Help us spread the word about Maths Week Scotland! Download our Media Pack with a selection of graphics, digital assets, and example texts for different platforms.
Be sure to tag us in any social media posts, and use #MathsWeekScot so we can see and share what you're up to! You can find us at:
Suitable for all levels
Kjartan Poskitt, author of the Murderous Maths books, wows with maths tricks to try yourself in class.
Learn how to play Five Field Kono - a strategy game from Korea. The aim of the game is to be the first to get all your counters to your opponent’s side of the board.
Suitable for all levels
We have pulled together all the 'Maths at Work' related activities from our past Activity Packs, to make it easier for you to access this content which can be reused year after year. The compilation packs align with the levels of the Scottish curriculum and include Early Years, First, Second and Third/Fourth levels.
For International Women in Maths Day (12 May), author and illustrator Rachel Ignotofsky introduces her book Women in Science - 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World, which features several great female mathematicians, such as Hypatia, Ada Lovelace, Amy Noether and Maryam Mirzakhani and others.
Book title: Women in Science - 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World
Author & Illustrator: Rachel Ignotofsky
Published by: Wren & Rook
The punchlines to five summer time jokes have been encrypted as secret messages, using Pigpen Cipher. Can you crack the code?
You can also have a go at encrypting your own secret messages, using our Cryptography resource developed by the Open University, with five different ciphers to choose from.
>> Download Code Cracker Challenge
>> Download Cryptography Resource
Suitable for all levels
A selection of Spring and Easter puzzles covering a range of different maths skills including counting, pattern recognition, logical thinking, code breaking, and using tessellation or symmetry to create designs.
Funding for 2024 is currently being finalised, further information will be announced in due course.
Check out the funding section of our via the link below, for some examples of previous successful funding applicants.
In our latest book recommendation, maths teacher and author Chris Smith introduces his new book That's Mathematics, with the help of nephew Levi. Based on lyrics by US singer-songwriter Tom Lehrer, this fun and informative picture book introduces real-world maths that children use everyday, proving that maths really is fun and everywhere!
Book title: That's Mathematics
Author: Chris Smith, based on lyrics by Tom Lehrer
Illustrator: Elīna Brasliņa
Published by: Mama Makes Books
We love a good dice game! If you travel with some dice in your pocket, you'll never be bored, there's so much you can do with them. Today's game Threes Away requires five dice - you'll also need to think strategically, and it encourages number recognition too.
In the beautifully illustrated "Molly and the Mathematical Mystery", a young girl goes on an interactive adventure - and you're invited! Lift the flaps and solve the clues, to explore there's more to maths than sums and numbers. A great read for children of all ages, and adults too.
Title: Molly and the Mathematical Mystery
Author: Eugenia Cheng
Illustrator: Aleksandra Artymowska
Published by: Templar Books
Best suited for Early Level
An ideal story for ages 3-6, this early years resource covers counting from 1-20, large and small sizes, sorting shapes and encourages creativity in an outdoor setting.
To watch the video, including a BSL version, and request the free supporting teachers notes, visit the JoJo Gnome website.
Created by Jo Hall
It's a Summer of sports - can you work out from the clues, who has gone to watch which sporting event, and what snacks they are eating? There are two levels of difficulty to choose from. In the advanced level, you'll also need to work out what the weather is like.
Best suited for Early Level
‘JoJo Gnome & the Shape Map’ finds JoJo Gnome making a map from all of the shapes he finds on a walk with his Grandpa. An ideal celebration of STEM and outdoor learning.
To watch the video and request the free supporting teachers notes, visit the JoJo Gnome website.
Created by Jo Hall
In celebration of Book Week Scotland, we're launching a new video series with reviews of children's books that have a maths or numeracy focus.First up we have Abigail, by Catherine Rayner, shared by Fiona from National Museums Scotland. This book has a very special connection to the museum, as the author was inspired by the giraffe on display in the animal galleries.
Book title: Abigail
Written & illustrated by: Catherine Rayner
Published by: Little Tiger Press
Queah is a traditional board game from Liberia. The two-player strategy game has some similarities to draughts, in that you capture your opponent's counters by jumping over them. A unique feature is that you have a reserve, from which you can replace your captured counters.
We continue our Book Week Scotland recommendations with Helena from the Scottish Book Trust sharing why she loves "You Can't Count on Dinosaurs!" by Philip Ardagh & Elissa Elwick
Title: You Can't Count on Dinosuars! An Almost Counting Book
Author: Philip Ardagh
Illustrator: Elissa ElwickPublished by: Walker Books
Published by: Walker Books
Best suited for Early Level
Videos and activities to do with your class or at home covering topics including classification, patterns and symmetry. Teachers notes and plans are also provided.
Content created by the Scottish Mathematical Council
Get ready for some seasonal summer counting fun! How many of each ice cream can you find? For a bonus activity, colour them all in.
Best suited for Early Level
Fun, physically active, story-based sessions teaching maths for 2-5s.
Don’t let your learners miss out and try a session with no-preparation required.
Our final Book Week Scotland recommendation comes from Catherine at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, who has chosen to share "Ten Delicious Teachers" by Ross Montgomery & Sarah Warburton
Title: Ten Delicious Teachers
Author: Ross Montgomery
Illustrator: Sarah Warburton
Published by: Walker Books
Our theme for 2024 is Maths Tales, so for World Book Day we are showing you how to make an origami bookmark. Origami involves a lot of maths skills, including spatial awareness, fractions, lines, angles, symmetry or rotation.
In our latest book review, author Kjartan Poskitt introduces his book 'The Magic of Maths' which is full of fun maths tricks to keep children busy for hours - from using the power of maths to beat the calculator, to performing amazing card tricks, and even reading minds!
Title: The Magic of Maths
Author: Kjartan Poskitt
Published by: Scholastic
Best suited for Early Level
Developed for Maths Week Scotland 2021, these resources from the Scottish Book Trust embed numeracy into early years activities. The resources contains ideas for activities, songs and rhymes to help plan fun sessions with a numeracy focus.
Counting songs and rhymes, finger counting and props can help reinforce number sequences, physical values of numbers and children's overall awareness of numbers.