Maths Outdoors

You will have fan-ta-stick time exploring maths outside!

There’s about 90 blog posts with ideas and suggestions to support you to develop your maths provision outside, be this in the early years or primary school. Most are open-ended and can be easily adjusted to the level at which you work.

Note: for some visitors to this website, the photos in each blog post take an age to upload. They will appear. Be patient.

Maths Week Scotland webinar

25 Outdoor Maths Games for Everyone. A range of ideas and games for making maths accessible to all. Below is a brief video with some top tips for getting outside and enjoying maths in a more expansive space.

The Freebies

30+ Outdoor maths books, packs, downloads and videos. Many are free to download, some you have to pay for.
Enjoy the video below which gives a flavour of my approach:

Useful posts to get you started teaching maths outside

Messy Maths and Outdoor Classroom Day. Some basic advice to get going outside
100 maths sessions outside. An interview with Andrea Stevenson, a primary teacher who completed over 100 maths sessions outside in three months, having never previously taught outside. Some good advice.
Messy Maths is published. Answering some question about my award-winning book. Worth getting if you work with children, aged 3-6yrs old.
Maths investigations from Tyntesfield Primary. Careful thought to questioning can lead to some very creative explorations as demonstrated by the staff during a training day.

Outdoor number explorations

The black spot. It’s pirate maths outside for young children. Great for subitising too!
20 something maths pictures. A simple yet challenging activity for children in Primary 1 or Primary 2 that involves collecting 20 objects.
Number bonds with sticks. Exploring how tapping with sticks can aid children learn more about number.
Celebrating 100 days at school. This is focusing on the theme of 100 outside.
What’s your picture worth? Exploring multiplication and calculating the value of a child’s art work through the quick creation of pictures outside.
Leaf multiplication Exploring compound leaves as a route to understanding multiplication.
Multiplication pebbles. Using painted number pebbles and dots to help children learn the concept of multiplication.
Leaf fraction walls Sorting leaves to create fraction walls and discussing the ins and outs of naturally found objects when meeting the rigour of pure maths.
Using sticks to understand fractions. Creating fractions wall and a get together in a nature reserve to explore fractions.
Fractions, decimals and percentages outdoors. A games based approach with a Primary 5 class.
Algebraic equations. When natural objects are substituted for numbers. So many possibilities.
The stripy sticks, subtilising and other challenges. Lifting the learning through a more unusual approach to subtilising.

Outdoor measurement

Stick pic problems. Using cut sticks of specific lengths to create pictures. This enables the combined length of different elements of each picture to be calculated. For older classes an additional challenge is to convert the answers to millimetres or metres.
The outdoor measuring continues with Primary 4. Find out what they got up to.
Outdoor stick stacking challenge invented by a Primary 4 class. How high are your poles?
Making maths sticks. Grow your own sticks and use practical measuring skills to cut them to size.
Measuring sticks. A one-metre stick. Just add 10cm stripes with masking tape.
A simple stick measuring game for little children. Great for assessing whether a young child understands aspects of length.
Kids measure in miserable weather. Exploring data handling and comparisons standard and non-standard units of measure.
What area of woodland do you need to capture your carbon footprint? A visual illustration of the impact of individual lifestyle choices on the amount of woodland needed to capture the carbon. A great way for older children to use their area and ratio skills and knowledge in an outdoor and real-life context.

Outdoor patterns and relationships

Nature pyramid patterns. Nice little exploration of creating pyramids through creating rules and using natural objects. Open-ended and suitable for a broad age range.
The number pebble game. Exploring attributes of numbered pebbles in a game similar to Black Jack or Uno.
An outdoor memory game. 3D pairs game. So simple. So outdoorsy.
Nature mastermind. A nifty adaptation of this popular game using natural materials. Definitely for upper primary and beyond.
Stick logic. Exploring the number of triangles it is possible to make with 9 sticks.
Rainy day rubbings. Exploring pattern our environment through tin foil. Great for wet days and early years classes.
Exploring fractals in nature: looking at the range of fractal formations.
How to make a fractal dragon with sticks. Practical exploration of how to create fractal formations.
Scale and geometric patterns with sticks. Why little and large sticks are fan-ta-stick.
A leafy tower of Hanoi. A problem solving challenge using leaves
Leaf logic. A game based upon the attributes of leaves. Adapted from logic blocks.
The Fibonacci sequence and nature. Some practical activities to help children explore this number pattern outside. Remember Fibonacci Day is 23rd November (1,1, 2, 3)
Happy Faces: How many different faces can you make with sticks, stones and cones.

Properties of 2D shapes and 3D objects – outside

A maths stick picture. A group activity that gets children talking about what they see and notice in different and changing arrangements of sticks.
Group masking tape art Exploring shapes within shapes and discussing what we can see within a picture. This is an interdisciplinary activity where the maths is threaded through what is happening. Increase the challenge by asking children to include properties of shapes, e.g. example of parallel lines, intersecting lines, right angles. Thus you can link it tightly to what children need to know.
Masking tape shape explorations. This is a similar activity but at an individual level so that the rubbings can be used to explore the environment
2D shape art Very beautiful shapes created from dried leaves and cardboard. Another art project with an element of maths.
The mathematics of festive crafts. Creating beautiful 3D objects for hanging up outside or in.
Creating 3D skeletons using sticks. Time to practice your lashings to see what structures emerge.
An outdoor shape activity with sticks. Creating pictures that evidence a range of shapes and properties of sticks.

