Geo-board Activity
This activity was contributed by teacher Muriel Dawson who used it with her students ages five thru twelve. Children make the geo-board by nailing small domed nails into a grid on a square of wood. Colored rubber bands are used to make patterns on the geo-board. The process of making the geo-board is educational and fun. Children of all ages enjoy playing with the geo-board and rubber bands.
Materials:
5 1/2 inch by 5 1/2 inch of ¾ inch knot free pine
25 - ¾ or 1 inch nails with rounded or domed tops (brads or Paper pattern (square grid with five dots one inch apart)
Rubber bands (colored best)
Full size claw hammer
Sand paper
Intelligence that will be enhanced:
Fine and gross motor skills
Visual-motor skills
Visual and auditory memory
Figure and shape perception
Spatial concepts and relationships
Directionality
Concepts of diagonal lines
Directions:
Have the child sand the rough or splintery edges of the square piece of pine. Then have him cut out and secure the pattern on the wood with scotch or masking tape. Have the child work on the floor in an out-of-traffic area but make sure he is well supervised. After instructing and/or demonstrating how to drive the nails, let the child do the work. For a beginner, a piece of practice wood and a few extra nails might be a good idea. The large heavy hammer is easier for small children to use than a light tack hammer. Bent nails can usually be straightened if several light strokes are used rather than a heavy blow. After all of the nails have been driven in so that about ¼ inch remains above the surface of the wood, tear off the pattern.
Using the geo-board:
Use various sizes and colors of rubber bands to make patterns on the boards. Ample time should be given for experimentation and exploration of possibilities.
1. Make a picture on the geo-board.
2. Make geometric shapes (square, triangle, rectangle, circle…).
3. Copy someone else’s shapes.
4. Make letters of the alphabet or numbers.
5. Copy a geo-board design on a paper grid for posterity.
6. Follow verbal directions of the teacher or another classmate to draw a design on a paper grid and then make it on the board.
7. Label points on the geo-board with letters of the alphabet or numbers. Use these points to give directions for a design.
8. Use the geo-board as a map.
North = up. South = down. East = right. West = left.9. Find perimeters and areas of figures on the geo-board.
10. Tell someone else how to make a geo-board.
11. Demonstrate spatial concepts such as:
Inside, outside, between, under, over…
Parallel, right angle, diagonal, horizontal, vertical…
Name:___________________________________________ GEO-BOARD
1. Make geo-board.
Measurement:
¾ inch nails
¼ inch height of nail in board
1 inch square between the nails
4 inches between first and last nail in the row
Make paper patterns to space nails (optional)
Grids:
5 inches by 5 inches (points)
4 inches by 4 inches (spaces)
Start and drive nails: finish geo-board.
2. Exploratory activities.
Use rubber bands to make line segments.
Make own designs.
Copy your own designs on paper grids.
Find as many different sized squares as possible.
Make as many of the letters of the alphabet as possible.
3. Introduction to terminology...comparison and classification.
Line segments:
Horizontal
Vertical
Diagonal
Parallel
Geometric Figures I:
Triangle
Square
Rectangle
Parallelogram
Geometric Figures II:
Pentagon
Hexagon
Octagon
Polygon
Angles:
Right
Acute
Obtuse
4. Practice activities.
Identify points on paper grids:
Numbers
Alphabet
Copy puzzles:
When given oral directions
When given written directions
Make own puzzles:
Write directions for a puzzle.
Give oral directions to another person
5. Areas of geometric figures.
Using different sized squares and then triangles:
How many of each size fit on board?
Find area of each square or triangle
Find areas of variety of closed geometric figures
6. Develop a rule for finding the area of a triangle.
Terminology (base, height, area)
Make a data chart of various triangles, their base, heights and areas.
Make up a rule for finding the area of a triangle.Geo-board - Copyright 2001 Kids Can Make It, Inc. All rights reserved