Math Activities: "Measure Yourself!"

Here is a simple math activity provided by LHS kids.  It combines practice with measuring, technology, and animal facts!


Students need to use a ruler or meter stick to measure parts of their body (ear, foot and entire height) in centimeters.  Next, they enter their measurements into the website.  The website compares their measurements to that of some animals.  You can use that information to ask them math problems about their data (How many centimeters smaller are your feet than an elephant's?  How much taller than a bobcat are you?).


Also, the final step on the site features some other cool, printable math activities:

• Print out a nanometer ruler and measure tiny material, recording their data on the provided chart.
• Get out your stopwatches and have students record how many times they blink, breathe and do other things in one minute.
• Students can measure the classroom with their own feet.  As a partner activity, this could be a good math center.  You can also make a trace of your own foot and have them compare their measurements with your foot, and go home and measure their bedroom with their feet.
• Students can practice measuring and estimation with this activity as they examine a baby elephant's footprint.  They will need string and some coins to record their data

Great resources!  Have fun measuring!

image:  microsoft