The Surajkund Fair – Class 3 Maths Chapter 14 Notes & NCERT PDF

Class 3MathematicsChapter 14NCERT book: Maths Mela - Class 3

Notes and a simple summary of Chapter 14 of the NCERT Class 3 Mathematics book, with the official chapter PDF, flashcards, an MCQ quiz and an AI tutor for your doubts.

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Chapter 14: The Surajkund Fair

Introduction

The Surajkund Fair takes children to a famous fair in Surajkund, in the Faridabad district of Haryana, with Soni, Avi and their grandparents. Through malas, rangolis, masks, tiles and a map of the fair, the chapter explores symmetry, tiling (fitting shapes with no gaps or overlaps) and reading maps and directions.

What's in this Chapter

The fair picture: spotting things that look the same from the left and the right, and patterns in the tiles and shapes.

Make Malas: at a bead stall, children make malas with 8 beads, 4 of one colour and 4 of another. Soni says, "The two halves of my mala are exactly the same. My mala is symmetrical." Children tick symmetrical malas and then make symmetrical malas with 6 beads of one colour and 2 of another.

Rangolis all around: at the Tamil Nadu stall, Amma makes a kolam. Children check which rangolis are symmetrical by drawing a line or folding tracing paper so one half lies exactly on the other. They complete half-drawn rangolis, including Pookalam from Kerala and Aipan from Uttarakhand, using dot grids.

Make Masks: fold paper, draw half a cat face, cut and open it. Soni's mask is symmetrical and she can see clearly; Avi's is not, and he can see with only one eye.

Tit for Tat: a painter paints only half of Soni's face, saying "put a mirror to get the complete picture" and asks for Rs 200. Soni pays half the money and says the same thing! Children find things the painter cannot trick her with: things that are not symmetrical.

The Mirror Game: Avi places counters so they are the mirror image of Soni's side; a mirror on the line checks it. Other puzzles: odd one out, filling 4 red and 3 blue boxes as mirror images, and making Micy's side match Catty's by moving three balls.

Tiling the paths: Dada ji's foot gets stuck in a gap between tiles. Children fill shapes with rangometry shapes with no gaps and no overlaps, then design their own tiles to make paths.

Giant Wheel: following clues ("near a kulfi cart", "second stall from there") to find a stall.

Search for Dada and Dadi: reading the fair map with symbols for exit, parking, ATM, restaurant, pond, play area and chaupal; following directions like "Turn right on the green lane" to reach the chaupal; and solving a maze to exit the fair.

Key Ideas

A shape or object is symmetrical when a line divides it into two halves that match exactly when folded.

A mirror image is the same as the original but flipped across a line.

Tiling covers a surface with shapes leaving no gaps and no overlaps.

Maps use pictures and symbols; directions use words like left, right, forward and near.

Activities from the Book

Make symmetrical malas with beads of two colours.

Complete rangolis and draw your own on dot grids.

Make a symmetrical cat mask.

Play the mirror game and create tile paths.

Follow a route on the fair map and solve the maze.

Words to Learn

Symmetrical (सममित) - two halves exactly the same

Mirror image (दर्पण प्रतिबिंब)

Fold (मोड़ना)

Rangoli / kolam (रंगोली / कोलम)

Tile (टाइल)

Gap (खाली जगह) and overlap (एक के ऊपर एक)

Map (नक्शा)

Left / right (बाएँ / दाएँ)

Fair (मेला)

Tips for Parents & Teachers

Hunt for symmetrical things at home: leaves, butterflies, windows, rangolis.

Fold paper and cut shapes to see symmetry appear.

Give directions to a hidden object: "Take 2 steps to your right, one step forward."

Common Mistakes

Thinking any object with two parts is symmetrical; the halves must match exactly when folded.

Placing mirror-image counters in the same position instead of flipped across the line.

Leaving gaps or overlapping shapes while tiling.

Confusing left and right when reading a map facing a different direction.

💡 Key Learning Points

✓An object is symmetrical when a line divides it into two exactly matching halves.
✓Symmetry can be checked by folding or by placing a mirror on the line.
✓Mirror images are flipped copies across a line, as in the mirror game.
✓Tiling means covering a surface with shapes with no gaps and no overlaps.
✓Maps use symbols and pictures; directions use words like left, right and near.

👨‍🏫 Teaching Tips

→Talk about local melas children have visited before starting the chapter, as the teacher's note suggests.
→Give each child 8 beads of two colours from a ginladi to make and record malas.
→Use tracing paper and folding to test whether rangolis are symmetrical.
→Ask children to collect rangoli patterns from different states and display them.
→Discuss why Avi could see with only one eye through his mask.
→Let children create tessellations with rangometry shapes and display their work.
→Play direction games in the playground using left, right, forward and back.

📋 Assessment Questions

Can the child tell whether a mala, rangoli or mask is symmetrical and explain why?
Can the child draw the missing half of a symmetrical rangoli?
Can the child place counters as a mirror image across a line?
Can the child fill a shape with tiles without gaps or overlaps?
Can the child follow and give directions on the fair map?

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