Measurement
Just by comparing items around the home, your child can begin to understand some basic principles of measurement:
• Sometimes, we can estimate an amount. We don’t always need an exact measure.
• The same object can be measured in different ways.
• A measuring tool needs to be used the same way each time.
Comparing Things Around the Home
• Ask your child to estimate how many of a grocery item (for example, a type of fruit or vegetable, bread or pet food) your family will need for the week. Ask, "Why do you think that amount will be needed?" At the end of the week, have your child count the number actually used.
• Gather containers, boxes and packages from the cupboard. Ask your child to put them in some type of order (for example, taller and shorter, holds more and holds less, empty and full, heavier and lighter).
• Gather empty containers of all sizes and a coffee scoop, a plastic cup or the scoop from a box of laundry soap. Have your child use sand in a sandbox or water in the sink to measure and compare the capacity of several containers. Have your child count and compare the number of scoops or cups it takes to fill each container. Ask, "Which container held the most? Which one held the least?"
How Long Does It Take?
• Longer and shorter
• Faster and slower
• First and last
• Before and after
• Use cues to let your child know the passage of time (for example, "It took us only two minutes to tidy up your toys"). Tell your child the time in the context of daily activities (for example, "It will be 7 p.m. in ten minutes and time for your bath").
• With your child, use a clock to know how much time it takes to get to school, eat meals, get ready for bed or play a game.
• Involve your child in learning to organize personal and family events on a calendar. Have your child write on the calendar some favourite "away from home" activities (such as playing a sport, going to the library or visiting a friend) and what time the activity will take place (for example, soccer 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.).
Weather and More Weather
• Put an outdoor thermometer outside a window for you and your child to view together. With your child, record the temperature over a day, a week or a few weeks. Ask your child to look at the recordings and find which temperature was the warmest and which was the coldest. Ask your child how the temperature affected his or her activities. Have your child compare the temperature from your outdoor thermometer with the temperature reported on the news. Discuss any differences and the possible reasons why.
TIP!
Friendly numbers are numbers that are easy to work with mentally,and children can use them to estimate an answer. What friendly numbers are helping your child to track the total when rounding to the nearest dime? Quarter? Dollar?
• When you are shopping, have your child keep a running total of how much you are spending by using prices that he or she rounds up or rounds down. For a challenge, set a limit on the amount of money you will spend.
• Give your child an imaginary budget to spend at his or her favourite store (flyers or online catalogues may be helpful). Without writing down the amounts, have your child choose items to purchase. He or she will have to use estimation to stay within the budget. Then, have your child add up the actual costs. Did she or he stay within the budget? For a challenge, help your child estimate any taxes.
Ontario Ministry of Education
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/parentguidenum2012.pdf
