March 14 is Pi Day, giving math lovers throughout the world an ideal purpose to geek out. Good factor there are a great deal of hands-on actions accessible that will help you rejoice together with your college students. We’ve gathered our favourite Pi Day actions which can be each infinitely enjoyable and academic that will help you get began.
1. Pi Day printables

Kick off your Pi Day celebration with this free Pi Day worksheet bundle. You’ll discover print-and-go worksheets protecting the historical past of Pi Day, key vocabulary, student-friendly information and studying observe, artwork actions, and fraction observe.
2. Find out about the historical past of Pi Day
Based in 1988 by physicist Larry Shaw, March 14 was chosen as a result of the numerical date (3.14) represents the first three digits of pi. (It additionally occurs to be Albert Einstein’s birthday—spoiler alert!) Present your college students with analysis instruments and ask questions similar to:
- Why is Pi Day celebrated on March 14?
- For what number of years has Pi Day been celebrated?
- March 14 can also be whose birthday?
- Who tried to search out the first calculation of pi?
3. Make Pi Day graph art
Graph the digits of pi onto graph paper utilizing fingers dipped into colourful paint or dot markers. Enjoyable for youthful college students.
6. Do the math

Present loads of round objects like espresso cans, soup cans, pie tins, paper plates, bowls, CDs, and candles. Then have children measure the diameter and circumference, divide the circumference by the diameter, and watch their amazement as the quantity comes out to about 3.14 each single time. You possibly can end up by measuring some spherical treats (chocolate chip cookies, anybody?).
4. Make pi necklaces
Utilizing a key designating completely different colours for every of the digits in pi, have college students create their very personal pi necklace utilizing colourful pony beads on string.
5. Assemble a Pi Day paper chain
Identical to pi, paper chains will be limitless in exercise time, size, and enjoyable! As a category or grade, create a Pi Day chain with loops of development paper utilizing a unique colour for every of 10 digits. Every coloured chain hyperlink represents a decimal place or a digit. Faculties round the nation have gotten in on this Pi Day pattern and have even tried world data. How lengthy will your college students’ Pi Day chain be?
7. Roll pi digits with cube
Show the first 10 digits of pi in your whiteboard or display. Then, utilizing Tenzi cube or common cube, problem your college students to roll the first 10 (or 5) digits of pi, so as. Have them maintain observe of what number of rolls it takes.
11. Play a card sport

On this easy card sport, children race to see who can eliminate all their playing cards as they lay out the digits of pi. You’ll want a deck of playing cards with 10s, jacks, and queens eliminated. Aces will signify zero and kings will signify the primary. Or, use Uno playing cards!
Every participant will get seven playing cards and the remainder of the deck sits face down in the center. The primary participant is tasked with placing down the first digit of pi, 3. In the event that they don’t have a 3 of their hand, they have to draw a card. Play goes forwards and backwards, with every participant laying down subsequent digits of pi till they attain 10 complete digits. The primary participant to expire of playing cards wins!
8. Memorize the digits of pi with a tune
Unbelievably, document holder Suresh Kumar Sharma recited 70,030 digits in 17 hours, 14 minutes on March 21, 2015. Use YouTube to discover a catchy tune that can train your college students the first 100 digits of pi. Play it in the background whereas your children work on different tasks, they usually’ll understand it by coronary heart very quickly.
9. Make a DIY spirograph
This exercise is a enjoyable option to rejoice circles, circumference, diameter … all the issues that result in pi! Make your personal DIY spirograph utilizing a big round form, like a masking tape roll or the outer circle of a canning jar. For the internal circles, minimize circles of various sizes (however smaller than your huge circle) from plastic container lids. Punch just a few completely different holes in the plastic circles. To create, merely put the smaller circle into the bigger circle, stick a marker by means of one among the holes on the smaller circle, then rotate it round the fringe of the bigger circle.
10. Have fun the story of Albert Einstein
Archimedes might have first calculated pi, however how excellent is it that Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879? Have college students analysis this well-known scientist and current information and art work to the class. For elementary children, On a Beam of Mild by Jennifer Berne is our favourite image ebook biography of Einstein!
16. Write pi-ku poems

