SMMARTideas

SMMART MATH: CIRCUS GRID TOUR

Check out this fun activity where your child can follow the Ringling Brother's Circus Train around the country.

http://www.ringling.com/uploadedFiles/Ringling/TextContent/FunZone/Circus_Works_Education_Center_Details/COMESTOTOWN.pdf

Children are asked to move their finger "four squares east and two squares north" along the grid placed over a map of the United States to learn the circus train's route. This activity incorporates counting, familiarizes your child with a grid, and will help practice him practice the directions North, South, East and West.

Adapt this activity to practice right, left, up and down for younger children, or keep the directional vocabulary for older children. Give your child a piece of graph paper. Mark the starting square and ask your child to "move three squares east and then two squares north". Draw a circle in that square. Continue on "four squares east and one square north" and draw an "x" in that circle". You can lead your child to practice colors by using markers to fill in the squares the requested color, practice writing letters and numbers, practice drawing shapes...

Let your child compare your graph paper key with his efforts to see if he created a similar picture.  This is a great introduction to help your child become familiar with using graph paper.