2 Items Every Elementary Classroom Needs for Higher Learning Concepts

Some mathematical and scientific lesson plans are easier to demonstrate, than trying to explain to elementary students. My recommendation is to invest in two play-toy items available at most grocery stores for $3.00 to $8.00, a Hula Hoop and a 10" round rubber ball, or inflatable beach ball.

Demonstrating Scientific Concepts

You should be particularly interested if you have ever had trouble describing any of the following scientific concepts, or terms to your young students. Science as it relates to our solar system, space, moons, orbs, orbiting, halos, rings, axis, spinning, rotation, or earth itself.

As handy as the classroom globe is, it can be heavy and awkward to pass from student to student. A ball can represent the sun, stars, planets, or moons, and is lightweight enough to pass around, or spin on a desk top for demonstration purposes.

A Hula Hoop can represent planetary orbits, ice crystal rings around Saturn, or spiraling galaxies. There are also circular weather storm patterns, as seen from space, which the Hula Hoop can represent. Have students demonstrate the force of swirling tornadoes, hurricanes, or whirlpools, as they try to keep the Hula Hoop in motion.

Tangible Mathematics & Geometry

Mathematics and geometry lose many children due to the inaccessibility of numbers, shapes, or equations. Using a ball and a Hula Hoop make it possible for your students to see and touch hemispheres and spheres, while experiencing the radius and circumference of circles.

The circumference of a circle, as represented by the Hula Hoop outline of a circle, is visually distinguishable from the solid area or mass, represented by the ball. The radius of a circle can be demonstrated by a child holding up a Hula Hoop and becoming the mid-point.

Difficult concepts can be effectively demonstrated using a ball and a Hula Hoop, which might not have been understandable as blackboard numbers or pictures. When your students can become part of a mathematical equation, or visualize the scientific principals in motion, the science and numbers will begin to make more sense.