MEASUREMENTS AND ADVENTURES AT THE INTERFACE OF MATHEMATICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

STEAM subjects are becoming increasingly important in 21st-century education as they provide opportunities to develop problem-solving skills. Through experiential learning, students can learn science through play. Learning by doing at an early school age also makes math and science lessons fun. The current Hungarian National Curriculum (2020) strongly emphasizes the development of key competencies, but science competencies are not part of the current curriculum. Thus, teaching environmental studies in grades 1–2 has been discontinued, and students’ scientific competence in grades 3–4 must be developed in other subjects. Mathematics and environmental education are linked in several areas, one of which is measurement, including the concepts of perimeter and area. In teaching the concept of perimeter, we aim to give children numerous ways of experiencing that perimeter is the length of a line that bounds a shape in the plane. When developing the concept of area, the first step in defining the area of a rectangle is always to start from the actual coverage, and then the measurement of the area of the rectangle can be the basis for further area definitions. These concepts should be explored not only on the plane but also on a finite spherical surface (e.g. a Lénárt sphere) through playful activities that help students navigate and measure the globe.