Measure Things Without a Ruler
The Fish challenges Nick and Sally to a game of Measure-a-rama in which they use an assortment of objects to measure the distance from a wagon to a tree.
Try this game at home! Explore the fun of measuring with your child by using non-standard measuring tools to compare lengths and sizes of different objects.
Materials
Directions
Talk to your child about the tools you use to measure weight, length and height. For example, show them a ruler or a tape measure and demonstrate how they work. Remind them of how the doctor measures their height during a check-up. Ask your child if they can think of different ways to measure length and height.
Using some of the household objects you gathered for this activity, encourage your child to measure different objects around your house. For example: How many squares of toilet paper tall is a chair? Or how many spoons long is a table?
Use different measuring tools to measure the same items in your house. For example: Find out how many spoons long the table is, and then measure it again in squares of toilet paper.
Record the items and their different measurements on the observation chart. Ask your child, “How do the tools you used to measure change the “how many long” something is?”
Find another object in your house to measure with the same unusual measurement tools. Continue to help your child record observations. Ask your child, “Do you think it’s important to know what something was measured with in order to compare sizes?”
Explore Further
Play the Bridge-o-rama game and then create your own real-life version. With blocks, books, or other household objects, make a path that has different sized gaps along the way. Invite your child to choose a small toy to travel on your path. When it arrives at a gap, ask your child to use a creative measuring tool to find something in the house that matches the size of the gap and can be used as a bridge. Suggestions include a ruler, a plate, a shoe, or a paper towel roll. Make sure the “bridge” is the right length, then move on to the next gap.
Keep the fun going with the Measuring This and That activity.
Want more “The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That” activities? Check out the Make a Periscope With Milk Cartons craft and the Senses Spinner Game activity to continue the fun!
Author: 
Math