Geometry Scavenger Hunt

1. Use the Geometric Shapes chart to review shapes that you know and to identify shapes that you hope to find on your scavenger hunt.

2. Fold the paper in half (short end to short end) to create a four-page booklet. Plan to use each page for one or two shapes. If you’re going to add photos, you’ll probably need a whole page for each shape. Decide how many shapes you’ll try to find, and fold additional sheets of paper as necessary.


3. Take your materials to the playground. Choose an interesting location or two to stop and make observations.


4. When you spot a geometric shape, briefly sketch the game court or structure where you found it, and then indicate the shape with a darker line. Write the name of each shape, and describe where you found it (for example, “square, found in four-square court.”) If you have a digital camera, take pictures of your shapes.


5. If you took photographs, get them printed, and then glue or tape them to your pages.


6. You can use colored pens to highlight particular shapes or words.


7. Assemble your pages into a booklet, using the colored paper as the cover, and staple the booklet along the folded midline. Write a title and your name on the front cover.

Extensions

• Add a measuring tape to the materials listed above. In addition to finding shapes, measure lengths, widths, diameters, and so on to find perimeters, areas, and volumes.


• Find several examples of the same shape, find their dimensions, and compare the perimeters, areas, or volumes.