On Friday, March 14, (3/14 for 3.14...) we celebrated Pi Day with lots of pie, mixed in with Pi Day activities. Thank you to all of the parents who brought in delicious dessert pies, as well as pizza pie. We had so much we shared with the fifth and sixth graders.
Both classes read books about circles. Fourth graders read Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi, which also included characters such as Lady Di of Ameter and Radius. Fourth graders studied about pi through a number of activities. They used different color paper strips for each digit, 0-9, and made a chain representing the digits of pi, using the different colors. The purpose of this was to show that there wasn’t any pattern to the digits of pi. Students also explored the relationship between the diameter of a circle and its circumference. Using compasses, they drew circles and measured the diameters. Then they cut pieces of yarn, and measured to see how many pieces they needed to cover the circumference of the circle. They discovered that it was a little more than 3 (or 3 and 1/7 or 3.1415926535... to be more precise). They also made headbands, labeled with their head’s diameter and circumference. Some students memorized a few of the digits of pi, and some sang songs. It was a great day!