Math and Art go a long way. Since the beginning, the two have been amalgamated to create the most beautiful structures, painting and timeless murals. A look around a park is enough to open our eyes to see how beautifully nature has played with Math Art.
Famous mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci found the most interesting patterns in nature. He was one of the prominent mathematicians who popularized how elements of nature follow a set pattern. Artists like Leonardo Da Vinci, Picasso, Kandinsky all used math extensively in their art. It is surprising why today we teach math in isolation.
What happens when Math is taught with Arts?
- Art adds sensorial dimension to Math. Senses like touching and hearing affiliated with a simple math problem stimulate different parts of the brain. Hence, making it an enriching learning experience.
- Art is great for hands-on learning. Children learn far more when they integrate the newly acquired knowledge with real-life application.
- Open-ended art projects offer children freedom to problem solve, draw conclusions and try new ideas. Thus, opening their minds to out of the box solutions.
- Children gain deeper understanding of their environment when they work on math art projects. Concepts like symmetry, space, shapes are easier to comprehend when learned through art.
A few Math Art projects you would love to try out:
1. Origami: Origami is a Japanese art form of folding paper into different shapes. A simple sheet of paper can be transformed into a 3D object using this technique. Children benefit from origami art as it requires them to visualize and comprehend. Complex math concepts like proportions, symmetry, geometry can be easily taught through this art.
2. Block Printing: Repurpose old blocks lying around the house with block printing. It is a simple, yet a great way to teach about 3D and 2D objects. Hand over some paint and old blocks to your child and ask them to print a house or a cat using blocks.
3. Shape collage: Take an old magazine or a craft paper and cut out different shapes from it. Invite your child to play with these shapes and make a collage. Let her imagination guide her. It is a beautiful way to gain understanding of shapes and their attributes.
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4. Shape Craft: This is useful in teaching quantification and comparison. Take a shape of your choice and cut it out in different sizes. Ask your child to paste them so all the cutouts are visible. This simply requires a child to paste the shapes in descending order. But, when put this way, it forces the child to think and arrange. Great for spatial and logical reasoning skills.
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5. Pattern Art: Pattern recognition is an important data mining concept. Teach it to your child with this simple coloring craft. Draw any picture and ask your child to color it using different patterns. Try to incorporate as many patterns as possible into the picture.
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Tessellations – KidPillar STEM e-Book
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