The Hexagon Challenge
First of all, thank you to everyone for the kind words in my inbox! I heard from dozens of parents and teachers who are looking for all sorts of games for classrooms and kids at home. I have a bunch of ideas based on your requests!
This week's game is from one of my go-to math educators, Christopher Danielson. You may remember him from such hits as the How Many? book, the Which One Doesn't Belong? book, the Number Scavenger Hunt game, and all sorts of other wonderful ideas from the website Talking Math With Your Kids.
This game is called The Hexagon Challenge.
What is The Hexagon Challenge?
Christopher and his partners at Public Math have come up with a fantastic game that, at $3, is extremely affordable! Or, you can print a free copy to play with at home using this link (ideally printed in color, on cardstock).
The Hexagon Challenge is a game that is printed on a simple piece of cardstock. On the front is an empty hexagon and a challenge: cut out the shapes and use them to fill the hexagon.
On the back, you'll see the set of shapes you can cut out and use. Do they look familiar? They are Christopher's set of 21st Century Pattern Blocks. In fact, the cutouts are the exact same size as the real blocs. If you want to buy some new pattern blocks, you can use them to complete the challenge!
That's it - just cut out the shapes and see how many ways you can use them to fill the hexagon. It's a great game to have sitting out on the kitchen counter to play with during breakfast.
Where's the Math?
These pattern blocks are so rich with math ideas, I probably need to devote an entire newsletter just to them! Hmm...
This challenge in particular, though, really helps your kids think about side lengths and angles. The angles of a regular hexagon are 120 degrees, but your 6 year old doesn't need to know that. They just need to know which shapes fit neatly into that angle, and which are "too wide" or "too narrow." These sorts of informal experiments with angles are extremely useful as a foundation for a more formal exploration in later years.
In the course of solving the challenge, your kids might realize that two yellow triangles can be used to make a blue kite. What other blocks can be made from combining other blocks? Suddenly your kids will be composing and decomposing shapes, perhaps even forgetting the original challenge!
You can help spark further explorations with a couple of well-placed questions. Ask them "Which shapes can make the hexagon all by themselves? Which pairs of shapes can fill the hexagon together?" Sometimes a structured exploration can provoke more sophisticated ideas than a free-for-all.
Most importantly, take pictures! The goal isn't to fill the hexagon once; it's to fill the hexagon, over and over, with new and different designs! Your kids will be much more motivated to explore if you set a goal and keep track. Can they find 20 different ways to fill the hexagon? 25? 100? What counts as a "different" way?
Once you have a few cool designs, hop on Twitter and Instagram and share with the hashtag #hexagonchallenge. I will be following along, waiting to see what your kids have come up with!
Click here to buy The Hexagon Challenge from Public Math