Can you pass this Grade 3 math test?

Perhaps you’ve heard (or even asked) this question before, “Why should I care about math? When will I ever use it in my life?” Actually, you probably use it more than you think. You’re probably not even aware that you’re doing it.

Believe it or not, math can be fun! From baking to banking and drawing to dance, math IS part of your world. If you don’t believe us, you should check out Science World’s newest feature exhibition, Math Moves!

Now is the perfect time to get your kids away from their iPads and out into Vancouver’s biggest science hub to experience a hands-on math experience like no other.

Running until January 1, Math Moves! showcases more than 20 interactive exhibits that get visitors of all ages working and moving together to delve into the basic concepts of math. Not only this, but it also allows for kids and families see that math is actually fun.

While you’re at the feature exhibition, you’ll get to use your gestures, body, and words to set up, measure, describe, and compare ratios and proportions. Think of it as a casual approach to problem solving that includes exciting, open-ended activities that will have you thinking about math in a whole new way. It’s the perfect way to spend an afternoon or morning with the kids, develop an intuitive understanding of fractions, ratios, proportions, and more.

To get you ready for the feature exhibition, we’ve created this interactive quiz designed for third graders. Whether you pass it or not, make sure you check into Science World to try these concepts out in real life!

To give you a sneak peak of the exciting exhibits you’ll get to experience, we’ve compiled a few examples of what’s waiting for you at Math Moves!

Comparing frequencies 

Get rhythmic as you compare frequencies, using one or more of the smaller wheels that are driven by a larger wheel.

Balance and imbalance

Test your skills by hanging weights on a balance to find out how proportions of distance and weight actually work. Hey, it could come in handy if you’ve ever want to perform circus stunts.

Circle ratios

Get creative by making colourful digital cycloid designs using proportional drawing wheels. See if you can predict what shape you will create when you use a drawing disc that’s one third the circumference of the drawing frame it traces around.

Shadow fractions

Make your own shadow stories or scenes by experimenting with the placement of objects, at this activity. You’ll get to experience the concepts of ratio and proportion by moving these objects, which will increase or decrease the size of their shadows.

Motion Math

Create and record your own video of a short “dance” pattern. Can you replicate that dance pattern at twice the speed or half the speed of your original pattern? See, we told you math can be fun.

Movie Ratios

Put yourself in the shoes of an amateur animator by creating stop-motion movies and then playing them back at double or half speed. Find out what happens if you take four shots of every scene before moving props to their next position.

Half Whole Double

Figure out how you can adjust the size and shape of your shadow using your whole body at Math Moves! Grow your shadow into a monster and turn your parents into kids as you play around with the concepts of half, whole, and double.

Partner Motion

Have a laugh with a friend as you work together to graph your relative rates of motion. You can then watch as your speed and position are recorded on a screen. Can you get good enough to draw simple pictures with your body motion? Well, you’ll have to visit Math Moves! to find out.

Scaling shapes

You can use blocks to “scale up” shapes by doubling height, width, and depth. This includes everything from the basic building unit of a block to a variety of shapes and levels of difficulty.

Moving shadows

Get hands-on and set the scene with toys and small objects during this activity where you can adjust the lamp to move and stretch the shadows, just like the sun.

---

Math Moves! is an exciting feature exhibition that gives space for everyone to have fun in an area that spans over 5,000 square feet. It includes 20 activities and is designed for kids aged 7-14, along with their families. You can learn more about Math Moves! here.

Math Moves! is about the exploration of simple math concepts using your body and senses. It makes for collaborative activities that encourage families and their kids to talk about the different ways to overcome the challenges in the exhibition.

Math Moves! stimulates imagination and builds math muscle in visitors of all ages. Hands, mind, and body get involved in exploring ratios, proportions, fractions, and more. Understanding ratios and proportions is a must for student success in middle and high school mathematics – but they’re also constants in everyday life, too.

To stay in the know about Science World, check out Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Math Moves! Feature Exhibition

When: September 23 to January 1

Where: Science World at TELUS World of Science

Price: Buy tickets online