Preschool Construction: Measuring Up

We've been working on a construction unit lately. This is always a hit with the kids and one I enjoy, as well. We always put out construction tools, talk about safety (helmets and goggles), and lots of building materials, but this time I really wanted to put an emphasis on the importance of measuring.

One of the first things we did to embark on this endeavor was discussing blueprints and the use of drawing lines. I put out several rulers, paper, and pencils just to see what they would do with them. We discussed holding the ruler in place to make the lines. 

Some children drew houses and buildings, while others simply worked on drawing lines.

We then had Mr. Tyler, a former preschool parent and builder pay us a visit. He shared lots of his tools, but did a huge emphasis on the importance of measuring and showed some of the tools he uses to do so.

I think they could have listened to him all day.

We then set up a provocation for measuring. I placed rulers and measuring tapes on the table with some everyday items for them to explore.

Lots of exploring began to take place. After a bit we began discussing how to place the metal part at the beginning, as that was the 0 mark and then measuring. 

It was really neat hearing the kids counting to determine how many inches each item measured.

 

Then we took the measuring tapes outside and there was measuring going on all over the place.

We even got our kid tape measure in on the action.

We even began a discussion about diameter. We began with measuring the diameter of each friend's head while we were inside, then they began measuring diameter on items outside. 

I love it when I see a simple idea grown and expand with endless possibilities. I can say with certainty that this activity "measured up" to and beyond my expectations.