Transformations, Ahoy!

I must start off by saying I cannot believe I only have two days left with
my kiddos. :( I am beyond sad to see them go, though I look forward to some sunshine and relaxing this summer! We've spent the last two weeks doing "fun" math that reviewed all the different topics we learned over the course of the year. One of the activities we did is one of my favorites, and this year the kids really liked it too! I found this activity called "Shape Ship" on the Lesson Plans Page a few years back and always do it with my kids during our geometry unit. It is a great way to review some of the shapes, as well as geometric transformations, aka slide, flip, turn... aka translations, reflections, rotations. The kids create an ocean-themed picture on construction paper using a sailboat, the sail, and a sun to represent slides, flips, and turns. The kids love that they have a picture that "moves" and I love hearing them partner up and explain transformations using their artwork as a guide! Here are some pictures of a few of the kiddos work:

     

They used straws and a slit behind the waves to slide/translate the ship. The sail flips/reflects on the straw and the sun turns/rotates. I thought they came out pretty darn cute!

Do you have any great geometry ideas to share? I'd love to hear them! Now I'm off to finish up my end of year gifts for my students... pictures coming soon!