Here's a fun wee activity for younger learners, to playfully encourage number recognition: dig out your Lego and get creating! Building with Lego is an opportunity to incorporate a little maths in to your children's play time. How many bricks do they need of each colour? What size of bricks - 2x2 blocks, or 2x4? While they're having fun, they're already learning maths without even realising it.
Finn gets excited about some geometric crystals, and solves another clue in the mystery.
It's time for a little geometry magic! Children will love this geometry paper trick - first you can impress them with it, and then they can impress their friends.
Finn discovers the connection between music and maths is the key to the next puzzle.
>> Download Chapter 7
>> Download Puzzle 7
>> Download Puzzle 7 (simplified)
Best suited for First and Second Level
Explore four artworks from the Pier Arts Centre collection with these art activity sheets. Explore shapes and composition through the work of Ben Nicholson, three-dimensional paper folding inspired by Jim Lambie, Mobius loops through the work of Barbara Hepworth, and geometric drawing inspired by Steven MacIver.
Artwork credit: Steven MacIver, Akasaka, 2010
Are you ready for a mathematical space adventure? Prepare for a journey to the Planet Turasmara. Download and complete your passport application ready for boarding, then solve the six space maths challenges!
Created by the Scottish Mathematical Council
A stopover at the museum café leads Finn to discover some vital new information.
Best suited for First and Second Level
Numerical doodles are a fun way for children to gain more confidence in recognising and naming numbers. Older learners can also still have fun getting creative. Try your hand at recreating our doodles, or create your own - what can you turn each number in to? We have a Christmas version in our seasonal Family Activities section too.
Pig is a dice game for two or more players. All you need to play is one six sided die, some paper and a pen or pencil to keep score. Pig is what's known as a jeopardy game, where you have to decide whether to jeopardise previous points gained by rolling again to gain even more points. As well as practicing basic maths skills counting up your scores, Pig teaches you to think strategically - if you are too greedy and take too many risks, you might lose your points!
Finn has to decipher a Morse code message to get closer to solving the mystery.
>> Download Chapter 9
>> Download Puzzle 9
>> Download Puzzle 9 (advanced)
Best suited for First and Second Level
A quick tutorial on how pupils can make their own tessellation template, so that the repeating pattern fits together.
This is a great card game for practicing simple equations, including addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. All you need is one deck of regular playing cards, with the face cards (Jack, Queen, King) removed.
A surprise new artwork turns out to be a clue hidden in plain sight.
>> Download Chapter 10
>> Download Puzzle 10
>> Download Puzzle 10 (simplified)
Best suited for First and Second Level
Create a geometric heart out of squares and triangles, and learn about patterns, fractions and multiplication along the way.
How to fold an origami hexagon out of a sheet of A4 paper! You could write a letter inside your sheet of paper first, before folding it up.
Finn goes to the rooftop terrace for a breather, and has an inspiration.
>> Download Chapter 11
>> Download Puzzle 11
>> Download Puzzle 11 (simplified)
>> Download Final Suspect Profiles
Best suited for First and Second Level
Pyramid is a card game for two or more players. The video shows Pyramid addition, but the same game play can be used for multiplication. For either version, you will need a standard set of cards with the face cards (Jack, Queen, King) removed.
In this video, we show you how to make a fun geometric brain teaser. You will need a square piece of paper, a ruler, a pencil, and a pair of scissors. Then find a willing volunteer to solve the puzzle. It's not as easy as it looks!
