Geometric Tessellations

We did geometry today with some help from a book I got from the library the day before. I love libraries, they make me feel that I can come up with a hundred different learning experiences for my children, till reality sets in that is. I will soak it up while it lasts.

Here is the book that we used:

I totally did not plan it of course; we just got the book yesterday, so I sort of just winged it. We had to make three templates; a triangle, a square and a hexagon and trace them out to make a tessellation. Here's Umayr's work: 

As we had to make an equilateral triangle, I was able to go into the subject of different types of triangles and angles in triangles. Unfortunately, while trying to construct the triangle, I could not find my compass, so we had to depend on a ruler and protractor. (Oh, I really need to get my act together! Things are all over the house.)

I have this box where I keep stuff that I think will come useful in lessons; cardboard boxes, the odd pieces of foam and wood, etc. I told the kids to choose the material they wanted to work with for the template; strangely they all chose what I chose; a cardboard biscuit box. Oh, well...

My toddler, wanted to join in, so I taught her how to use a ruler and look at the different types of measurements (inches, mm, cm). It was a bit difficult for her to trace with a ruler and I had to help her. After we got the shapes, she managed to do some cutting. She lasted till the part when I traced out a few tesselations for her and then told me to stop as she wanted to do something else. 

To extend from this, we will do the rest of the activities in the book, insyaa Allah. I am also thinking of doing angles (acute, obtuse, right), triangles (isosceles, equilateral, scalene) and for my older boys of course trigonometry. There is of course the area of Islamic Art. 

I'm looking to find some inspiration from websites like this one. Here's to a new way of looking at learning.