Having measured each other we recorded our data in centimeters, and then applied our place value knowledge to convert this into centimeters and meters, and then just meters – this was a little confusing at first because we were using decimal numbers, but we soon realised that the digits stayed the same which really helped us! We also investigated the size of our feet and realised, that for most of us, our feet are actually different sizes! Having measured our feet in centimeters and millimeters to be really precise, we then converted these measurements into only millimeters and then only centimeters. This gave us an opportunity to work with decimal numbers.
We learnt to read different scales when measuring the capacity of containers – just because one measuring cylinder was marked in 10s did not mean they all were! This meant we had to look carefully at each scale before recording our measurements.
At the end of the week we explored mass – we had to use weighing scales to measure out various objects and converted their weight into grams and kilograms. We had lots of fun trying to find different ways to make 1kg!
After the half term holiday we will go on to explore another very exciting measure – money!!!
Practical experiences are so important for our children. They make learning come to life. Over the next week’s holiday, you could try take a look at telling the time, weighing ingredients to make a cake, looking at bus or tram timetables, estimating how much water would fill the bath…?