Katie Cotter

Geometry GT Period 6

Math proposal 2: Candyland Gingerbread Mansion

1. Topic Selection
When brainstorming for ideas for this second project, I came up with many ideas that I
really liked. My brother was eating gingersnaps, which brought my mom to joke about our annual
yearly gingerbread house making contest within the family. I then thought about how we use math
in some of our favorite festive activities. I thought about how others had done their dream homes,
while others had baked. Well, why not combine these? I love building gingerbread houses. After all,
I had made one every year since first grade. I chose this project because it is combining the thing I
love with the fascinating world of geometry. This project allows me to take my past knowledge and
now apply geometric concepts and show that geometry is used in almost every activities, even
simple activities like building a gingerbread house. For example, the rook has to be at a good angle
in order to stay. Most of the time, these houses are composed of different regular polygons.
2. Project Descriptions and Goals
In the process of this project, I will furthering my understanding of many geometric
concepts. Parallel lines will be used for the sidewalk and perpendicular lines can be found when two
sidewalks intersect at a 90 degree angle. Special right triangles (30-60-90) and (45-45-90) can be
found as gardens. Surface of the house can be found when trying to figure out how much icing is
going to be needed. Proportions will be incorporated in the process of making gingerbread for the
house to figure how much of each ingredient is needed. Congruency and similarity of kites will be
found as the water fountain, each one opposite sides of the parallel lines, which also brings in the
aspect of translation. Regular polygons will be found as windows, which also includes a set of circles
with a tangent as a flower pot. The roof will be in the shape of a trapezoid. Lastly, a blue print will
bring in the aspect of construction and dilation.
The necessary research is to find the best recipe for building a stable gingerbread house.
This research will be found in my grandmas recipe book that we use. My mom will help me find this
information in the buckets of her cookbooks, other than my mom, there will not be any experts
assisting me.
3. Resources
Resources Needed: Ruler, compass, protractor, pencil(s), several erasers, a medium sized
posterboard for blueprint, gingerbread, icing, candy, candy, and more candy, baking
materials such as mixer, spatula, pan, knife to cut into shapes, and finally a mixing bowl.
Facilities- My house and kitchen
4. What will your project end result be?
My finishing project will be an edible mansion and landscape all candyland themed. This
project will have incorporated most geometry terms. My final project will include a fully
constructed blueprint and an edible house made of gingerbread, that I made myself.

Katie Cotter
Geometry GT Period 6

5. Preliminary Action Plan

5/16- Turn in rubric
5/17- Start on blueprint
5/20- Finish blueprint
5/20- Start making gingerbread
5/21- Make gingerbread house
6. How much time (in hours) do you estimate you will spend on this project? Break it down into:
-30 minutes for researching recipe
- 2 hours for journals
- 4 hours on blueprint
- 6 hours on making gingerbread house
TOTAL= 12 hours
7. Estimated expenses
Materials Needed:
Gingerbread recipe materials- $20
A platform to build the house and landscape on- $5
+ Icing materials and candy used to decorate- $15
=$40 total

Katie Cotter
Geometry GT Period 6

Rubric
Blue print
-5 regular polygons (1 pt. each)
-Constructed fully
-Perpendicular lines are 90 degrees
-Parallel lines are PARALLEL!
-2 specials right triangles are represented (correctly)
-Front, top, and side view are present

/40 pts
/5 pts
/15 pts
/5 pts
/5 pts
/5 pts
/5 pts

Dilation.....
-Building is dilated is correctly
-Sidewalk
-Gardens (right triangles)
-Fountain (kites)

/ 8 pts
/2 pts
/2 pts
/2 pts
/2 pts

Gingerbread House Making.

-Proportions using ingrediants

/2 pts
/2 pts

Gingerbread House ..
-Surface area of house is found
-4 spheres are found
-2 similar polygons
-2 congruent polygons
-2 tangents
-Volume of house is found
-2 word problems on trigonometry are made

/40 pts
/5 pts
/4 pts
/6 pts
/6 pts
/4 pts
/5 pts
/5 pts

Overall appearance
-Neatness!
-Creative use of candy
-Name and class period is on project

Extra credit

/5 pts
TOTAL

/100 pts

/10 pts
/5 pts
/3 pts
/2 pts