Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Helping Children Learn Math Using Math Gnomes


Math Gnomes
Originally uploaded by Pictures by Ann
This is a set of Waldorf-inspired math gnomes that I made for a customer for my shop, Harvest Moon by Hand.

The gnomes stand between 9-10” inches tall, and each is needlefelted by hand. Sometimes I use 4 barbed needles at a time and at other times only a single barbed needle (for example, when attaching the curly sheep wool to the face and body or creating the math symbols on the bodies).

Each gnome has a different math sign on the body - addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and equals. Individual gnomes and combination of gnomes can be used in combination with natural tactile elements (e.g., pebbles, gems, acorns) to make learning math more tangible.

There are many Waldorf-inspired stories using math gnomes on the internet. You may choose to use one of the stories as they are presented...or create your own stories.

The gnomes are made from sheep wool - the interior core is from cream-colored wool from sheep that I raised at Harvest Moon's organic farm. The exterior (colored) wool is from a variety of textile artists who hand-dye sheep wool.

For a set of custom-made gnomes or other needlefelted items, please visit my shop, Harvest Moon by Hand.

3 comments:

Allison said...

Your needle felted gnomes are wonderful. I needle felt on pieces of felted knitting. It can be so creative!

Amber said...

I've never seen needle felted wool before, but after reading your posts, it's something I want to read up on.

The gnomes are brilliant. My 4 year old is starting to learn a bit of math and something like this would be a great idea to help him learn.

You've got a really great site!

(This is PisceanMama from Swap-Bot for the Bloggers Swap!)

Unknown said...

Hi! I'm sillyna511, following from swap-bot!

That's such an awesome idea! Those gnomes are adorable, too!