The festive Christmas season was a perfect time for our partners in Cyprus to make an informal test of two exhibits created within the SMEM project. Invited to participate in the Christmas event organized by the Municipality of Nicosia, C.I.P. Citizens in Power brought with them the “Beaver’s Dam” and “Representing numbers” exhibits for families, educators and other persons attending to have a small piece of the SMEM experience.
The “Beaver’s Dam” exhibit requires users to rearrange nine wooden pieces to complete the beaver’s dam in a square grid. The “Representing Numbers” exhibit associates numbers with objects such as trees, animals, fruits and different types of leaves. Children can gain different mathematical competences by solving these mathematical challenges.
Accompanied by our Heroine, Emy the Fox, and her mathematical adventures, children, parents, and educators tried to solve the mathematical challenges. Both children and parents showed their excitement to interact with the exhibits. Parents were curious to learn more about the project. Educators were also interested in using these exhibits in their classrooms and thus engaging their students in hands-on activities during the math classes. The satisfaction and confidence boost gained by solving a puzzle can encourage children to dig deeper into mathematical concepts.
This positive informal feedback received by visitors of different ages reassures us that we are on the right path and can have a positive impact when our pilot testing phase begins soon.