Pi Day!

All ages challenge – stop by the library on March 14th and recite Pi to the farthest number you can memorize.  We’ll keep score and give you a medal for trying!

Celebrate International Pi Day with  stories,  mathematical art and fun! Everyone from Preschoolers to Pre-teens will have lots of fun things to do. 

Playing as kids arrive Pi Song from http://www.whatdowedoallday.com/2016/02/pi-day-activities.html, other Pi videos follow.

As kids arrive, encourage them to work together and browse through displayed books -- recreational math books from 793.74, Bedtime Math books 513.2 OVE and other fun 510s, Greg Tang’s Grapes of Math series (Picture Book TANG), Sir Circumferance series (Picture Book NEWSHWANDER), Stuart Murphy’s math books (Picture Book MURPHY) etc.

Had them try Pie math: title poem from Edgar Allen’s Poe’s Pie: Math Puzzlers in Classic Poems (811.54 LEW) (let them use paper plates and pipe cleaners to figure out), pizza problem from Greg Tang’s The Grapes of Math.

Read Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi: A Math Adventure (Picture Book NEWSHWANDER) – stop on the page with the pie and hand out various-sized circles along with scissors & a pipe cleaner – have kids measure the circle with the pipe cleaner then cut off the excess and fold the pipe cleaner across the diameter…all should find that the pipe cleaner goes across 3 times with a little left over. Inspired by: http://sparklingbuds.com/2014/03/introduction-to-pi-a-simple-activity-for-pi-day.html  Resume the story.  The story ends with the decimal 3.14159 about 1/7. 

(omitted this) Have the kids stand in a circle holding hands.  Wrap string around the circle, then weave it back and forth to show our 3 and a bit left over number again.

Mention that Pi is a very unusual number…goes on forever and ever.  (Show picture of Pi with many digits http://www.whatdowedoallday.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/%CF%80.pdf). 

Placed the numbers 0-10 on the rug around the room and had kids move around as I recited the digits of Pi so they could realize there was no pattern. (kids loved this!)

More Pi play (stations for different ages – since this was an all ages program):

Lego/Duplo Pi Skyline counting activity: http://www.homegrownlearners.com/home/2014/3/19/learn-about-pi-with-lego-bricks-free-printable.html

Pi Day graph skyline: http://www.whatdowedoallday.com/2014/03/math-art-for-kids-pi.html

 

Color the number of squares on the graph representing each digit of Pi. Then cut out your “skyline” and mount it on colored paper.

Pi Day Bracelets (great pattern activity –very popular station)  http://www.pinkstripeysocks.com/2014/03/pi-day-activity-make-pi-day-bracelets.html  free planning worksheet: www.teacherspayteachers.com/FreeDownload/Pi-Day-Bracelets

Color a Pi poster: http://teachingisagift.blogspot.ca/2013/03/huge-pi-day-celebration-and-freebies.html

Circle Art & Experimentation (Pi/Pie Math) – Make free-form pictures with different-sized circles (Ellison die cut), Cut some in half/quarters/eighths/thirds/fifths/sevenths to add “pieces of pie” to the pictures -- playing with fractions.

https://www.psdblogs.ca/jpodhaniuk/files/2014/10/fractions-circles-2gh0nkq.jpg

Also had a table with math games & challenges left over from our Leap Day program:
http://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/search/label/Leap%20Year – older kids really enjoyed doing these.

Other possibilities here: www.whatdowedoallday.com/2016/02/pi-day-activities.html

Other cool math videos: http://www.whatdowedoallday.com/2014/08/math-youtube-channels.html

 
3.16 BWL