Get creative with maths

Posted 22 Mar 2012

You can now order a starter pack of pre-packed angular nodes and flexible straws based on the Maths and Art project run by Devon Learning & Development Partnership straight from our website.

This new pack – product code 2114 - contains 500 Minit Oxygen Ol joiners and 1000 Minit green straws as used in the project. Other colours and joiners can be purchased here.

Mathematics and art have a long relationship – from the building of the pyramids to more contemporary art by Eschler and Salvador Dali.

This relationship is often explored in the classroom from basic tessellations to more complicated structures. We were very interested to hear of a large scale primary math’s project run last year by the Devon Learning and Development Partnership in association with Sculptor Simon Thomas. More than 15000 straws plus various joiners were used by pupils in a number of primary schools to create structures incorporating mathematical concepts. For example, one pupil made a sculpture which combined squares and triangles which involved decreasing the straws by 10% as it grew taller.

We received the following feedback on the project from the Head of Key Stage 2 at Two Moors Primary School, "The math’s and art side fitted into the curriculum well, but also the children have had to work collaboratively in teams and solve problems together which are really important life skills”.

We also like the fantastic structures made by students at Thomas Tallis School during a workshop with Simon and in their lessons. Some of these, including a Goldberg polyhedron, can be viewed here. We’ve created this starter pack of straws and connectors if you want to have a go at making your own creations or you can order different coloured straws and connectors separately.

Please send us photos of your own creations for our website and facebook pages.

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