In this feature, we have chosen to share some of the problems from the Open Spaces pathway on Wild Maths.
Take a look at Introducing Creativity in the Classroom to find out more about Wild Maths, and for suggestions of NRICH tasks we recommend if you want to promote creativity in your classroom.
Here's how your learners can send their solutions to these problems.
Take a look at Introducing Creativity in the Classroom to find out more about Wild Maths, and for suggestions of NRICH tasks we recommend if you want to promote creativity in your classroom.
Here's how your learners can send their solutions to these problems.
problem
Favourite
Plants
Age
5 to 14
Challenge level
Three children are going to buy some plants for their birthdays. They will plant them within circular paths. How could they do this?
problem
Train carriages
Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
Suppose there is a train with 24 carriages which are going to be put together to make up some new trains. Can you find all the ways that this can be done?
problem
Favourite
2 rings
Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
The red ring is inside the blue ring in this picture. Can you rearrange the rings in different ways? Perhaps you can overlap them or put one outside another?
problem
Street sequences
Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
Investigate what happens when you add house numbers along a street in different ways.
problem
Favourite
Caterpillars
Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
These caterpillars have 16 parts. What different shapes do they make if each part lies in the small squares of a 4 by 4 square?
problem
Triangle shapes
Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
This practical problem challenges you to create shapes and patterns
with two different types of triangle. You could even try
overlapping them.
problem
Tiling
Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
An investigation that gives you the opportunity to make and justify predictions.
problem
Favourite
Consecutive numbers
Age
7 to 14
Challenge level
An investigation involving adding and subtracting sets of consecutive numbers. Lots to find out, lots to explore.
problem
Favourite
Sweets in a box
Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
How many different shaped boxes can you design for 36 sweets in one layer? Can you arrange the sweets so that no sweets of the same colour are next to each other in any direction?
problem
Favourite
Follow the numbers
Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
What happens when you add the digits of a number then multiply the result by 2 and you keep doing this? You could try for different numbers and different rules.