These problems are excellent for helping to reinforce the properties of squares and in particular for highlighting the fact that a square is a square no matter the orientation.
******************************
THREE SQUARES
Age 5 to 11
What is the greatest number of squares you can make by overlapping three squares of the same size?
What do you know about squares? Are you sure all the shapes you are counting are squares?
How will you count the squares? It might help to draw the arrangement and use colored pencils or pens to outline the squares. Squared paper will be useful!
How will you know if your way really does have the greatest possible number of squares?
Families……….please allow your children to discover their own solutions. Please don’t share this brilliant solution with your family until your little problem solvers have had their turn.
*********************************
Age 5 to 7
When trying to make a square, there are 2 rules to follow, which are:
1. All the sides need to be the same size.
2. There must be 4 perpendicular angles (or right angles).
Complete the Square.pdf.