Naturally Nubby Numerals

Naturally Nubby Numerals lesson plan

Create numbers with personality! Design Model Magic® phone numbers, birth dates, and zip codes.

  • 1.

    Discuss how people communicate using number, works of art, and words formed with letters. Find examples of how personality can be reflected through shapes, colors, textures, and decorations.

  • 2.

    Choose several descriptive words about your personality and interests. Then select a series of numerals that have personal significance, such as a birthday or telephone number.

  • 3.

    With Crayola Model Magic, experiment with mixing colors that express those personal characteristics. Knead it a bit before beginning to work.<br><li>Blend white and colored compound to create tints, or mix colors and black to make shades. <li>Blend two primary colors (red, yellow, blue) together to produce a secondary hue (orange, green, violet). <li>Create a marble effect by incompletely blending different colors.

  • 4.

    Consider how shapes can also communicate personality. For example, uneven or rough shapes are different from tidy, geometric shapes. What shape conveys your personal characteristics?

  • 5.

    Model the numerals by hand. Or roll out the Model Magic on a sheet of wax paper and cut the numeral shapes out with a craft stick. Add decorative items such as beads, ribbon, or natural materials to add texture and character to the numbers. Embed these in

Benefits

  • Children recreate the shapes of a series of numerals that have personal significance to them.
  • Students use the numerals to explore individual characteristics and the ways in which number is used in daily life.

Adaptations

  • Can children match numerals to the people who designed them? What characteristics were most common? Which numerals appeared most often? Make a chart of phone numbers and birthdays to find out.
  • Younger children, or those with special needs, could match the number of decorations with the numeral (such as 3 feathers on a 3). Trace the shapes, name, and count items embedded in them. Use Nubby Numerals to practice recognizing number names and value