MAKE A YARDSTICK (MEASURING TAPE)
Print this craft in actual size (100%) to make it an accurate measuring tool. This activity is a fun one! Your students will love measuring everything in the room! You can even make a list of things they can measure: Your friend’s height, a desk, a shelf, a book, your shoe, the whiteboard, a pencil…
MEASUREMENT FUN FACTS
- The measuring tape is a useful tool. It can measure flat surfaces, but because it is flexible, it can also measure around things.
- The ancient Egyptians used their arms and hands to measure things. The units of measurement were cubit, palm, and finger. A Cubit is the distance from the tip of your longest finger to your elbow. A Palm is the width of your four fingers. A Finger is the width of one finger.
- Measurement numbers have to be followed by the unit of measurement to give them meaning. (4 inches, 4 yards, 4 meters, 4 miles.)
- By the mid 1970s, most countries had converted to the metric system. The metric system was created by scientists. It was designed to simplify calculating measurement. It uses ten as its base number.
- The United Stated, Liberia, and Myanmar are the countries that don’t use the metric system.
- You can measure length, weight (mass), time, temperature, electric current, and amount.
- 12 inches is called a foot because the average length of a human man’s foot is about 12 inches.
- A yard is 3 feet – 36 inches.