Multiplication mastery has been a challenge for my 3rd graders this past year. We’ve worked on multiples for a couple of years now through skip counting and repeated addition.

They understand the theory behind multiplication, but they became frustrated more than a few times with mastering those facts.

So one day in March, I decided to combine our art and math time to create these mosaics. I had the paper scraps cut into squares and ready on the table.

We had been observing the emerging insects in nature, so they naturally came up with the idea to create an outdoor scene.

I allowed them time to finish their mosaics and reminded them to use patterns within each separate piece of art on their paper, so they could write out multiplication sentences to describe their mosaics.

Since I also have a PreKer, I asked her to write out addition sentences for her beautiful mosaic.

They had a lot of fun and critical thinking was at work for this Math in Art lesson.

After completing their mosaics, my 3rd graders wrote out their math sentences on paper and we attached those to the bottom for display! Of course, they always love to display their work and show Daddy when he comes home in the evenings.

What have you done to incorporate Math in Art in your learning environment? Please share in the comments! Link up to your blog posts if you’d like to share!