Living Math: Non-Standard Measurement

Young children begin with non-standard measurement (not using a ruler). Our first lesson on non-standard measurement came about when Big and Little Snail were making paper chains for their Christmas Tree. What began as a competition to see who could make the longest chain, Big Snail said, "This chain is as long as I am!" And so our new exploration began. Little Snail measured herself with her chain and independantly counted up to 11 chain links (we helped her count the rest to 14). Big Snail then estimated that he would be 32 links long because he was taller than his sister. He was surprised that he was also 14 links long but could not explain why (the links were not all the same size). After we meausured things around the house with our chains, we watched a music video from Sid the Science Kid on PBS about non-standard measurement. If you visit the link, you have to find the video, called "A Pirate's Tale" or "Measurement Song," by clicking on the television on the top of the page. I can't wait to see what we measure with next!

Little Snail can dress herself!