Other tags that relate to What Shape and Colour?
Visualising. Addition & subtraction. Generalising. Working systematically. Carroll diagrams/Two way tables. Combinations. Practical Activity. Factors and multiples. Regular polygons and circles. Investigations.There are 155 results
Broad Topics > Thinking Mathematically > Practical Activity
Egyptian Rope
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
The ancient Egyptians were said to make right-angled triangles using a rope with twelve equal sections divided by knots. What other triangles could you make if you had a rope like this?
Dienes' Logiblocs
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
This problem focuses on Dienes' Logiblocs. What is the same and what is different about these pairs of shapes? Can you describe the shapes in the picture?
Three Sets of Cubes, Two Surfaces
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
How many models can you find which obey these rules?
Sticks and Triangles
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Using different numbers of sticks, how many different triangles are you able to make? Can you make any rules about the numbers of sticks that make the most triangles?
Two on Five
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
Take 5 cubes of one colour and 2 of another colour. How many different ways can you join them if the 5 must touch the table and the 2 must not touch the table?
Dice Stairs
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you make dice stairs using the rules stated? How do you know you have all the possible stairs?
Creating Cubes
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Arrange 9 red cubes, 9 blue cubes and 9 yellow cubes into a large 3 by 3 cube. No row or column of cubes must contain two cubes of the same colour.
Map Folding
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Take a rectangle of paper and fold it in half, and half again, to make four smaller rectangles. How many different ways can you fold it up?
Cuboid-in-a-box
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
What is the smallest cuboid that you can put in this box so that you cannot fit another that's the same into it?
Shaping Up
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Are all the possible combinations of two shapes included in this set of 27 cards? How do you know?
Cover the Tray
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
These practical challenges are all about making a 'tray' and covering it with paper.
Order the Changes
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you order pictures of the development of a frog from frogspawn and of a bean seed growing into a plant?
Counting Counters
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Take a counter and surround it by a ring of other counters that MUST touch two others. How many are needed?
A City of Towers
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
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?
Making Maths: Happy Families
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
Here is a version of the game 'Happy Families' for you to make and play.
Cuisenaire Squares
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
These squares have been made from Cuisenaire rods. Can you describe the pattern? What would the next square look like?
Making Maths: Be a Mathemagician
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Surprise your friends with this magic square trick.
Putting Two and Two Together
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
In how many ways can you fit two of these yellow triangles together? Can you predict the number of ways two blue triangles can be fitted together?
Little Boxes
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
How many different cuboids can you make when you use four CDs or DVDs? How about using five, then six?
Tangram Tangle
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
If you split the square into these two pieces, it is possible to fit the pieces together again to make a new shape. How many new shapes can you make?
Four Colours
Age 5 to 11 Challenge Level:
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.
Cereal Packets
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
How can you put five cereal packets together to make different shapes if you must put them face-to-face?
Brush Loads
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
How can you arrange the 5 cubes so that you need the smallest number of Brush Loads of paint to cover them? Try with other numbers of cubes as well.
Making Cuboids
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Let's say you can only use two different lengths - 2 units and 4 units. Using just these 2 lengths as the edges how many different cuboids can you make?
Seven Flipped
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Investigate the smallest number of moves it takes to turn these mats upside-down if you can only turn exactly three at a time.
Two by One
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
An activity making various patterns with 2 x 1 rectangular tiles.
Counter Ideas
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Here are some ideas to try in the classroom for using counters to investigate number patterns.
The Numbers Give the Design
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Make new patterns from simple turning instructions. You can have a go using pencil and paper or with a floor robot.
Making Longer, Making Shorter
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
Ahmed is making rods using different numbers of cubes. Which rod is twice the length of his first rod?
Triangle Relations
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
What do these two triangles have in common? How are they related?
Square Corners
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
What is the greatest number of counters you can place on the grid below without four of them lying at the corners of a square?
Two Squared
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
What happens to the area of a square if you double the length of the sides? Try the same thing with rectangles, diamonds and other shapes. How do the four smaller ones fit into the larger one?
Making Sticks
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
Kimie and Sebastian were making sticks from interlocking cubes and lining them up. Can they make their lines the same length? Can they make any other lines?
Making Maths: Double-sided Magic Square
Age 7 to 14 Challenge Level:
Make your own double-sided magic square. But can you complete both sides once you've made the pieces?
Sports Equipment
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
If these balls are put on a line with each ball touching the one in front and the one behind, which arrangement makes the shortest line of balls?
Cutting Corners
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you make the most extraordinary, the most amazing, the most unusual patterns/designs from these triangles which are made in a special way?
Baked Bean Cans
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
Is there a best way to stack cans? What do different supermarkets do? How high can you safely stack the cans?
Making Maths: Birds from an Egg
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you make the birds from the egg tangram?
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.
Pyramid Numbers
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
What are the next three numbers in this sequence? Can you explain why are they called pyramid numbers?
Chairs and Tables
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
Make a chair and table out of interlocking cubes, making sure that the chair fits under the table!
Sort Them Out (2)
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you each work out the number on your card? What do you notice? How could you sort the cards?
Seven Sticks
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
Explore the triangles that can be made with seven sticks of the same length.
Music to My Ears
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Can you predict when you'll be clapping and when you'll be clicking if you start this rhythm? How about when a friend begins a new rhythm at the same time?
Clapping Times
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
If you count from 1 to 20 and clap more loudly on the numbers in the two times table, as well as saying those numbers loudly, which numbers will be loud?
Bryony's Triangle
Age 7 to 11 Challenge Level:
Watch the video to see how to fold a square of paper to create a flower. What fraction of the piece of paper is the small triangle?
Pairs of Numbers
Age 5 to 7 Challenge Level:
If you have ten counters numbered 1 to 10, how many can you put into pairs that add to 10? Which ones do you have to leave out? Why?
NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.