Holiday Creations

As a teacher, I’m always on the lookout for lessons that combine creativity, critical thinking, and math skills. This holiday season, we brought a little festive cheer to our classroom with a hands-on math activity using pattern blocks to create holiday-themed designs.

The challenge was simple yet engaging: students were tasked with creating holiday-themed designs using pattern blocks. They crafted snowflakes, sweaters, gingerbread houses, amonth other other holiday creations. Each task card had specific mathematical criteria to follow, which varied depending on the design. For example, a design might require at least 10 pattern blocks with a total value of at least 2 wholes. Another challenge could require using exactly 18 pattern blocks, with the total value falling between 5 and 8 wholes. The studetns had to use their understanding of fractions to make sure they were following the criteria for each task. 

This lesson was a hit in my classroom. It was fun to blend the holiday spirit with meaningful math practice!