Number (multiplication and division): Panda Population
Challenge Level ⭐⭐⭐
(designed for children with prior knowledge of the Year 4 and Year 5 programme of study)
Learning Objective
We are learning how to solve a natural world problem by using and applying our skills and knowledge of multiplication and scaling.
Useful prior knowledge:
- Knowledge of the multiplication tables up to 12
- An understanding of scaling
Clip Description
At 1.5 metres long and weighing up to 150 kg, the panda is a member of the bear family. Due to China’s conservation efforts, there are now around 1,900 pandas living the wild – double what it was 40 years ago. Even though they spend most of their time eating bamboo, they are very playful animals. The Chinese authorities are trying to limit deforestation in order to protect their habitat.
In this fascinating clip, a solitary panda can be seen eating bamboo in a snow-covered forest. How will the magnificent mammal remove the ice from the bamboo, which has frozen solid? Watch the clip to find out.
Quick Whiteboard Challenge
1) Some species of bamboo grow at 1.5 inches per hour. How tall would a newly-sprouted bamboo shoot be after 12 hours of daylight?
2) Bamboo only grows for 60 days – how tall would the canes be at the end of this time, if this rate of growth continues?