Introducing NatureGlo's
MathArt Courses & Resources
MathArt Courses & Resources
Have you ever taken a look at the natural beauty of this world and considered all of the amazing geometric patterns found around us? If only most of math education could be this much fun!
Fractal cabbage
Natureglo holding a cross-section of a purple cabbage showing her students the spiral fractal pattern inside. Image taken Fall 2010 at Heathcote Intentional Community in Freeland, MD during Natureglo's NASQ (Nature & Science Quest '10) program, the debut of NatureGlo's eScience.
My MathArt Journey
Me, Natureglo in Namibia Africa
on a photography tour in 2008.
on a photography tour in 2008.
I have been developing and teaching MathArt since 2003. My journey which led me to create MathArt, began many years ago in 1996, while I was in my early 20's. I was at a book rummage sale and came across Time Life's hardback book simply entitled, "Mathematics" by David Bergamini. Here is an excerpt from the first page introducing the "Mathematics of Beauty" along with the book cover.
Within the chapter on the "Mathematics of Beauty" it revealed nature's patterns showing geometric shapes. A light bulb went off in my head. Geometry had always been a dry, dull, lifeless subject to me in school, and I barely got by each semester in middle school with a 70% average.
I thought to myself, "Now, if I could figure out how to make geometry come alive like what's in these pages, visually, I could transform the face of K - 12 education mathematics from being lifeless and boring to beautiful and applicable."
At the time I was thumbing through that book, I had just graduated from college that spring. Not one time had any of these concepts of mathematical beauty ever been introduced to me much less taught to me within the entirety of my K - 12 or college education. I was intrigued by the revelations I found in this book.
I purchased the book at the sale for like a dollar. I knew my life was never going to be the same again. I immediately became obsessed with researching math connections of the world's beauty in nature, art, architecture and beyond.
This video's excitement communicates the mysteriously insatiable enthusiasm and drive I experienced after reading through David Bergamini's book, Mathematics.
At the time I was thumbing through that book, I had just graduated from college that spring. Not one time had any of these concepts of mathematical beauty ever been introduced to me much less taught to me within the entirety of my K - 12 or college education. I was intrigued by the revelations I found in this book.
I purchased the book at the sale for like a dollar. I knew my life was never going to be the same again. I immediately became obsessed with researching math connections of the world's beauty in nature, art, architecture and beyond.
This video's excitement communicates the mysteriously insatiable enthusiasm and drive I experienced after reading through David Bergamini's book, Mathematics.
Immediately after I got the book, I started scouring libraries looking for more information about the Golden ratio, Fibonacci numbers, nature's patterns, and math history, which the book does a great job of introducing.
At that time (1996), the Internet was just getting started. The only thing I could find online were these square posters of color photographs from nature, illustrating nature's patterns such as hexagons, spheres, and spirals. I excitedly ordered them and hung them in my future classrooms.
I found a few more old books from the 50's and 60's in libraries that scratched my new insatiable love for the "living maths". Unfortunately, after a few months of research, I just couldn't seem to find any more resources that even came close to David Bergamini's Time Life "Mathematics" book at the depths I wanted.
I became frustrated, sad, and discouraged that I couldn't find anymore rich resources about the beauty of mathematics. I seemed to come to the end of my search. For some years thereafter, I didn't do anymore research about the living math. Life's other responsibilities slowly came in and I forgot about the living math for several years.
Then, it happened and my insatiable thirst for the living maths was re-ignited. In 2003, a famed wellness teacher, Don Tolman, came to the private school I was teaching at and did several workshops about wellness, including nutrition, exercise, and "eating from nature's table". He also included teachings about holistic education.
Don, a fascinating teacher, also brought in connections about the Golden ratio (which he used in his whole food, pusle) and, low and behold, patterns found in nature! He enthusiastically taught us about nature's most common patterns, hexagonal, circular, spiral, lines, and curves. I had more big aha moments and I restarted my research of nature's numbers and patterns this time, with a 7-year treasure hunt looking for the nature's patterns and their relationships with mathematics and science.
All of my research has been coming together since 2011 through this website and my online MathArt courses.
MathArt class fosters projects, discussions, activities, and student presentations centered around seeing the mathematical connections with nature's geometric patterns and art by studying famous artists and architects and doing cool MathArt projects.
Student participation includes doing chosen hands-on activities and projects about nature, geometry, science, art and architecture connections. My online courses include student comment discussions, powerpoint presentations, blog-sharing and videos teaching the mysteries, wonders, and secrets of nature's math.
These experiential learning courses are appropriate for upper elementary, middle and high school students. The PowerPoints with accompanying study guides are all written at a middle/high school level. Younger students can join in and get whatever they can from the lessons.
Homeschool parents have reported to me that younger siblings join in with older siblings cooperating and doing MathArt projects together. That's how learning should be - with multi-ages working together! The MathArt online course is open to homeschoolers and schoolers.
MathArt is a course for students who are curious and desirous to learn the creative side of math as a right brain function. It's the missing link in math education today and helps fuel incremental math learning as it actually shows WHY we need math. It also scratchs the endless "why" questions kids have.
It is a great study to discover math in nature and in all of science. I am delighted to share this MathArt journey with hundreds, thousands, and millions of families for years to come with hopes that the seeds will be dispersed to learn this new and "living math".
Welcome to my MathArt Virtual Library!
Gloria A. Brooks aka NatureGlo