Fourth of July Flag Math Activities
Summer is finally here. It’s time for some outdoor fun with family and friends to celebrate Independence Day. The Fourth of July is a great opportunity to incorporate summer math games with U.S. history lessons. Here is a great arts and crafts flag math activity that will have your kids popping like a firecracker.
Flag math and crafts:
Combine math with history by helping the children make a hand print version of the flag.
Materials you’ll need:
- One poster board per child
- Red, white and blue tempera paint
- Sponges or eager children’s hands
Start by painting a blue square at the upper-left corner of the poster board (the square is a little less than ¼ of the poster board, so you may have to do this yourself). Have the children make seven red rows with their hands (you can also make the red hand prints on a separate piece of paper and cut it into strips). Then paste fifty white stars (or dots) in the blue square.
Talk about the following topics:
- Why there are 50 stars on the flag?
- How many red and white stripes are there?
- What does that number represent?
Fun math when watching fireworks:
I have always found that fireworks are an attention grabber with many children, and present a wonderful opportunity to explore the mathematics of measurement and timing, as well as touching on some chemistry. As a great resource to answer your questions, Nova has a wonderful outline on The Anatomy of a Firework. This is a brilliant way to show that fireworks are closely linked to science and math.
Since we all know that fireworks can be extremely dangerous, we should always leave fireworks to the professionals. Have a happy, safe and math-filled Fourth of July this year!
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