Math is everywhere. Have you ever stopped to take a look at all the math around you? Going on a math trail gives you an opportunity to explore the mathematics in your neighbourhood. It can be done in an urban or rural setting, in malls, parks, museums, or along city streets. It’s a creative opportunity to bring mathematics to life for students who are young or old.
Along a math trail, a guide points out places to discus, create or solve problems about objects and landmarks they see, name shapes and shapes that combine to make 3D solids, calculate areas and volumes, recognize properties like similarity, congruence, and symmetry, use number sense and estimation to evaluate large quantities, etc… Anyone can walk a math trail alone, with family, or with another group. Walkers co-operate along the trail as they talk about the problems. There’s no competition or grading.
For further reading, you may be interested in Finding the Beauty Outside of Math Class and Math Trails.
Here are some ideas for things to look for along a math trail:
Number
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Look for examples of arrays and try to find the total number of items in them in a variety of ways.
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Find the cost of different combinations of items on a menu board. Find how much change you would receive if you had $6.00.
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Determine how many parking spots are in a parking lot. Decide if more cars would fit parallel to the curb or parked at an angle.
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When buying items, decide whether it is better to buy a small package or a large package given the prices.
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Look at the house numbers or building numbers you pass. Predict what the number will be on the next house or building.
Spatial Sense
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Look for items to measure, estimate their lengths using hands, feet, or other non-standard units.
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Examine a fire hose in a case. Find how many folds there are and estimate the length of the hose.
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Try to estimate a circular objects’ diameter and circumference and divide them. What number do you get?
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Estimate the perimeter and area of various shapes.
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Estimate the depth of a fountain, puddle, or pool. Estimate the number of litres or millilitres of water it could hold.
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Find a geometric pattern in a driveway or in the bricks of a building that is composed of more than one shape or colour. Find which shape or colour takes up the most area.
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Find a billboard that has vertical slats that allow it to change. Find how much time is given to each billboard before it switches to the next
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Estimate the mass of someone’s pet or a squirrel.
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Look at the letters in a store’s name. Determine if the letters are evenly spaced.
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Look at the parking signs along the street. Determine how long you are allowed to park there.
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Find and identify shapes
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Find a variety of triangles. Determine if they are equilateral, isosceles, or scalene.
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Find any lines of symmetry in various shapes.
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Look at the spokes on a car’s hubcap. Find what angles they create.
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Find the number of parallel lines in the park.
Algebra
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Find a seesaw and try to make it balanced
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Look for various repeating patterns in bricks, driveways, or buildings. Find the core of the pattern and what would come next.
Data
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Watch the traffic along a road for 3 minutes. Tally the number or cars, trucks, vans, bicycles, or other vehicles that go by. Predict what the next vehicle will be. Create a graph to show your findings.
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Find and compare the slope of various slides and ramps (secondary students).