What to do with this activity?
Ancient Celtic art is full of repeated patterns, often interwoven, complicated and colourful. For instance, have a look at images from the Book of Kells here. Zoom in on the images to see the precise and mathematical patterns. Go in to Trinity College Dublin to see the real thing when you can.
To draw your own Celtic knot have a look at these video instructions from NRICH MATHS. You can print out the mathematical grid that the knot is based on from the same website, or draw it out for yourself using a ruler and pencil.
Alternatively, here is a Youtube video showing you how to draw a smaller Celtic knot from scratch.
If you would like to discover more about Celtic knots together, have a look at this article from Ireland Fun Facts. The article is quite long, so it's only if your child is really interested.
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Why am I doing this?
Maths makes sense to children when they use it in everyday life - like measuring things, working out distances, estimating food for dinner or money for groceries. The more opportunities you give your child to use the maths they learn at school through everyday activities the more they will understand and enjoy working with numbers.
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How can I do more?
Discuss maths that you see around you. For example, talk about sales in shops – half price, 25% off, what is good value? Or how much will the item cost after the discount?
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