Christmas Patchwork! A Creative Twist On Color by Code Subtraction

I love color by code math activities, and we all know that our students do, too. I mean, coloring, right? What more could a kid ask for?

Personally, what I don't love is the less than satisfying cookie cutter results. Plus, let's be honest, we know that some of our students are either peeking around to duplicate what everyone else's picture looks like or just coloring the picture to make it make sense. Pumpkins are orange and candy canes are red and white, right?

Well, not necessarily. Take a look at these Winter Patchwork activities. They're a creative twist on color by code math activities!

Whether it's played as a game with a partner or small group or independently, the math part is just basic fact practice: use two dice, roll and add or roll and subtract, according to the directions on the page.

So, what's the twist? Your students make their own choices of the colors they use!  A space labeled four could be colored pink, or green, or red, or any color ... and the next space labeled four could be a completely different color!  Giving choices means more confidence, more creativity, and more engagement - each work of art will be unique!

The same page can turn out completely different!

Patchwork math pages are a great opportunity to integrate art and math. Here are a few ideas for you to try.

* Take a few moments to talk about color choices before your students begin their patchwork page. Introduce art concepts like primary and secondary colors.  A color wheel (there are lots online) is a great tool for introducing complementary colors. Discuss the possibilities and encourage your students to commit to a set of colors before they start to roll and add or roll and subtract.

* Some students might like to try a page using just one color, but with a variety of shades, like lime green to pine green with everything in between!

* Of course, it's also fun to let your students create a crazy quilt of colors! Add an interesting challenge.  Can they complete the picture with no two spaces of the same color bordering each other?


Here's another twist that Patchwork math provides. It's not just a one time activity. 

*  You can laminate the finished pages to create addition and subtraction practice games for your December math centers. Put them into your centers with dice and some of those cute mini-erasers you've been collecting. Your students can play Bump, or Roll, Add/Subtract, Cover.  Student ownership means that motivation will be high!

*  Your students can cut out the shapes for a colorful display for a holiday bulletin board.  They'll also make a beautiful display on your classroom windows - they'll glow like stained glass when the sun shines through them.  The variety of colors will make your display unique and beautiful!


Would you like to try a free Christmas Patchwork page? This one will be especially fun if your students spend December looking for That Crazy Elf!  Just click to get your free download!

Happy Teaching!