Fun with 2d shapes

We have been listening to the fantastic song, Nonagon, by They might be giants (TMBG). You might remember They might be giants from the 90s, when they were known for the song, Birdhouse in your soul. Now they are producing some great educational songs, just right for making all sorts of subjects interesting. We have found Nonagon a great aid for learning about 2d shapes, what they're called and how many sides they have, all in a great catchy song.



We have also been making the 2d shapes out of magnets, to match the shapes in the song. Sometimes the shapes also end up performing to the song! If you have some Geomag, Magnetix, or any other brand of similar magnets why not give it a try.

A Nonagon, in honour of the song!

I know some people are cautious of having magnet type construction sets, due to the safety issues if they are swallowed. If you have younger children around, or an older child that still likes to mouth toys it may be better to avoid them. Otherwise personally the enjoyment outweighs the risk, and if you are at all worried they can be played with under supervision. A great family activity anyway, why not join in the shape making with the children.

If you don't have any of these already and are looking to getting some, I would advise the Geomag, it is more expensive but it is also better quality, and stronger, which means you can make far better shapes and structures. Particularly useful when you are making 3d items. There are various sets to suit all budgets, with varying numbers of pieces in the set, but generally all the sets are compatible, so you can mix and match.





Here is a list to help you identify the 2d shapes you are making. They are all polygons, which basically means they are multi sided shapes with straight sides.

3 sides - triangle
4 sides - quadrilateral
5 sides - pentagon
6 sides - hexagon
7 sides - heptagon
8 sides - octagon
9 sides - nonagon
10 sides - decagon
11 sides - hendecagon
12 sides - dodecagon