Please Pass the Pancake Parallelograms

But not the Quiche Quadrilateral

ADDED March 19, 2010

What is it about breakfast and mathematics? Somehow, at my house, we always seem to be discussing math over breakfast. (You may remember that a few weeks ago, we were learning about fractions using pieces of toast.)

Well, today breakfast foods are getting an educational re-purposing once again. We think your kids will like this one, too, and they'll learn something about shapes in the process.

The idea here is simple: just take a few extra moments to cut the kids' breakfast into different geometrical shapes. All you need, other than some breakfast food, is a list of shapes.

Well, we're here to help. Here's a list of shapes to include in your kids' next morning meal:

Quadrilateral. A four-sided shape.

Square. A quadrilateral where all the sides are the same length.

Rectangle. A quadrilateral where not all sides are the same length. Two sides are both one length, and the other two sides are both another length.

Triangle. A shape with three sides. Not all sides need to be the same length.

Parallelogram. A quadrilateral with two sets of parallel sides.

Pentagon. A five-sided shape. All sides are the same length.

Circle. Rather round.

Oval. A "long" circle.

Some of these shapes can be tricky to cut. You'll be glad to know: we think "close enough" counts!

The cutting can be a quick, fun challenge for you, too, of course!

We hope your kids have a great day, and that they enjoy a healthy, shapely breakfast! (This would probably also work with lunch, dinner and snacks!)