April 22nd is Earth Day!

Earth Day can be a wonderful opportunity to spend time observing nature and to gain an appreciation of the beauty of math in nature. Here are some ideas to get you started!

• Look for geometric shapes in nature
• Count, sort and arrange stones into arrays and sequences
• Use sticks to create and compare geometric shapes
• Walk up a mountain, estimate and calculate your distance and height traveled
• Collect Trash
• Nature does know math! Look for patterns in nature such as Fibonacci numbers, the Golden Ratio, symmetry and fractals in leaves, snowflakes, shells, pinecones, flowers and insects.
• Measure the height of a tree using trigonometry.
• Count raindrops, the grains of sand on the beach and explore the concept of infinity!

More on Fibonacci and the Golden Mean

• Listen to our Golden Mean and Fibonacci dialogue from our Crazy 4 Math album — this explains the relationship between Fibonacci and the irrational number Phi.

ECO-Math

Check out other ways to keep your math green in our ECO-Math section including 'how to use math outdoors', the probability of finding a four leaf clover, insects, classifications of rocks, hummingbird facts and more green contest entry ideas.

Sustainability Moderated Section

Visit our Sustainability Moderated Section for the latest articles and resources on teaching your child or students to become "sustainability thinkers." Also check out or submit Earth Day activities and games.

Activities for Using Math Outdoors

• Outdoor Math Activities Forum
• A Field Day for Math
• Graphing Math Games to be played outdoors

Math in Nature Resources

• Plants
• Pinecones and Sunflowers
• Fibonacci Numbers and Nature
• Fractals in Nature
• Symmetry in Nature

Remember to enjoy Earth Day — everyday!

Learn more about Earth Day and how we can help move towards a sustainable future.