Hammer + nails + wood + families = an afternoon of fun. This workshop challenges participants to build a planter box out of a single wooden board. As participants assemble their boxes, accurate spatial visualization and measurement quickly pay off. A great workshop for families or groups.

Workshop
• Video overview and planter box instructions.
• Groups make plans and get materials.
• Groups build boxes.
• Discuss the math issues in the workshop.
• Video wrap up and summary; take home kit.

Workshop Requirements

TV and a VCR
To show the various video segments throughout the workshop.

A big space
• with work surfaces for measuring, cutting and nailing wood.
• where the noise of hammers and saws won't bother others.
• where it will be easy to clean up

Preparation
• secure donations (or purchase) wood—for each box a 72"x7.5"x0.5" board works well.
• gather building supplies hammers, saws, safety glasses, etc.

 

Take-home messages
You do math every day.
In building a box, parents use spatial visualization and measurement—two important math concepts.

Spatial visualization and measurement are taught in middle school.
Parents in this workshop do a lot of measuring to get their boxes right. They also use spatial visualization to make their 3-dimensional box from a 2-dimensional board. Both important concepts in middle school math.

Today's classrooms are different.
In today's classrooms, students work on projects that combine different types of math to solve a single, real-world problem.

You can help your child with math.
Parents can help their children see how math is connected to their lives by discussing different career options with them and finding out how math is used in careers that most interest them.

What's Included

Paper materials
Video
Rulers, graph paper
Tape measure
Nails

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