“Get in shape.” “That’s in bad shape.” “Shape up!” The word “shape” can mean all kinds of things. In Crazy 8s it means geometry AND fitness. Kids folded simple paper cutouts to make surprise 3D shapes – which turned into dice you could roll!
That led to Rock ‘n’ Roll Hops. Kids rolled an 8-sided die to get a number from 2 to 9, then rolled a cube to get an exercise – jumping jacks, hopping, all good cardio. The catch is, instead of counting their reps 1, 2, 3, they had to count by the number rolled. “Ready? 7, 14, 21, 28..”
Best of all, we counted like this up to 100. Think about it: Why do schools teach multiples of 7 up to 70, but multiples of 3 only up to 30? What, are there no multiples of 3 more than 30? Last we checked, we spotted a few. And if you know them by heart, word problems and long division go WAY faster.
So keep the heart pumping and the numbers running with your Rock ‘n’ Roll Hops dice at home.
Make Your Own Mobile
For those who loved folding Platonic solids, make your dodecahedron, then display them with this simple hanging mobile!
Collect your supplies
Find 2 unsharpened pencils, clear tape and yarn or string.
Cross your pencils
Cross the 2 pencils at their middles to make a right-angle X. Wrap clear tape around a few times to secure (or if you’re handy with a hammer, nail them together).
Cut the yarn
Cut 4 different length pieces of yarn, plus a 5th longer piece. Tape one end of each shorter piece to a paper shape.
Tie the yarn
Tie the other end of each yarn around one of the 4 legs of your pencil X.
Attach to the ceiling
Now tie the long piece of yarn tightly around the center X. Tape or pin the other end to the ceiling to display.
Slide your shapes
Slide your shapes along the pencils to balance them.
All done!
Now admire your mathematical creation!
