List

Shapes

Building with Solid Shapes
problem
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Building with Solid Shapes

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
We have a box of cubes, triangular prisms, cones, cuboids, cylinders and tetrahedrons. Which of the buildings would fall down if we tried to make them?
Board Block
problem

Board Block

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
Take it in turns to make a triangle on the pegboard. Can you block your opponent?
Chairs and Tables
problem
Favourite

Chairs and Tables

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star

Make a chair and table out of interlocking cubes, making sure that the chair fits under the table!

Matching Triangles
problem
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Matching Triangles

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
Can you sort these triangles into three different families and explain how you did it?
Inside Triangles
problem
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Inside Triangles

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
How many different triangles can you draw on the dotty grid which each have one dot in the middle?
Repeating Patterns
problem
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Repeating Patterns

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
Try continuing these patterns made from triangles. Can you create your own repeating pattern?
Exploded Squares
problem
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Exploded Squares

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
This practical activity challenges you to create symmetrical designs by cutting a square into strips.
Shapely Lines
problem
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Shapely Lines

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
This challenge invites you to create your own picture using just straight lines. Can you identify shapes with the same number of sides and decorate them in the same way?
Triple Cubes
problem
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Triple Cubes

Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star

This challenge involves eight three-cube models made from interlocking cubes. Investigate different ways of putting the models together then compare your constructions.

Sorting Logic Blocks
problem
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Sorting Logic Blocks

Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
This activity focuses on similarities and differences between shapes.
Rolling that cube
problem
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Rolling that cube

Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
My dice has inky marks on each face. Can you find the route it has taken? What does each face look like?
Shaping It
problem
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Shaping It

Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
These pictures were made by starting with a square, finding the half-way point on each side and joining those points up. You could investigate your own starting shape.
Poly Plug Rectangles
problem
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Poly Plug Rectangles

Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
The computer has made a rectangle and will tell you the number of spots it uses in total. Can you find out where the rectangle is?
Data shapes
problem
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Data shapes

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star

Sara and Will were sorting some pictures of shapes on cards. "I'll collect the circles," said Sara. "I'll take the red ones," answered Will. Can you see any cards they would both want?

What's happening?
problem
Favourite

What's happening?

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star
Shapes are added to other shapes. Can you see what is happening? What is the rule?
Opening patterns
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Opening patterns

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
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Look at some of the patterns in the Olympic Opening ceremonies and see what shapes you can spot.
Curve Spotting
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Curve Spotting

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
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Can you spot circles, spirals and other types of curves in these photos?
Let's Investigate Triangles
problem
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Let's Investigate Triangles

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
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Vincent and Tara are making triangles with the class construction set. They have a pile of strips of different lengths. How many different triangles can they make?
A City of Towers
problem
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A City of Towers

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star

In this town, houses are built with one room for each person. There are some families of seven people living in the town. In how many different ways can they build their houses?

Chain of Changes
problem
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Chain of Changes

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star filled star empty star
Arrange the shapes in a line so that you change either colour or shape in the next piece along. Can you find several ways to start with a blue triangle and end with a red circle?
Four Colours
problem

Four Colours

Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
filled star filled star empty star
Kate has eight multilink cubes. She has two red ones, two yellow, two green and two blue. She wants to fit them together to make a cube so that each colour shows on each face just once.
Skeleton Shapes
problem
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Skeleton Shapes

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star filled star empty star
How many balls of modelling clay and how many straws does it take to make these skeleton shapes?
Making Shapes
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Making Shapes

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star filled star empty star
Arrange any number of counters from these 18 on the grid to make a rectangle. What numbers of counters make rectangles? How many different rectangles can you make with each number of counters?
Building with Cubes
problem

Building with Cubes

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star filled star empty star
Try to picture these buildings of cubes in your head. Can you make them to check whether you had imagined them correctly?
Colouring Triangles
problem
Favourite

Colouring Triangles

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star filled star empty star
Explore ways of colouring this set of triangles. Can you make symmetrical patterns?
Shadow Play
problem
Favourite

Shadow Play

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
filled star filled star filled star
Here are shadows of some 3D shapes. What shapes could have made them?
Complete the Square
problem
Favourite

Complete the Square

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
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Complete the squares - but be warned some are trickier than they look!
Start Cube Drilling
problem

Start Cube Drilling

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
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Imagine a 3 by 3 by 3 cube. If you and a friend drill holes in some of the small cubes in the ways described, how many will have holes drilled through them?
Happy Halving
problem
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Happy Halving

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
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Can you split each of the shapes below in half so that the two parts are exactly the same?
Cubes
problem
Favourite

Cubes

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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How many faces can you see when you arrange these three cubes in different ways?
Square It
problem
Favourite

Square It

Age
11 to 16
Challenge level
filled star empty star empty star

Players take it in turns to choose a dot on the grid. The winner is the first to have four dots that can be joined to form a square.