Math shapes: Marshmallows and toothpicks activity!

Toddlers and preschoolers are introduced to simple shapes such as squares, circles and triangles. Learning to identify and name these shapes, lays the foundation for a variety of math skills and will transition into geometry skills later on. These foundational shape concepts also go hand-in-hand with Orientation and Mobility skills. Walking around the block (square) and crossing a round-about intersection (circle) are two O&M examples that require students to understand the concept behind these shapes.

Draw simple shapes using a template

In the Concept Development: Drawing post, we learned how the ability to draw simple maps or diagrams can build and confirm a student’s knowledge of the topic. In this case, Victor a rising freshman in college, drew a quick tactile overview map of the college campus during an O&M lesson. The post goes on to share information about the Sensational Blackboard, the raised line drawing tool that Victor used. The post also provided hints about how to introduce drawing by tracing around a shape, such as a wooden block.

Image 1: Creating a raised line drawing of a wooden block using the Sensational Blackboard.

Pen tracing around a wooden block using the Sensational Blackboard tool.

Create shapes using marshmallows and toothpicks

Skip ahead to more complex shapes introduced in math classes, such as a rhombus, octagon and trapezoid. With these shapes, students are learning how many sides are in each shape, if the sides are equal lengths, and progressing to learning about the associated angles for each shape.

Terms

Here are a few terms that you may choose to use with this activity. If working with a very young student, “corner” may be most appropriate term.

Vertices: (plural) The points at which the sides of a shape connect to each other. Also known as corners.
Vertex: (Singular) The point at which the sides of a shape connect to each other. Also known as a corner.
Apex: the highest point of a shape. Example: The top point of a triangle.

Creating shapes with marshmallows is a motivating activity that can be used to focus attention on the angles. In this activity, marshmallows are used as the vertices or corners.

Image 1: A pentagon drawn with a thick black marker with a small square for each vertex and the printed word, “pentagon”. On top of the print pentagon is a pentagon made with toothpicks. A miniature marshmallow at each vertex holds the toothpicks in the pentagon shape.

Print page with a pentagon shape; tactile shape of the same pentagon made out of toothpicks and marshmallows.

Shape activity

Create tactile versions of the printed shapes. The easiest way is to re-create the shapes using a tactile graphic machine such as the PIAF or Swell machine. You can also create these shapes using tactile materials such as thin graphic tape and small sticky-backed foam squares or circles to mark the vertices. Cut apart each shape so that there is one shape per page. If desired, add a braille label to name each shape. Note: The shapes should be sized so that each line is similar to the length of a toothpick; each line should not be longer than a toothpick.

First, the student should identify the shape. The teacher can adhere the braille label or ask the student to choose the correct braille label and adhere it to the shape.
The student should identify the number of sides the shape has and the number of vertices.
- The student should gather the desired number of toothpicks (sides) and marshmallows (vertices) that are needed to make the desired shape.
The student will re-create the shape by poking the end of the toothpick into the marshmallow at the desired angle. Repeat until the shape is created.
Repeat the steps to create all of the shapes using marshmallows and toothpicks.

For your convenience, the following worksheet with 8 shapes can be downloaded and used.

Problem-Solving: The sides of the octagon and nonagon are smaller than the size of a standard toothpick. How will your student handle this?

Options:

Students can recreate the shape using full size toothpicks which will make the shape larger than the provided image.
Students can cut their toothpicks to match the size of the given image.
Students can ask for a larger tactile image with shapes that have sides with the length equivalent to a standard toothpick.