Objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to identify and describe different geometric shapes found in nature.

Materials and Prep

• Pencil
• Blank paper

Activities

1. Take a nature walk in your backyard or a nearby park. Look closely at the plants, flowers, and trees around you.

   Observe the shapes you see in nature. For example, notice the circular shape of flower petals, the triangular shape of leaves, or the hexagonal shape of a beehive.

   Draw the different shapes you find in your sketchbook or on a piece of paper. Label each shape with its name.

2. Research about different geometric shapes and their properties. Learn about squares, rectangles, triangles, circles, and hexagons.

   Using your knowledge, try to identify any of these shapes in the natural objects you found during your nature walk. Write down the names of the shapes next to your drawings.

Third Grade Talking Points

• "Did you know that shapes can be found all around us, even in nature? Let's explore some shapes we can find in plants, flowers, and trees."
• "When we look closely at flower petals, we can see that they often form a circular shape. Can you find any flowers with circular petals during our nature walk?"
• "Leaves on trees and plants often have a triangular shape. Can you find any leaves that look like triangles during our nature walk?"
• "Bees build their hives using hexagonal cells. Hexagons have six sides. Can you find any beehives or other objects with a hexagonal shape?"
• "Shapes have different names, such as squares, rectangles, triangles, circles, and hexagons. Can you identify any of these shapes in the objects you found during our nature walk?"