Poems and Pi Day actions go hand in hand. Have your college students write their very own “pi-ku” poems. Impressed by haiku, these fast poems have a unique variety of syllables in every line, primarily based on the digits of pi.
First line: 3 syllables
Second line: 1 syllable
Third line: 4 syllables
12. Measure pi with yarn
Uncover a magical quantity current in each circle with simply string and scissors. Select any round object (an orange, a espresso cup, a roll of tape, a plate) and wrap a chunk of yarn utterly round the object at its middle level. Reduce the yarn the place the two ends meet—this will probably be the circumference of the object. Subsequent, use the circumference piece to chop strands the size of the diameter. Irrespective of how huge or small your object is, the circumference piece of yarn will probably be minimize into about 3 and 1/7 lengths—pi!
13. Make paper plate pies
Little ones is probably not prepared to grasp the idea of pi itself, however they’ll get in on the enjoyable with this exercise that introduces them to circles and ratios. All you want are some paper plates, development paper, and some different fundamental provides. Youngsters combine and match the items to make an entire “pie,” studying extra about circles alongside the method.
OK, a few of these are going to make your college students groan, however we wager you’ll get a giggle or two as nicely. We put collectively an inventory of tacky Pi Day jokes and puns. See in case your college students can provide you with just a few of their very own!
17. Measure round

Set out quite a lot of round objects. You could have to raid your kitchen, classroom, and even the college gymnasium and music room to gather circles of all sizes. Utilizing measuring tapes, college students will measure the size of every circle’s circumference and its diameter and document their work on a chart. Subsequent, they may document their outcomes on a chart with columns labeled: object, circumference, diameter, circumference divided by diameter. See what number of of their calculations come out to three.14.
18. Bake some π cookies
Use a pi-shaped cookie cutter to bake these sweets the night time earlier than Pi Day, then have college students aid you adorn them. You possibly can promote them as a part of a fundraiser, or snack on them whilst you do a few of the different Pi Day actions on this checklist.
22. Costume the half
Each math trainer ought to take into account exhibiting off geeky gear on Pi Day! We love T-shirts that remember everybody’s favourite irrational quantity. Discover your favourite on-line or, when you’re feeling artful, minimize a pi form out of iron-on vinyl utilizing a die-cut machine or by hand, after which make your personal excellent pi shirt.
24. Set up a Pi Day enjoyable run
Do you know {that a} 5k run is definitely only a bit wanting 3.14 miles? That makes it the excellent distance to rejoice Pi Day! In fact, it goes with out saying … the winners get pie.
19. Create your personal pi puzzle

College students write down evenly spaced digits of pi (with area between them) on an index card, filling as a lot of the card as potential. They then colour in and adorn the again aspect of the card. Reduce the card into puzzle items. Pair college students up and see if they’ll put one another’s puzzles again collectively utilizing the quantity aspect. If they’ll’t, have them put the puzzles collectively utilizing the coloured aspect, turning it over to verify their accuracy.
25. Cross out pi pencils
Your class deserves particular pencils for finishing all these Pi Day actions. You should buy premade pencils with the digits of pi spelled out, or try our straightforward tutorial on printing on pencils to whip these up your self.
26. Create a “stained-glass” pi plate
We love straightforward crafts with a wow issue, and this one has it for positive! Reduce the middle out of a white paper plate. Round the rim on the entrance aspect, write as many digits of pi as you possibly can. Tape a light-colored piece of tissue paper to the again of the plate, protecting the gap. Subsequent, glue circles minimize out of different-colored tissue paper to the entrance aspect of the light-colored piece, making a stained-glass impact.
20. Go dotty!

Use a dot marker or create circles with Q-tips and paint for this pointillism artwork challenge. Then, have college students measure the circumference and diameter of as a lot of their circles as they’ll to see if their calculations equal pi.
27. Learn Glad Pi Day to You! and make pie plate hats
Glad Pi Day to You! by Bonnie Price is an interesting and interactive read-aloud to get children fascinated by and measuring circles. For additional enjoyable, seize a stack of disposable pie plates to re-create the Pi Day hats the ebook’s characters all put on!
28. Be taught the secret of pi
This one is very mind-blowing. 3.14 really spells PIE when mirrored in a mirror! Have your children write out the quantity as proven (utilizing a triangular-shaped 4), after which have them maintain it as much as the mirror.
29. String a pi bracelet
Create a colourful bracelet by stringing pony beads onto a pipe cleaner. As an alternative of utilizing a key like the necklace exercise above, have college students string the precise variety of beads. For instance: 3 purple beads, 1 white bead, 4 blue beads, and so on.
30. Incorporate pi into your motion break
Want a bit motion break? This exercise is a enjoyable option to carry out easy calisthenics as you make your method by means of the numbers of pi. For instance, 3 leaping jacks, squat jumps, or mountain climbers; 1 deep breath; 4 push-ups, lunges, or squats; 1 deep breath, and so on.
21. Graph a pi-line skyline

