Connecting Math to Cereal Box Design
Fifth-graders in Julie Brach’s high-ability program at J.B. Nelson and Hoover-Wood recently stepped into the role of designer to create a new children’s cereal box.
Students started with Ms. Brach’s box of “Life” cereal, which has a volume of 3,000 cubic centimeters.
Students were then asked to come up with a new box design using the same volume. They put pencil to graph paper and applied their understanding of volume and surface area to develop a template that could be turned into a cardboard box.
Check out the boxes JBN students created! Can you believe they all have the same volume?
The next step was following a rubric to put information on the side panels of the new cereal boxes and to create engaging, creative designs for the front and back of the box that would appeal to a young consumer … and adult purchaser. One JBN student made her design all about the Broadway hit, “Hamilton.” So clever!
The ingredients on this cereal box are Hamilton cast members. 🙂
These O’s will make you say “yayo’s!”
This box design was influenced by Star Wars.
Students showed calculations for surface area and volume on the side panels.
Students also learned about the importance of product placement in a store and catching consumer attention. They now know that a child’s eye level is the hot spot for children’s cereal.
At the end of the project, students were given a shelf height and length, and based on that, figured out how many cereal boxes could fit on a shelf.
Two JBN students measuring out shelf space for their cereal boxes.
Students’ shelf-space calculations based on box sizes.
This thought-provoking project, adopted from Defined STEM and led by Ms. Brach, was powered by two guiding questions,
- What are important things to consider when creating a design?
- How does audience come into play when creating a design?
and was supported by videos from real designers, including a Columbia brand backpack designer and a Mattel Barbie doll designer.
What a great (and real-world) approach to learning math, design, and product marketing!
