PRISM Pet Supply: Grand Opening is a hands-on project for teaching perimeter, area, and multiplication through real-world challenges.
Students work together to plan and lay out a pet store—designing blueprints, signage, and a parking lot—while developing a strong conceptual foundation in spatial reasoning and measurement.
Printables for Lessons 1–3 are FREE!
Make a Blueprint
In the opening session, students make a unit-square name card, then design a floor plan for the new PRISM superstore.
Choose a Location
What's the best location for PRISM? Students measure the distance to various landmarks and vote to decide where the store should go.
Pet Play Zones
The new store needs play areas for pets. Students use squares to count the units that need to be covered and calculate the cost.
Design a Parking Lot
PRISM needs parking for customers! Students notice the relationship between perimeter and area as they design parking lots.
Order Pet Food
Students measure out shelving and figure out how many boxes of each kind of pet food PRISM will need to order.
Table Displays
Students build table displays for the new store using craft sticks and small cubes.
Fish Castles
Team members design a new PRISM product: fish castles. With a budget of $10, students decide the materials they'll use.
Signs
PRISM departments each need a colorful sign. Students design promotional displays with constraints on area and perimeter.
The Commercial
Teams write and present a short television commercial to promote the featured pet food in their department.
Grand Opening
It's time to open the store ... but the dogs have gone missing! Students use math to decode puzzle clues and find the dogs.
What Teachers & Students Say
"I want math to come alive for my students and to excite them as much as it excites me. This is what I've been searching for!"
"One just needs to look at their expression to understand the deep level thinking happening. I can't stop talking about your program. It is exactly how math should be taught."
"It's better than math, even though it IS math."
"The kids loved it. I loved it. This was the best thing we did all year."