Making 2-D Shapes with Carrot Sticks

Part of the "Fall into Healthy Shapes" Collection

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Goal

Students will review 2-dimensional shapes and work together to create shapes with carrots.

Estimated Time

N/A

Setting Required

Inside or Outside

Standards

  • GPS.MCC.K.G.2. Correctly name shapes regardless of orientations or overall size.

Materials

  • Carrots (one bunch of whole carrots with greens, 8 carrots per small group halved long-wise)
  • Cutting board (1 per small group, 1 for the teacher)
  • Knife (1)

Procedures

  1. Optional: Harvest carrots from the garden.
  2. Review common 2-dimensional shapes with the class: triangle, square, rectangle (pentagon, hexagon, octagon). Review the concept of a “straight side” and identify how many straight sides each of the 2-dimensional shapes have. Optional: Use the selected shape posters created by the class while reading Pick a Circle, Gather Squares: A Fall Harvest of Fall Shapes by Felicia Sanzari
  3. Arrange students in small groups, with each group of students surrounding a large flat surface like a cutting board. Provide groups with at least 8 carrots (halved long-wise, preferably so they don’t roll). Students will work together to create the shapes that the teacher instructs arranging the carrots as the straight sides. Shapes can be called in any order:Standard
    Triangle / 3-sided figure (made with 3 carrots)
    Square / 4-sided figure (made with 4 carrots)
    Rectangle / 4-sided figure with two extended sides (made with 6 carrots)

    Challenge (provide an opportunity to discuss prefixes as well)
    Pentagon / 5-sided figure (made with 5 carrots)
    Hexagon / 6-sided figure (made with 6 carrots)
    Octagon / 8-sided figure (made with 8 carrots)
  4. In a whole group, show students a whole carrot and challenge them to visualize what the shape of the flat surface will be when the carrot is sliced. Demonstrate to show that the flat face would be a circle.
  5. Optional: Taste test the carrots with students – providing raw samples and a homemade dip or dressing. Collect data from the taste test.