One person can make a real difference by bringing math into a family event at the Nature Center. Emmie Chng was working solo with an enthusiastic gathering of families. They learned how to make a plumbline, how to use a quadrant, how to make one at home and why we look to the north star to find latitude.
Here’s the basic setup that turned into a great evening of math. Kids loved to color and assemble the plumb bob which is also a necklace, and parents were really interested to learn how the quadrants work and several people of all ages made extras to share with family who could not attend.
Parents were also excited to know that they can use their trigonometry for measuring trees! Emmie sketched this diagram on the spot!