Break students up into groups of four. Their task is to create all of the numbers from one through 40 using only four fours. They may use any of the operations (addiction, subtraction, multiplication, division) that they wish. They should also use 4!, four to the zero through third power, and the square root of four. Encourage collaboration and creative problem-solving within the groups.
Divide students up into groups. Their assignment is to use fractions to create all of the integers from negative 10 through 10. They must use regular fractions, improper fractions and mixed fractions equally; negative and positive rational numbers equally; and each of the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) equally in this project. Students could create a number line, where they show the operation and calculations that they used to create each of the numbers.
Give students a variety of materials including balsa wood, Styrofoam, and cardboard. Instruct them to build a three dimensional house geometric house with at least three rooms. Students will need to calculate the perimeter, area, and volume of each room, as well as a scale that represents the size of this house in real life. You should allow students a couple of days to prepare this project, and allow them to work either independently or in teams. They may even be able to use this project for a mathematics fair.
Distribute a handout to your class listing items such as monthly property tax, average weekly food bill, utility bill, clothing costs, entertainment and so forth. Ask students to interview their parents about what their average costs for each of these items are, so that they can figure out their total cost of living for a month, a year, and a decade. If students or parents are uncomfortable with this, allow the students to use the Internet to investigate the average cost of living in their town, county or state.