Ways To Celebrate Pi Day In Your Classroom

On March 14, math enthusiasts everywhere will celebrate the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, also known as pi. Help your students observe Pi Day with the following ten activities.  

1. PBS LearningMedia Pi Resources

From pizza pi to dunk tank circles, PBS LearningMedia has a host of resources to help you celebrate Pi Day with your students. You can even learn how to calculate pi with darts. Review all of their resources by clicking here. Set up your free account by visiting PBS LearningMedia or contacting GPB Education at education@gpb.org to gain entry and get started.

2. Discover Education’s Pi Content Collection

If you have not used any of Discovery Education’s Content Collections, start by viewing the one on Pi Day.  With resources hand picked by their curriculum specialists, the Pi Day Content Collection consists of lesson starters and video segments for all grades. A DE login and password is required to gain access to these resources. Contact GPB Education at education@gpb.org for more information. h

3. Throw a Pi Party

Have a classroom party where students bring in tasty circular treats such as cookies, pies, and pizza. Before you all dig-in, require students to measure the diameter of their food. Then, calculate the area and the circumference of them using the proper pi formula.

4. Pi + Poetry

Combine literature and math to make a pi-ku with this template. After they complete their pi-kus, hold a poetry slam. 

5. Pi Day Scavenger Hunt

Send your students on an adventurous scavenger hunt to learn more information about pi.  Requirements include finding a city’s zip code that contains the first 5 digits of pi and state flags that have circles in their designs. Take a look at an example of a complete scavenger hunt here.   

6. Pi Math Stations

Organize your Pi Day chaos by placing students in pi themed math stations. One station can include creating the Pi-kus that were mentioned above while another can involve measuring different sized circular objects and applying the pi formula. Check out these great suggestions from Math Giraffe-The Math Classroom to help you get started.  

7. Pi Day Playlist

Challenge your students to create their own songs about pi. Have them write down the lyrics and record the song. Then, put together a playlist that can be used year after year.  

8. Pi Chains

Create a multi-colored chain that represents the ongoing digits of pi. Not only is this fun, it reinforces the fact that some numbers are endless. Read these instructions and start linking!

9. Lights, Camera, Action!

Let students produce skits and talk shows to distribute information about pi and its importance to each other. Provide a checklist of things they must include such as related people or formulas. To insure all students do not convey the same information, give each group a specific subject to cover. 

10. Scholastic Pi Resources

Scholastic has resources that will help explain pi and its history. The site also contains activities for children in Pre-K and Kindergarten.

Happy Pi Day! Let us know how you are celebrating Pi Day in your class in the comments section below.