What's the big deal?
An Einstein aperiodic tile has just been discovered. Find out what that means and why it is significant. Plus - play with the tiles. Do you want to tile your shower floor with these? Could a tile setter pull this off?
Earth Day actions for our planet
We have 16 activities that you could use for Earth Day!
Saturday, April 22nd is Earth Day. Help your students become activists for our planet? We have 16 activities that support recycling, conserving resources, awareness of climate change and protecting our planet.
Methane Math - Updated. Carbon dioxide and methane are our two most prevalent human-contributed greenhouse gases. This holstein cow is one of many huge contributors to our methane production. Let students calculate percentages of greenhouse gas production from cars, cows, and people. Warning! Flatulence humor. 6.RP, 7.RP, 7.SP
Air Quality Index- The AQI is a measurement of how much particulate matter, dangerous ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide there is in the world's atmosphere at any one time and place. Students learn about the scale of the AQI and research some of the contributors for many unhealthy locations. 5.MD, HSS.ID
Which car should I buy? Electric or Hybrid - Students create equations for finding the break-even points of these vehicles by mileage and years of ownership. They then work with systems of equations to find the number of years or number of miles where the cost of these cars are the same. 6.SP, 6.RP, 7.RP, 7.SP, 8.SP, 8.EE.C, HSA, HSS.B, HSN
Tax time, Patriots Day, Boston Marathon
The middle of April is a busy and interesting time. We have 6 timely activities to try in your classes.
How long do you think the Boston marathon is? Make your best guess; how many people run it? Make your best guess; make an educated guess as to the fastest marathon time. We've gathered a lot of great data and asked some sensible and some surprising rate questions. 5.MD.1, 6.NS.3, 6.RP.1, 6.RP.2, 6.RP.3, 7.RP.1
How long do you think the Time to make your prom clothes … with Duck Tape
Larissa Leon, from Texas, in her gorgeous Duck Tape prom gown.
If you are going to make your prom clothes then you should start soon ... and buy your Duck Tape.
Crafty teens can make their prom clothes and win scholarship money from Duck Tape.
Students check out some of these amazing creations and calculate approximate costs of tape and time to create some outfit
Spring and Easter ideas – 6 activities
Dyeing eggs with food coloring - Students use the chart on the back of a food dye package to compare the strangely different recipes listed for coloring a cake, icing, or dyeing eggs. They look for and create equivalent ratios and practice using the terms "saturation", "shade", and "hue". 4.NF, 5.NF, 6.RP.A, 7.RP
Giant Chocolate Bunnies - What can you deduce about these bunnies from the descriptions given ... solid? hollow? cost per pound? cost per height? Anything else? 6.RP.A, 7.RP.A
Peeps - Students estimate the number of Peeps sold each Easter season. They consider reasonability by making guesses they think might be too high and too low. Students determine necessary info, problem solve and improve their original estimates. They conduct random samplings of their estimates and compare the mean of their estimates to the actual number of peeps sold each season. 7.SP.1, 7.SP.2, HS, MP1, MP2, MP3
Passover starts on Wednesday
Passover will begin this year at sundown on Wednesday, April 5th. Families and friends will gather to remember the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. The celebration begins with a traditional meal, the Seder, where the story of Exodus is retold and special foods are eaten to remember that long ago passage.
We have two activities that involve traditional Passover foods.
 Coconut and chocolate chip macaroons CCSS: 5.NF, 6.NS, 7.NS, 7.EE, MP7 , MP8 |  Mom's matzo ball soup Tripling fractions, adjusting proportions, and maintaining the ratios to create one humongous matzo ball. CCSS: 5.NF, 6.NS, 7.NS, 7.EE, MP7 , MP8 |