Homeschoolers have a wonderful opportunity to explore the world in a way that sitting at a desk can never do. A hands-on approach to mathematics helps a child not only learn the concept but to really understand it.

In our home, we have just started a new math skill: ordering. So to prepare for these lessons on ordering, I planned a few art projects, some games, and ordered some really good books.

Listed below, you will find the books, projects, and games that I used.

Full list of books:

I always like using stories to teach math concepts. There is something that triggers comprehension when you can experience it in a book. Maybe books word things better than I can. Maybe it is the pictures. Or maybe it is because stories always make an impact on children. Most likely, it is actually the connection children make with the characters.

The Best Bug Parade by Stuart J. Murphy

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen

How Big Is a Foot? by Rolf Myller

One Was Johnny by Maurice Sendak

Mighty Maddie by Stuart J. Murphy

Full list of games:

Game #1:

You will need toys of various sizes. We used stuffed animals. Children put them in order from tallest to shortest, and then shortest to tallest. Key words: short, shorter, shortest, tall, taller, tallest.

Game #2:

You will need building blocks (plastic connecting blocks or wooden stacking blocks will do). Build a series of towers where each tower is taller or shorter than the next one. Children like to build stairs, so this would work too. Key words: short, shorter, shortest, tall, taller, tallest.

Game #3:

You will need stairs to climb. With each step up, talk about how much higher you are, and at the top, you are the highest. With each step down, talk about how much lower you are, and at the bottom, you are the lowest. Key words: high, higher, highest, low, lower, lowest.

Game #4:

You will need various items from your pantry. I used a jar of peanut butter, a can of peanuts, a container of hot chocolate mix, an empty mug, and a coffee tin. I picked items that were both heavy and light and where the size had no bearing on the weight. I had the children order them by weight (estimating the weight by picking it up). Key words: heavy, heavier, heaviest, light, lighter, lightest.

Game #5:

You will need 6 Mason jars (or other glass jars that are all the same size), water, and a metal spoon. Set up tone bottles with various amounts of water and then listen to the pitch of each jar by tapping it with a metal spoon. Make note that the lower the pitch the higher the water level. Key words: high, higher, highest, low, lower, lowest.

Game #6:

Play with stacking cups, stacking rings, and Russian nesting dolls.

Full list of art projects:

Art Project #1:

You will need glue, string, and construction paper. I cut the string by inches (i.e. 1 inch, 2 inches, 3 inches, etc.) until I had 8 strings for each child. The children put them in order by length and then used a ruler to measure them. Then they wrote the number of inches by each string and then glued the string onto the paper. Key words: short, shorter, shortest, long, longer, longest.

Art Project #2:

You will need markers, construction paper, and varying sizes of round lids. Centering a lid on the middle of the page, trace it with a marker. Continue to do this for all lids so that the smallest circle is in the center of the largest circle. The child should be able to see the growing sizes of circles. Key words: small, smaller, smallest, big, bigger, biggest, large, larger, largest.

Art Project #3:

You will need varying sizes of shapes drawn on a paper, scissors, glue, and construction paper. Cut out the shapes and glue them in order by size on the construction paper. Key words: small, smaller, smallest, big, bigger, biggest, large, larger, largest.

Art Project #4:

You will need construction paper, scissors, glue, and cutouts of varying shapes. I recommend that the cutouts have a different number available for each shape (i.e. 1 circle, 2 squares, 3 hearts, etc.) Draw a butterfly on a piece of construction paper. Have the children cut out the butterfly and then glue shapes on their wings. When finished, compare the number of shapes on each butterfly. Key words: more, most, less, least.

Art Project #5:

You will need multiple toys of multiple types (i.e. 5 balls, 3 cars, 6 dolls, and 7 stuffed animals). Make a graph where you have a row for each type of toy and fill in a box for each number of that toy. Compare the lines, determining which row has the most and which row has the least. Key words: more, most, less, least.

Primary children are the best age group for a teacher to handle. They are small and curious to know and learn a lot. They are still simple, loving and obedient. If the teacher makes her class interesting by giving them third grade science fair projects, they understand very well and the concept becomes crystal clear in their minds.

A third grade science fair project for body parts - Make them place their palm and fingers on a piece of thick paper and trace the outline of all the fingers, the children can color the same, they can label the names of the different fingers and some children are innovative, they even decorate the ring finger by drawing a ring and paste shiny beads to depict a ring, some of them color the nails with nail polish.

Houses for human beings made with thick card board, huts with dried leaves, nest with twigs, cotton etc. The teacher can teach how the house protects us from heat, cold, rain, enemies etc.

How to keep the house clean can be an extension of the previous topic. The children should be taught to put waste paper or any other waste item in the dust bin. Make a dustbin without spending money with the concept of Handwork out of Waste.

Animals, birds and their young ones -- cut pictures of big animals with their young one and make a third grade science fair project or a scrap book.

Plants need air, sunlight, and water to grow. Take two plants and make them grow in different pots - one pot is placed outside whereas the other pot inside a cardboard box. Cut a small hole in any one side so that the sunlight can come through that hole. Observe after few days.

Does the amount of fertilizers given to a plant affect the growth? Take three plants, first one give only water, for the second one water plus little fertilizer and the third one water plus more of fertilizer, watch the plants, you will be surprised the one with only water is the best, so dont give too much of fertilizer to the young plant, once in a while one can give little bit.

Different kinds of soil can be made in small transparent pouches and pasted in the main chart.

Food, balanced diet can be done in a pyramid form, so that the children know which food is more important for the body. Eating healthy food and being healthy can be depicted as ladders, and the diseases one can get can be depicted as snakes and make a Snakes and Ladder project. The third grade science fair projects are easy to make, easy to explain and easy to understand for the children. Once a child makes or sees a third grade science fair project, he/she will never forget the scientific concept they learned from it.

Jordan Matthews is a High School Math and Science teacher who has worked as a judge and a coordinator of many science fairs. Check his Science Fair Project ideas website for some more ideas and information about experiments for all ages.