In second grade, children begin to learn about solid shapes such as cylinders, cones, prisms and spheres. With this at-home project, your child will gain a greater understanding of these shapes and learn that these shapes are found all around us. Review the name and formation of each of these shapes and provide your child with a sheet of paper that is divided into sections, each section labeled with the name of a solid shape. Go around the house with your child and try to find solid-shaped items. A ball, a box and a jar are all examples of solid shapes. As your child finds examples of solid shapes, instruct her to write the names of the items in the correct section on the paper.
Time is a major focus of the second grade math curriculum and children are expected to be able to tell time on an analog clock. To help your child learn how to read an analog clock, create a clock from a paper plate. Provide your child with a paper plate and instruct him to use a marker to write the numbers one through 12 on the rim of the plate in the appropriate spot. Cut out two rectangles from card stock, one short and one long; these will be the hands of the clock . Place the rectangles on top of one another and push a craft brad through the ends of them. Push the craft brad through the center of the paper plate. Use the paper plate clock to practice telling time.
Use a bowl of candies to reinforce the concept of fractions, which is another focus of second grade math. Provide your child with a bowl of different colored candies. Instruct her to count the total number of candies in the bowl and explain to her that this number will represent the denominator of a fraction. Instruct her to tell you what fraction of the candies are a specific color. For example, to tell what fraction of the candies are blue, she will have to count the total number of blue candies and place the number of the total number of candies. You can take this a step further and use the candies to practice adding and subtracting fractions.
To help your child understand measurement, have him measure different things around the home. Provide him with a ruler and lay out a collection of different items, such as a piece of paper, a piece of yarn, a sock and a cereal box. Ask him to predict how long each item will be and then have him use the ruler to measure the actual length of each of the items. Compare his prediction with the actual size of the items.