Good math topics for multi-age group?

[Dmmetler]

I'm trying to pull together a math club for this year, and it looks like I'm going to have a group with a couple of kids working at a middle/secondary level (Pre-algebra and higher) and the rest pretty young and mostly at the 3rd grade level and below. I'm thinking that maybe the older kids could present a topic/activity that's outside the math sequence, and then break off into separate groups and explore at an appropriate level.

 

DD has some topics that she wants to do that I'm not sure if they'll work with that wide a skill range (number theory, topology, combinatorics, fractals). Does anyone have any suggestions?

[kiana]

topology: http://www.amazon.com/Experiments-Topology-Dover-Books-Mathematics/dp/0486259331 -- could work for the olders, and the youngers might have fun with the cutting paper even if the mathematical explanation goes over their heads.

[ThoughtfulMama]

I think you'd need to come up with your own topics, or highly extend them, but have you considered structuring it something like Bedtime Math? Where you have a single topic with multiple level questions to consider.

[quark]

Elementary and middle school level ideas from a Seattle-based math club:

http://www.pfmathcircle.org/materials34_12.html

See the archives links for more.

 

Good ideas but maybe more advanced?

http://www.geometer.org/mathcircles/

https://www.mathcircles.org/content/math-circle-problem-collection

[cmb6]

off the top of my head:

 

Pascal's triangle  (littles can make suncatchers while big kids look at patterns)

probability and craps (littles can play dice games and big kids can try to make a set of craps dice that don't lose, with no two adjoining faces the same)

Egyptian / Russian peasant math and lattice multiplication

triangle numbers

function machine

Fibonacci and Golden Mean

angle chasing

 

my favorite books to inspire ideas for a mixed-age math group:

Historical Connections in Mathematics, but out by LHS

Math: A Human Endeavor

historical curriculum from Living Math

 

 

 

[Targhee]

Check into Moebiusnoodles - their book has activities with differentiation for age. Blog has other great stuff.

 

Mathcircles.org has links for books (we have one for 5-7th graders roughly, by Anna Borego) with activities and topics all ready laid out.

 

Really, most topics can be adapted across this spread, some more easily:

Symmetry

Prime and composite numbers

Knights and Knaves problems

Infinity

Problem solving strategies

Basic graph theory

Basic topology

All those great recreational mathematics (matchstick puzzles, logic puzzles, etc)

[Mike in SA]

I really like the examples above, but if you want more structure...

 

Number theory will work well for any child with basic arithmetic skills.  Elementary through high school can all participate, albeit at different speeds / capacities.

 

DS7 particularly enjoyed doing math in alternate systems, such as ancient Greek, Egyptian, Chinese, and Mayan.  :)

 

We used an out-of-print book, but there are a lot of readily available materials out there.

[Dmmetler]

Thanks! I'm feeling much better about this. I love that there's interest from the younger group, and I don't want to exclude them-but I want something that the older kids can benefit from and enjoy, too.