Integrating a Holiday into Math
(4th of July ideas)
A Few Questions for Investigating the Mathematics in the Fourth of July
DATES:
- What are the important dates associated with this holiday?
- Why are they important?
- How long ago did the original events occur?
- How many years had our country been celebrating when the students were born? when the students’ parents were born?
- How many years are considered to be a “generation?”
- How many generations of Americans have celebrated the Fourth of July?
- Make a collage or a timeline of important dates associated with the Fourth of July.
PEOPLE:
- Who were the people involved with the origin of this holiday?
- How old were they during this time?
- From what country had their ancestors come?
- How far had their ancestors traveled to reach the New World?
PLACES
- Locate on a current map of the United States the important cities associated with this holiday.
- What is the distance between these cities?
- What was the population at that time?
- What is the population today?
- How much have the cities grown over the years?
- What were the most common forms of transportation?
- How long would it take people to travel from city to city using those modes of transportation?
- Generate a graph that will compare those modes of transportation to today ’s transportation.
THINGS
- What were some of the foods that people ate during that time?
- Where did the foods come from? How were they prepared?
- Select 1 food item and compare the preparation time between then and now.
- What was the measurement system during this time? Compare it to today.
- The same could be asked of making clothing, shoes, furniture, dwellings, etc.
- When did we first start using fireworks and why?
- How many fireworks are used in the USA every Fourth of July?
- What does it cost to make a firecracker? How much profit is made on them?
- What does a professional show cost to give?
- How far into the air do professional firework displays travel? Explain why this would or would not be a hazard to airlines.
There are so many “numbers” associated with our lives. Kids are intrigued by these numbers because they are real and are a part of their experiences. For references for any holiday, just do a search on the internet and you’ll find more than you could ever use! My favorite are sites especially designed for Kids that include snack recipes, crafts, games, skits… just think of the math involved in each of those!!
