There’s plenty a child can learn from a textbook, but at CodeREV Kids we’re big believers that hands-on lessons are the best way to get kids excited about learning. Here are some cool ideas for connecting nature to math.

Teaching addition and subtraction

There are butterfly gardens all around California and if you’re lucky enough to live near one, take a trip there with the kids. You likely can’t count every butterfly in the room but you can pick a flower and count the butterflies that land on it. If you’re not near a butterfly garden, go outside and sort rocks you find by their size and color. Add each group together to come up with a total. How many rocks are there in total and how many more are there in one group than another.

Another idea to teach addition and subtraction is to count how many birds you see on a specific tree. Count it at two different times of day and compare how many birds were in at either time. Then subtract to find the difference and talk about why the time of day matters.

Teaching kids how to measure

It’s a good idea to teach kids how to measure with standard tools and with non-standard tools. Start out by measuring vegetables in your garden or that you have in your kitchen. Use a ruler to get a real measurement or guess first. Take a walk outside and look at the rocks. Are there more that are shorter than three inches or longer than three inches? Bring a ruler to verify.

For more advanced students, pick a tree and measure the diameter and how close it is to other trees. You can figure out how tall it is by using the Pythagorean theory.

Comparing attributes

Pick two different leaves. Make a crayon rubbing of each and then label all its attributes, including its length, width, color, shape, number of points, etc. Or find two rose bushes and compare the roses colors, size of blossom, length of leaves, thorn size, and how many blooms are on each.

These are just a few ideas of using nature to teach math. For more fun, sneaky ways to get kids excited about math, check out the Minecraft options available at CodeREV Kids. We pride ourselves on our ability to get kids truly excited about learning!