Pi Day Activities

In our yearly circle around the sun, Pi Day comes but once a year. Pi Day is March 14, or 3.14, to celebrate the first three digits of everyone’s favorite irrational number. (Do places that write the date Euro-style celebrate it, too? Or do they celebrate Pi on 31/4? Hmmm, that isn’t a date.)

Celebrate Pi Day with these activities:

1. Watch the video at the top of this post. One person made a massive domino spiral celebrating pi. Have your students use pi to estimate how many dominos are in the spiral. (10,059, according to the creator.)

2. Bake a pie or pizza pie. Use pi and circle formulas to determine its circumference, area and volume. When you cut it up to serve, determine the area of each slice. Eat and enjoy.

3. Review the long history of the discovery of pi.

4. Use our Writing Academic Rhymes lessons and have your students write a mnemonic rap to memorize at least 20 digits of pi.

5. Log onto Google Maps and have students scour maps of your hometown for circles (tops of water towers, roundabouts, swimming pools). Using the key, have students calculate the circumferences and areas of the circles.

What are you doing for Pi Day?

Check out Flocabulary’s math songs and videos.