Pasta Patterns

Tonight we watched a friend while her parents had a night out. I planned some activities for the kids to do. We broke out the Wacky Mac and some string for a fun and simple project. The gals made colorful necklaces. But Avery decided to turn his into a math lesson about patterns. He loves all things MATH.

And, of course, it was NOT a necklace. Its a pattern hanger, which fits nicely over the doorknob.

The gals ran off wearing their new necklaces. Avery played a little Super Mario. But he returned to the kids table where the bowl of pasta shapes was sitting, apparently abandoned and lonely. So, Avery seized the moment to create a "Gear Machine" out of the penne and piccolini shapes.

However, he cleaned it all up before I got a picture of the final project. I never really considered that the little wheel shapes could make a great gear machine, but I suppose that's something you learn from a son? Maybe an engineer?