On Friday my class will be learning all about 2D shapes and so there is no better opportunity to get outside in the playground and go on a shape hunt! I am going to put the children into groups of 5 and give them a simple checklist showing that they have to find one square, one rectangle, one circle and one triangle. I'll have to check around the playground first and see how many 'shapes in the environment' there already are, if not I'll strategically plant a few plastic shapes here and there for the children to find.
This activity is not only fun for the children (especially on a sunny Friday) but it gets them thinking about the properties of 2D shapes, i.e. 'I have found a shape and it has 3 sides, it must be a triangle!' This can also be extended to 3D shapes as I can plant cereal boxes, giant dice and balls around the playground.
I might even let each group loose with a camera to take photos of the shapes in the environment they find. I can't wait for this lesson and I know the children are going to enjoy it so much!
If you're looking for visual aids on 3D shapes then Twinkl have these lovely reference posters.
