November Math Box Homework

Mathematics is based on patterns. A good understanding of patterns will help your child with logic and problem solving activities. It is necessary to allow children the opportunity to recognize, copy, extend, and create patterns at an early age to get a good foundation for math and other subjects.

1. Mom (or partner) will make a two color BEAN pattern like: white, red, white, red… and the child will copy the pattern using the same color of beans. Make another 2 color pattern using the same color beans. (i.e W, R, R W, R, R W, R, R…)

2. Mom will start a 3 BEAN pattern (W, R, B, …) and you will extend it out to 20 beans. Start a few other patterns to extend. See if you can say what the “core” of the pattern is. (core-the first part).

3. Take a pattern walk around your house with a paper and pencil. Notice floor designs, clothes, wallpaper, etc. Draw a picture of all the patterns in or around your house in 15 min. Share with your family or bring to show and tell.

4. Find something around the house that you could bring to show and tell that has an ABC pattern on it.

5. How high can you count now? Count to someone in your family. Can you count by 10’s to 100? Can you count by 5’s? Write it down and talk about the pattern you see. See how far you can count in Spanish! Even by 10’s (diez, veinte, treinta, cuarenta, cincuenta, sesenta, setenta, ochenta, noventa, cien)

6. Borrow a CALCULATOR. Choose two numbers. Press them back and forth to show an AB pattern on the display. Make an ABB pattern, by pressing the first number once and the second number twice until the display is filled. Discover some other number patterns on it.

7. Roll out the CLAY on the table with a rolling pin or the side of a plastic glass. With 1 TOOTHPICK, draw some patterns in the clay (The pattern needs to repeat). Roll it out again and make another design.

8. Play Concentration with the NUMBER CARDS 1-10, and the NUMBER WORDS-zero to ten. Spread them out upside down and make matches. Practice reading the number words when you’re finished. Play it with the DOT CARDS and the NUMBER WORDS another time.

9. Using the TANGRAM puzzle, see if you can use all the pieces to make a square. Mess it up. Can you make it again?

10. Make a BUTTON pattern on the table (4 holes, 2 holes, 4, 2,…). This of some other ways to make button patterns. Draw your favorite

11. Estimate how many inches you are. Measure and keep track through the year. Compare each month.

12. Using butter knifes (A), forks (B), and spoons (C), create the following patterns: AB (extend each pattern), ABB, ABC, AABBCC, ABCB, AACC.

13. Look in your closets for 3 pieces of clothing that have a pattern. Tell your mom or dad about the pattern. Record each of the patterns on a piece of paper with crayons. (Try to find clothes with obvious stripes or simpler patterns).

14. Using a sheet of GRAPH PAPER and BEANS, count to ten and place a bean on every 10th space. See if you can see a pattern. Use a different color of BEAN and place it on every 5th space. Can you see a pattern?

15. Make a paper chain. Use different colors in a pattern. For example: 1 red, 2 yellow, …repeat.

16. Collect one pair of shoes from each family member. How many shoes are there? How many pairs? Sort shoes by color, kind, size, etc. Arrange shoes in an AB pattern. Be sure to put them all back where you got them.

17. Get the TANGRAM puzzle and see if you can make a large rectangle using all the pieces. Now see if you can make a large triangle using all 7 pieces.

18. Using your BEANS, determine what the core of your pattern will be. Once you have made the core, place a paper plate over it so it can’t be seen. Now make your core again and repeat it several times to form a long pattern. When you have finished your pattern, call your mom or dad over and ask them to try to figure out what your “pattern core” is. After they guess, lift the paper plate off your core and let them see if they got the right answer. (Core is 1st part before you repeat again).

19. Make one pile of WHITE BEANS (A) and another pile of RED BEANS (B). Make an AB pattern using at least 30 beans. Now you are ready to count them. You may only count out loud on the red beans. When you come to a white bean, then you must count silently in your head. You will find yourself counting by 2’s. Now make and AAAAB pattern using at least 50 beans. You will speak the number only on the B (red bean). You will find yourself counting by 5’s. Try other patterns to help you count by 3’s or 4’s.

20. Use an O-shaped breakfast cereal like Fruit Loops and make a pattern necklace on a string. Have mom or dad check the pattern, and then eat your necklace.

The following pages I send home with your 5 activity record sheet are also activities: For activity number, just write the title of the activity. Remember that your child gets credit for 20 activities each month. You don’t have to do any activity on the weekends. You may choose the ones that interest you the most or even make up your own activity. As soon as your child does 5 days of activities, send a slip to school. After 25 activities, or 5 slips, the students get certificate to take home and show that they are advancing on the Math Olympics Chart.