Measuring length activities

[Guest]

Hi all,

 

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend and are not too overwhelmed with Nativity fever. I have our performance songs going round and round in my head and have embraced it full force. After all it is December in 6 days Just wondering if anyone had any inspirational ideas for measuring length both for indoor and out. I'd appreciate any ideas, looking for new approaches and exciting ways.

 

Thank you

[Guest]

wrapping presents measuring out paper for boxes of different sizes. could put under tree when you put it up? x

[Guest]

Not sure what age you're working with, but in nursery in the past children have been introduced to (and enjoyed) measuring by using their feet (and hands). Works especially well outside. Firstly showing and supporting children to use 'pidgeon steps' to measure large items (smaller ones with hands). Also created cut outs of their feet (and hands), which they made marks/drew on. We then laminated them so they could use them to measure whenever they wanted to.

[SueFinanceManager]

We used various things to measure....rulers and tapes, feet and hands as above but in additional to the physical we got them to stand on paper and we drew round them and cut them out so they could use them up walls etc, we measured in compare bears and duplo blocks, cars etc....well whatever the child in question was interested in

 

We made simple charts graphs so when things were measured we could record them to give a visual reference

 

We used balls of string and cut them to length then hung them up on the wall with labels on them so we knew what string had measured what

 

Used the Titch story about the sunflower can;t think of the author sorry

 

We built a ramp outside (nothing fancy just a board on some logs or some such item) and then chalked measured lines/distances at the bottom of the ramp and then rolled things down and recorded what went the furthest....cars, balls, tubes and of course we tried things that wouldn't roll down thus adding another point of conversation...why don't square things roll???

 

If you have plenty of snails in your outdoor space then try snail races

[finleysmaid]

two things come to mind after reading Sue's post...we have measured the girth of trees using string and compared (lots of conversations about which one did we think was the widest etc....can we stretch our hands round it...) and rolling cars down tubes onto the grass how far will they go ..who's goes the furthest etc ...then we added things with less resistance at the end(paper etc) to see how much further they went.

[meridian]

our children have explored the lengths, patterns etc. of different socks, scarves and ribbons, works great on washing line/pegs, has gone down well, also lengths of runner beans (when in season), the children were fascinated that a long bean when opened often had the same number of beans inside as a short bean.