George Washington and Symmetry

In our continued effort to cross curricula whenever possible, once again we found George Washington creeping into our math lessons, this week.  Students started to understand George Washington's updated design for his mansion and plantation in Virginia.  It seems there is a great deal of symmetry built into the property there as indicated in the overall look of the mansion.  Students drew the mansion with as much attention to detail as possible (with a lot of instruction and a big introduction to measurement).

​Once the drawings were in place, we did our own version of rustication (See the video located on our Mount Vernon page).  It isn't exactly as Washington did on his own house, but it works for us.

We were pleased, though not completely satisfied with the overall color of our final products, due to the quality and origin of our sand.

Afterward, we pulled out these awesome purply plasticky tools called Reflectotrons.  Or are they Reflectometers?  Reflectrix?  Anyway, when utilized properly, these nifty pieces of plastic seem to reflect an image on one side onto the other, allowing one to trace the reflection or make a symmetrical design.

​Students had the opportunity to complete a symmetrical portrait of George Washington himself.