We spent time last week exploring the concept of linear measurement. The kids began by measuring things around the room using their hands and fingers. After a discussion about the necessity of a common scale of measurement they went back out equipped with rulers. Each measurement began with an estimation of how big they thought each item would be. To help in creating fairly accurate estimates the kids used referents for various units of measurement: the width of two fingers is about an inch and the distance from their elbow to the end of their little finger is about a foot. They also found out the tiles on our floor are each one foot long and one foot wide. This really helped to measure distances on the floor.
Measurement is always a really fun, hands-on mathematical concept to explore. I suggest you look for ways to help your child do some measuring at home as well. Some ideas to get you started are:
Measuring room sizes with a tape measure
Tracking how tall they are on a chart or door frame
Let them help in the kitchen and measure some ingredients
Counting money together/Making change
Telling time and figuring out how much longer until...
Doing these type of things at home goes a long way in helping them to not only see how math is used each and every day but helps them to gain much needed experience with tools of measurement. No amount of work at school could ever take the place of the real work that happens at home.
Happy measuring!
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