First, we spend about 1-2 weeks learning about 3D shapes in our math unit.
Step 1: Students bring in 3D shapes from home for a week and identify what shape they are: cone, sphere, cylinder, cube, or rectangular prism. After all the materials are in, we sort them by shape.
Step 2: The students spend 2 days constructing the haunted house in small groups (usually 4-5 students at a time). They decide 100% where everything should be placed. We do talk about using the biggest objects first and smaller objects last. Students must identify and name the shapes they are using. I use hot glue to put the pieces together. While putting the haunted house together, the kiddos love coming up with rooms/ideas for the house (i.e., trap doors, mummy tombs, bat caves, secret cannons...it's very cute!).
Step 3: The students spend the next 2-3 days in small groups painting the haunted house black. I use regular Crayola paint but it definitely needs 2-3 coats of paint. The shiny materials (party hats) or plastic materials (water bottles) do not usually soak up the paint. I end up spray painting the rest with black. I do this after school without the kiddos to touch up all the pieces that wouldn't soak up the paint.
Step 4: Last, the kids spend 1 day in small groups decorating the haunted house with spider webs and spooky items. You can find these items very cheap at the Dollar Store.
We set up our haunted house at our school Monster Bash!!
We begin studying shapes in September as part of our Geometry unit in math.
First we learn about 2D shapes.
Shape Cracker Graph
While learning about shapes, we also explored "food" shapes in our world. We brought in various crackers and sorted, graphed and ate our favorite shape crackers.
We also created a PBL bulletin board.
We asked kids, "Where can we find shapes?"
Kindergartners were encouraged to bring in objects from home to share.
Shape Cookie Monsters
First, we watch these adorable Cookie Monster Youtube videos about cookie shapes.
Next, we made our tray of shape cookies (just foil and paper).
Then we created our own shape cookie monsters.
They all turned out so unique and cute!
This is the poem I made up to go on the back of our cookie monsters.
After learning about 2D shapes, we begin 3D (solid figures)
Spooky Haunted House (2011)
My favorite shape activity is our 3D haunted house made completely out of solid and recycled figures from home. After learning about cones, cylinders, spheres, cubes and rectangular prisms, we create a spooky haunted house. We created a spooky haunted house using household, recyclable objects. To make this project more meaningful, students brought their own items in from home.
Step 1: We found cylinders, spheres, cubes, rectangular prisms
Step 2: Allow students to glue the objects on the board
Step 3: Paint it black
Step 4: Add cobwebs and spooky objects (we added lights and cheap Halloween trinkets)
Follow-up activity:
We made a class book called "Our Spooky Haunted House".
A _____________ lives in my spooky haunted house.
We have mini-october conferences, so this was a fun way for parents to see our first project displayed.
Students were able to point to the objects and name the shapes. This is the start of our
haunted house for this year! (2012)
We collected objects.
We brainstormed how we can build it.
This is it! the kids decided on every single placement!!!
They are so creative!!!!
Let the BLACK painting begin!
WOW! Look how great it looks all black!
Next, we started adding spooky items to our haunted house
(we got most of the items form the Dollar Store).
Last, add cobs webs!
We put some skeleton lights on it (from the dollar bin at Target)
and glow sticks.
The final assessment:
Bring kids back one at a time and see if they can name the shapes and/or point to the objects
(cylinder, sphere, cube, cone, rectangular prism)
These are some really fun Youtube videos all about shapes.
