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Take a look at the two clocks. They both show the same amount of time passing, but the clock hands look different. This is a chance to talk together about time and angles, using something we see every day.
Source: Same But Different Math
Try an angle scavenger hunt around your home or neighbourhood! Together, look for different types of angles you can spot in everyday places: on doors, windows, stairs, furniture, playground equipment, or street signs. Children can point them out, draw them, or take photos to share what they found.
As you explore, talk about how angles show up all around us and how some angles are smaller, bigger, or just right. This activity builds strong math thinking by encouraging children to observe, compare, and explain what they see in the world around them.
Try this at home:
No measuring tools needed—just careful looking and good conversation!
In this activity, students explore angles by fitting puzzle pieces together like a jigsaw. Each piece has angles that must connect in just the right way, encouraging children to look closely, compare angles, and think about how angles fit together. As students work, they begin to notice which angles are bigger or smaller and how angles combine around a point or along a straight line, all through hands‑on problem solving and discussion.
This activity helps build strong angle sense before students begin measuring with tools, and it’s a great reminder that math often starts with noticing, wondering, and trying things out.
Source: Angles Jigsaw Project
Try making geometric art at home using angles! With paper and a ruler, children can design creative pictures made from straight lines and different angles. Some families may choose to use a protractor to measure angles more precisely, but it is not required; careful looking, estimating, and talking about angles are just as valuable.
As children create, encourage them to notice how small, medium, and wide angles change the look of their artwork. This activity helps children see how math and art connect, while building confidence with angles in a fun, creative way.
Want to see a way that angles and protractors can be used in art? Families can watch this short video together for inspiration.
This is the fourth strategy in our series of featured math strategies. This month, we’re focusing on the Area Model to multiply.
The area model helps students see multiplication as finding the total area of a rectangle by breaking it into smaller, more manageable parts. By partitioning numbers into tens and ones, students can make sense of multiplication across a variety of situations, such as equal groups, comparisons, combinations, and area problems.
For example, when solving a problem like 24 × 38, students might break the rectangle into parts (20 × 30, 20 × 8, 4 × 30, and 4 × 8), find each partial product, and then combine them. This same thinking supports real‑world problems, such as finding the total number of plants in equal rows, comparing quantities that scale up, counting possible outfit combinations, or determining the area of a rectangular space like a garden or orchard.
The area model also builds a strong bridge to the traditional multiplication algorithm. By visually connecting each partial product in the model to the steps in the algorithm, students develop a deeper understanding of why the algorithm works, not just how to use it. This strategy strengthens conceptual understanding, supports flexible thinking, and helps students approach multiplication with confidence and meaning.
Source: Ontario Mathematics Curriculum, 2020, Grade 5, B2.6 Operations Example
Why was the obtuse angle always so frustrated?
Because it was never right!
Check out our past e-newsletters for more fun and exciting math games and challenges to do at home.
Family Math E-Newsletter 2025-26