We're delighted to announce Maths Week Scotland will be back for 2024!
Maths Week Scotland will take place 23 September - 29 September 2024 and the theme will be Maths Tales, looking at how Maths is used to tell stories. Whether it’s the link between maths and literature, the history of maths and prominent mathematicians, or the stories woven in to maths trails and escape rooms.
Get creative and come up with your own way to celebrate Maths Tales or take inspiration from some of our suggestions below:
Counting Through the Ages!
Who invented numbers? When was money first used? Are all numbers the same in every language?
This Maths Week Scotland, take a look back at the history of maths and find out for yourselves! Whether it’s looking back at the lives of important mathematicians throughout time or learning about the history of maths itself, there are so many interesting ways in which maths has played an important part in the history of the world and how we live today.
Maths is woven through every story and there are so many different ways to celebrate the links between maths and literacy. Share your favourite maths story book or discover some new ones - we have a few book recommendations on our website. Or better yet, write your own maths story!
We love seeing all the different ways classes celebrate maths and literacy, from maths story clocks to writing tasks based on why certain numbers are special:
P5M have really enjoyed celebrating @mathsweekscot so far this week! We have created a whole class clock, which is now proudly displayed outside our classroom. Each number is represented by a children’s book with the number in the title! #MathsWeekScotland@NewtongrangePSpic.twitter.com/Ix0yH3FrZ2
St Matthew’s Primary School from Bishopbriggs looked at Roger McGough’s A Potato Clock - and the made actual potato clocks! An ingenious and very creative way to look at song and poetry and celebrate the hidden maths (Note: Original tweet no longer available, so we have linked to another version of A Potato Clock)
Can You Find the X-It?
Escape rooms often tell a story, and they are a great way to explore maths in a really engaging way too. Why not set up an escape room in your classroom? Or get the whole school involved! Check out our Escape from Lochdonia Manor escape room from a couple years ago, or challenge yourselves to create your own.
It’s maths week here at Parkhill and our junior detectives have solved 2 major crimes using their maths skills! Let’s hope our seniors manage as well and the school crime rate returns to zero! #MathsWeekScotpic.twitter.com/TVXyGnSWi9
Another great way to explore the joy in maths and take maths outside the classroom and into the outside world, is to create a maths trail around your school or neighbourhood. You could even take it a step further and get the local community involved too! This is a great way to take maths beyond the classroom and engage parents and families in maths learning.
122 entries to the Community Number Hunt! Thanks to all the local businesses that took part and generously gave prizes. It has been a great community event! @mathsweekscotpic.twitter.com/afpjVaofg8
Art tells a story, and so does maths! Take a look at the work of some famous artists and the maths they used to create their designs - then create your own Maths-terpiece (see what we did there...) A few artists to get you started, that for example use a lot of shapes, line and geometry in their art, include Hilma Af Klint, Sonia & Robert Delauney, Maurits Cornelis Escher, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Beatriz Milhazes, Piet Mondrian, Sarah Morris, Pablo Picasso and Bridget Riley.
P1 have been linking our maths topic of shape into art with some fantastic interpretations of the famous piece “Concentric Circles” by Kandinsky. We loved mixing primary colours to achieve secondary colours @mathsweekscot#stlukescurriculumpic.twitter.com/4uyB2yQjph
During Maths Week Scotland P3 brought Maths into art when creating shape pictures inspired by the artist Paul Klee. They then used oil pastels in warm colours and watercolour paints in cool colours. @mathsweekscotpic.twitter.com/eNmLDP1xLR
— Saint Mary's RCPS, Bonnyrigg, Midlothian (@stmarysrcps) September 29, 2023
If you are an individual, organisation, museum, gallery, science centre or anyone else who would like to get involved in hosting a Maths Week Scotland event or creating a resource get in touch with info@mathsweek,scot.
If you are a school wanting to be the first to hear about new events and resources for Maths Week Scotland 2024 then put yourself on the map.
To celebrate Book Week Scotland, we are delighted to announce the finalists and winners of our Maths Tales story-writing competition, run in partnership with Read Write Count with The First Minister.
