Paper chains offer rich opportunities for S.T.E.A.M. learning.
Why make a paper chain?
- Hands on activity supporting dexterity and motor skills.
- Co-operative – easier with two or more people.
- Group activity – everyone in the group can add a link.
- Sustainable – recycle magazines, wrapping paper, printed pages, etc.
Mathematizing
- Positional language (over, under, inside, outside, through, up, down, etc.)
- Orientation – horizonal, vertical.
- Number – how many links, add one more …
- Estimate – how long is it – as tall as a door, as wide the table.
- Shape – rectangle, oval, circle.
- Pattern – colour, loop size, etc.
Try some mathematical magic
Make a Möbius strip by twisting one end of the strip before joining together.
Estimating and predicting are powerful skills in mathematics but sometimes surprising results really challenge us.
Try cutting the strip all along the horizonal axis to see what you get.
Was the result what you expected?
What might happen if you cut the new shape the same way again?
Take a marker and draw along a Möbius strip – where does the line end?
