The "Art of the Lynx" Series

The Beauty of Mathematics

brought to Canadians at no cost by CanCodeToLearn.ca

The Art of the Lynx is a series of activities in which you create artwork by coding with Lynx. Lynx Coding* is a wonderful coding tool which has at its core a programmable turtle.

You give a turtle a sequence of commands and it draws for you! The turtle draws lines and arcs, goes to a specific place on the screen, etc.

Many students have difficulty understanding & enjoying mathematics. But many students enjoy drawing and making. As they create art with turtle geometry, students will come to understand coordinate geometry, angles, operations, variables, and distances.

These activities 'draw' on many curriculum areas—from mathematics to art to science and social studies as we honour and respect cultural artefacts.

Children 'draw' their way into being mathematicians.

Activity Cards

The 'Art of the Lynx' - Intro

Use these cards to explore some simple geometric and coding ideas! You will learn about:

  • The Total Turtle Trip Theorem

  • Polygons

  • Subprocedures & superprocedures

  • Random

  • Variables

  • Conditionals

Grades: 3 - adult (ideal for grades 3 - 8 or as intro for anyone!)

Time: Maybe 6 60 minute sessions.


Note: Grades 1 & 2 can start these but may need greater support and may not get through all of these. That's fine! The time suggestion is really rough — because you could spend much time experimenting! And, we recommend that!

Nature, Spirals, Math, Art

Students will investigate spirals. This activity starts out simply but quickly increases in difficulty. It is divided into several sections that become more complex.

Best advice: DON'T RUSH! Spend LOTS of time tinkering at each step. Students will code the computer to:

  • Draw simple spirals with two variables.

  • Investigate what can be changed to make a difference in the spiral

    • At execution, and

    • In the procedure variables

  • 'Stamp' bead shapes (or other shapes) in spirals

  • Make spirals with multiple turtles

  • Activate spirals with buttons

Grades: 4 - adult (ideal for grades 4 - 8 or for anyone!)

Time: Maybe 5 60 minute sessions.


Note: Younger children may need greater support and may not get through all of these. That's fine! The time suggestion is really rough — because you could spend much time experimenting! And, we recommend that!

Invite a CanCodeToLearn team member to visit your classroom or your staff room—virtually!