Taking Maths Outdoors with Raccoon Circles - essential technique

Created by the co-author of Bloomsbury’s award winning National Curriculum Outdoors series of books and The Sustainability and Climate Change Curriculum Outdoors (2024) , these low resource task cards supplement the set of 11 sets of Taking Maths Outdoors’ cards covering Geometry, Measurement, Number activities and Statistics. This card shows how to tie a Tape Knot. A water or tape knot enables tubular webbing ends to be joined to make a circle, or to combine multiple webbing to increase the size of a circle. It is a strong join, yet easily undone, even if wet. Tubular webbing is used as it is soft, strong and can be washed. Now that you have turned the Raccoon Circle into a complete circle or loop using a water knot, you are ready to start exploring this amazing resource! Look for the Taking Maths Outdoors sets of cards.
The cards are in ‘Grab and Go’ format, with clear instructions for the activities linked to NC 2014 Numeracy objectives by year group. If printed double sided, the objectives covered by the tasks are on the front, with the tasks and activities explained on the back. The cards are grouped by mathematical areas.
Simply use the ideas for a mental oral starter, plenary or even a whole maths lesson.
All you will need is a length of tubular webbing tape, allowing 35-40cm per child, to create a visual line or circle for the children.
The activities can be done in small focus groups, or as a whole class and although they are designed for the outdoors and need space, they can be done where ever space is available.
The ideas are easily adapted, and before long you (and your class) will be able to use the techniques and invent new activities to make maths memorable!
Many of these activities make use of ‘Raccoon Circles’ techniques and ideas.
More great teambuilding activites can be found in The Revised and Expanded Book of Raccoon Circles, by Jim Cain and Tom Smith, Kendall/Hunt Publishers (2007) ISBN 978-0-7575-3265-8 or for a free download of activities on world wide webbing at the teamwork and team play website.