corners?
A circle.
3How is a square different from a rectangle?
A square has all four sides equal.
4Name something round in your home.
A plate or a clock.
Take it further
Add pentagons and hexagons by looking at a honeycomb or a carrom board picture.
Change one thing, measure what happens, and add a table or chart of your readings: that is what turns a model into your own investigation.
Free ebooks for this project
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