Frog Pattern Math
Frog Patterns for a Frog Unit Study
When planning activities for your Frog Unit Study you might think that math would be an abstract subject that has nothing to do with frogs. In this lens we will explore ways to integrated math into your study of frogs and tadpoles.
Mathematics is based on patterns. Mathematicians use numbers and symbols to describe the patterns they find all around them. In this lens we will work with the frog theme to create and describe mathematical patterns as they relate to the Frog Unit Study.
From Frog and Tadpole Patterns to Feed the Frog Addition and Subtraction Mathjobs this Frog :Lens will have your child leaping for joy and multiplying their knowledge of math at every hop. Don't just sit there, leap on down to the frog pond of mathematical frog related games and activities that will give your young tadpoles plenty of practice in all the math concepts they are learning....
Photo Credit: Patterns on a Poison Dart Frog by cliff
Used under creative commons
Frog Bulletin Board - Frog Bulletin Board Calendar Pattern
Calendar Math with a Frog Pattern - Turn your calendar into a Frog Pattern Math Lesson
Hands-on Math by Virginia Johnson explains how to do the calendar including how to teach patterns by adding a new cutout as the number for the date each day. With a frog theme you might use a frog and then two flies to make a frog, log, log or AAB pattern on the calendar. Each day as you add today's date ask the children to guess the next pattern in the sequence.
Older children can count the frog related pictures in the sequence by the number of pictures. In this case each pattern has 3 pictures so you would count by 3's in preparation for learning the 3's times tables.
A more advanced child might make the pattern for the month or figure out how many of each pattern are needed to fill the whole calendar by dividing into 30 or 31.
In the song Five Green and Speckled Frogs the song follows a pattern repeating the same words except that the numbers decrease with each verse. Singing songs like this teaches the rudiments of functions. Ask the children to guess what the next number will be in the pattern after each verse.
Frog, Duck, Frog, Duck Shower Hook Pattern - Frog Math in the Bathroom
Ever thought about doing math in the bathroom? There are all kinds of cute little creatures that can be hung on a towel rack to make patterns. One of our favorites are ducks and frogs.
Hang a Frog Pattern - Making Patterns with Shower Curtain Hooks
Attach a towel rack to the wall. The shelf is a handy place to store a shoebox full of frog and frog related shower hooks.
Children make patterns on the rod using the frogs and other shower hooks.
Circle and Skip Count the Frogs - Seeing Frogs in the Pattern
Often after a birthday party all the wrapping paper is just thrown away. In that trash there may be wonderful learning opportunities that are just looked over. Wrapping paper often has repeated patterns.
1. Laminate sheets of wrapping paper.
2. Children circle look for a pattern of frogs in the wrapping paper and circle each group that forms the pattern with a Dry-Erase Marker.
3. Then Skip Count to see how many frogs were on that page.
The answer could be written on the back for self checking.
Which frog comes next?
In the Art Center, set out some green and a couple of frog shaped cookie cutters.
1. Children roll out the play dough and use the cookie cutters to cut out frog shapes.
2. Children arrange their frogs in a pattern.
3. Take pictures of the frog pattens to use later for making games, books and other frog related pattern activities.
Math and the Frog Unit Study - Integrating Math into your Frog Unit Study
Do you integrate math into your unit studies?
What can you do with all the frogs you collect? From frog salt and pepper shakers to little plastic toy frogs? I have let it be know for years that I love to collect frogs so my collection has grown over the years.
I now have a shoebox full of frogs that children love to rummage through, sort and make patterns with. Sometimes they line them up as if they are marching in a parade. Sometimes they line the frogs up by size from tallest to shortest.
Whatever way they decide to sort them they are creating patterns.
Skip counting by 2s starting at 1 - Skip counting video for kindergarten and first grade students.
Watch the frog skip count the odd number pattern.
Frog Salt and Pepper Shakers - What do you do with those Froggy Salt and Pepper Shakers?
Vintage wolf salt and pepper shakers are wonderful to use as playing pieces when you are learning about frogs. Replace the playing pieces in the board games you know and love or make up new games.
We like to play Go to the Head of the Class with frogs for markers. We make up our own questions from the information we learn about frogs and keep adding to them unit study throughout the study.
Frogs are everywhere!
Look for the patterns.
Describe them with mathematics.
Photo Credit: Synchronised swim team by Annaart
Available on Zazzle
Frogs are so inspiring to artists that we often see patterns develop in their artwork. Here is a symmetrical pattern where the frogs in a pond appear to be doing underwater ballet or synchronized swimming. Available from Zazzle, this poster would be delightful hung on the wall in a math or art room to promote a discussion about how nature can inspire both artists as well as mathematicians.
Come write about your experiences counting frogs on Wizzley, a fun and easy place to express your opinion:
