Did you know that in Manhattan there’s a National Museum of Mathematics which is apparently one of the most popular trip destinations for students in NYC! I’m totally impressed and a little bit jealous! We need something like that in Ontario.

I did find a few spots for out-of-school math excursions with programs for junior students but unfortunately, not that many. Please feel free to share your experiences and suggestions for field trips.

1. The Ontario Science Centre offers a 45-minute program for Grade 4-6 students called “Probability Challenge“.

2. Bricks4Kidz – students use Lego bricks to design and create 3D structures. Math skills can be integrated into any program along with science and technology objectives.

3. Legoland Vaughan Mills – offers two programs (under “Worksops”) for Junior students, “Tall Towers Junior” and “Race Car Workshop”. Both involve building structures and using math to analyse their properties.

4. Visit a Math Fair that is being held at another school. Partner with a nearby junior classroom – run your own math fair and invite another school, then switch. See the “Math Fair” page for more information about how to get started. When your class tours the other class, that counts as a math excursion! They get to play math games and challenge themselves with solving problems. They will learn from other students and will be exposed to different strategies and methods for arriving at a solution.

5. Take your class to the Mall. Give your students an assignment that involves having to buy a list of products given a certain amount of money. Encourage them to find sales and deals. Tell them they have to calculate the costs, including tax. Alternatively, have them compare shopping at three different stores – which store gives the better value for your money? A great discussion on the importance of quality, where the product is made and what is it made from. Keep in mind that for this type of excursion you will need plenty of volunteers – students should be small groups (e.g., 3 or 4 per group) and each should include an adult to ensure that students are on task and behaving appropriately in the stores. Teach your students how to explain to mall employees what the purpose of their assignment is. You can play these fun online games to get them excited : Math at the Mall 1 and Math at the Mall 2 (mathplayground.com).