Outdoor angles, symmetry and transformations

Angles and numerals. Is it possible to create the set of numerals from 1 to 9 and have the same number of angles to match the numeral?
Investigating right angles with sticks. How many right angles can be made with six large and six small sticks?
Right angles – a series of lessons to help children link their indoor and outdoor experiences.
Looking at different angles in nature. Exploring acute, obtuse and right angles outside.
Exploring reflections outside, before a mirror is handed out.
From reflections into symmetry outdoors. Exploring reflection outside with young children.
Stick insect symmetry – using sticks to create symmetrical insects. Surprisingly good fun. Use rainbow sticks to increase the challenge even more. Are all insects symmetrical in real life? Go on a mini beast hunt and find out.
Wet weather nature symmetry circles. Tiny approach to exploring line and rotational symmetry outside using petals and other parts of flowers.
Investigating symmetry outdoors using Photo Booth. This is surprisingly challenging but very creative and often children rise to the occasion.
Plant ID in a parallel universe. Photo Booth comes alive using the mirror line function to make plant identification with a difference.
Kaleidoscope images and symmetry. Using Photo Booth to explore a range of features outside.
Operation bearings – top secret. A World War II approach to learning about bearings outside.
Compass Points. 15+ suggestions for different activities to develop this practical skill. Can be downloaded for ease of use.

Handling data outside

Daisy footprints. Does the size of your footprint or the place where your boot lands that will flatten the most daisies? Useful open-ended investigation for a range of ages.
Information or data handling outdoors. Exploring a range of possibilities with a group of teachers.

Resource-based outdoor maths explorations

A pocket outdoor maths kit – for emergency encounters of the mathematical kind. What would be in your kit? Ideal for early years practitioners and classroom assistant or older children working with younger children.
The joy of a pocket-sized cotton tens frame. Utterly brilliant for a go-anywhere approach to using tens frames for supporting children’s mathematical thinking.
Give your old tarp a mathematical makeover. Cut some shapes in an old holes tarp and lift the mathematical possibility. Oh and great for play in the early years. More than just shape explorations are possible.
10 maths challenges that use cones, This is a useful example of how resource-full natural materials are for exploring maths concepts outside. If you don’t have cones, you could substitute pebbles, shells, or other small loose part.
Introducing Sammy, the one-metre rope snake. Exploring a standardised unit of measurement in a flexible way.
Multiplication pebbles. Using painted number pebbles and dots to help children learn the concept of multiplication.
White line pebble maths Wonderfully simple resource to make to explore lines, angles, networks and shapes.
The stripy sticks – a subtilising challenge. Lifting the learning through a more unusual approach to subtilising.
Rainbow maths sticks. Applying the logic of a domino set to creating a set of coloured sticks.

Environmental maths explorations

The Macquarie play spiral – walking into the centre of maths
Must a triangle always have straight sides? Defining properties of shape can be more complicated outside.
Exploring rotation Definitely aimed at nurseries but useful for any teacher with a child obsessed with how things spin, turn and rotate!
Embedding money outdoors – adding a little sparkle to your outdoor space.
Original playground markings. A DIY approach to open-ended mathematical markings.
Exploring reflections outside, before a mirror is handed out.

Broader explorations of maths

Sketchnoting Capturing maths and other educational thoughts. Examples that include maths concepts. I also advocate teachers showing children how to sketch note so they can do their maths journals using this technique.
Can I go on the computer, Mum? A parent’s experience of playing a game and giving her son the opportunity to create a game and change the rules. The outcome was much more positive.
Making environmental print meaningful at Stramash Fort William How one outdoor nursery created signs that were personalised and relevant to each child at nursery. It’s about using non-standard measurements to measure distance.
Amazing mazes. A wonderful exploration and creation of mazes by a group of P6 children with additional support needs. Thank goodness for brain diversity and creativity.

STEM explorations

15 minibeast outdoor maths challenges. Beastly fun going on a hunt for little creatures that help us understand maths in the world around us. This approach can be adapted to exploring other aspects of nature too.
Stick insect symmetry – using sticks to create symmetrical insects. Surprisingly good fun. Use rainbow sticks to increase the challenge even more. Are all insects symmetrical in real life? Go on a mini beast hunt and find out.
10 primary maths ideas that need snow This is perfect for a mathematical celebration of snow that relies on very little resources. Go out and learn!
5 ideas for using syringes in a mathematical way outside. Surprising uses for a little resource. Includes a variety of maths skills
Kaleidoscope images and symmetry. Using Photo Booth to explore a range of features outside.
The mathematics of festive crafts. Creating beautiful 3D objects for hanging up outside or in.
Investigating symmetry outdoors using Photo Booth. This is surprisingly challenging.
Making a kite. An understanding of the symmetry in terms of mass, pattern and shape is essential.
Art, design, maths and playground markings. Brilliant mathematical playground markings – how would you adapt this idea?
Creating 3D nets using sticks. Time to practice your lashings to see what structures emerge.
From reflections into symmetry outdoors. Exploring reflection outside with young children.
Outdoor reflections. Exploring the art and science of reflections as an entrance into learning about symmetry.

Maths celebrations and events

Mud Pi Day – 20 Ideas to celebrate maths outdoors This is a handy blog post if you are organising a whole school maths event… outside! A shared post with Judy Duncan, a very experienced primary teacher who works outside most days.
Crianlarich Primary Mathematical Trailblazers – three hours of maths explorations outside one wet autumn day. A good example of a range of activities that can be undertaken with mixed age groups working together.
Celebrating 100 days at school. This is focusing on the theme of 100 outside.
The mathematics of festive crafts. Creating beautiful 3D objects for hanging up outside or in.
Teach Meet Beyond and the outdoor numeracy notes. An outdoor workshop delivered by teachers for teachers.
Messy Maths Outdoors – lots of ideas from a workshop I ran for a Learning through Landscapes conference in 2012.