Utilizing graph paper and coloured markers or crayons, graph the digits of pi utilizing a bar graph format. As soon as the pi-line skyline is created, colour in the “buildings” and sky, full with pi-in-the-sky constellations.
31. Go on a circle scavenger hunt
Make an inventory of round objects present in your classroom or round your college, and make copies for small teams. Give every group of two or three college students the checklist and ship them off with a time restrict to see what number of they’ll discover.
32. Plot out pi-inspired artwork
It is a enjoyable connect-the-dots artwork exercise that can get your college students fascinated by pi. First, create a colour key with a unique colour representing every of the numbers from 0 to 9. Then, referencing a printout of the numbers in pi, draw coloured dots at random to fill the paper with as many digits of pi as you want to. In different phrases, randomly disperse the numbers of pi on the paper in the type of coloured dots. Lastly, utilizing the colour key, join the dots to create a cool 3D determine.
33. Have just a few laughs
Take a look at our hilarious assortment of pi memes from throughout the web, and share just a few insider nerdy math jokes.
23. Have a pi phrase problem

You don’t should be a math trainer to rejoice with Pi Day actions. As an alternative of a pie-eating contest, maintain a pi-writing contest in your classroom. Set a timer to 3 minutes and problem your college students to jot down as many phrases as they’ll that begin with “pi.” Prepared, set, go! (Trace: pink, pimple, pizza, decide, and so on.)
35. Rotate by means of Pi Day math stations
Pi Day needs to be a celebration! Arrange rotating stations and permit college students to flow into with their buddies. Really useful actions: calculating circumference, figuring out radius/diameter, phrase issues, puzzle playing cards, and a fast digital quiz. Set a timer and have teams rotate each 8–10 minutes.
36. Play a roll-and-calculate sport
All you want for this math exercise is a pair of cube, paper, and pencils. First, college students roll cube to generate a diameter. Then, utilizing that quantity, they calculate a circumference and an space. Add problem playing cards for extensions (rounding, unit conversions, and so on.).
37. Create pi mandalas
College students use compasses and rulers to create layered round mandalas, labeling radii, diameters, and angles inside the design.
34. Have fun Pi Day with a tasty math exercise

What’s a child’s favourite pie? Pizza pie! Right here’s a enjoyable Pi Day pizza math exercise that children can actually relate to.
Give every scholar a 2-inch broad x 18-inch lengthy strip of paper. Present them tips on how to fold the strip accordion fashion into 2-inch sections. When the whole strip is folded, label the prime sq. 3.14. On every subsequent sq., write the subsequent quantity in the pi sequence. When they’re completed, they’ll fold the accordion again up, safe it with a paper clip, and pop it of their pocket. A enjoyable instrument to make use of for memorization, velocity video games, fast quizzes, and extra.
39. Construct-a-circle problem
Present college students with an assortment of strings minimize to completely different lengths. Every string will signify a circle’s circumference. College students should work out the diameter and draw the circle appropriately on paper. They’ll verify their reply by utilizing the string as a measure.
40. Maintain a pi relay race
Divide college students into two groups. Provide every group with a stack of equivalent more and more advanced pi phrase issues. In your mark, the first member of every group races to unravel the first downside earlier than tagging the subsequent teammate. Proceed the course of till one group’s gamers have all completed an issue. Create new groups, combine the deck of issues, and go for the subsequent spherical.
(*41*)41. Play True or False: Pi Version

Learn a press release similar to “All circles have the identical circumference” or “Doubling the radius doubles the space” aloud to the class. College students increase their palms to reply true or false. When chosen, have them give the reply and defend it with mathematical reasoning. This will also be a associate or small-group exercise.
What are your favourite Pi Day actions for the classroom? Come and share in our We Are Lecturers HELPLINE group on Fb.
Plus, verify these Free Spring Bulletin Board Kits.
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