Length and Distance
How Big is the Room?
This activity begins with an open group challenge to find out how big the room is. This naturally leads into learning about measurement equivalences and averaging. There is enough material in the...
How Long is a Line?
This activity is designed to develop children’s skills in estimating and measuring short distances less than 30cm, while consolidating the vocabulary of horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines. It...
The Great 2D Shape Investigation
An umbrella investigation stimulating a wide variety of explorations into 2-D shapes. Depending on the lines of enquiry that develop, you can then use material from related investigations such...
How Big are Cuboids?
This is an open-ended extended exploration designed to be used over multiple weeks. Each section builds on the learning from the previous one but is does not need all to be completed at once. It...
Estimation Games
Use these lively interactive games and practical activities to help build up skills in estimating and measuring lengths, capacities and weights. Can be adapted to suit children of a wide range of...
Pythagoras Puzzle
Have fun making this simple puzzle which very beautifully illustrates Pythagoras’ Theorem that the sum of the squares on two sides of a right-angled triangle = the square on the third side. Make...
How Tall is that Building?
An outdoor team challenge to estimate the height of a building, either by counting bricks, using shadows or using similar triangles. Covers skills in estimating, measuring, minimising errors and...
Perimeter and Areas of Triangles and Quadrilaterals
You may be able to calculate the perimeters and areas of a rectangle and a triangle, but can you explain why the formulas work? Build on this to explore other quadrilaterals: rhombus, kite,...
How Much Snow Would Fill the Classroom?
Estimate distances, work with volume of cuboids, convert metric volumes - cm3 - litre - m3, measure with metre sticks, minimise sources of error, average using the median, draw diagrams, round...
How Far is it Round the World?
Create a table relating distances on a globe to distances in real life and then use this to calculate distances between places around the world. Covers concepts in measurement, averaging to minimise...
Shadow Clocks
Investigate how the length and direction of a shadow change during the course of a day. Learn about compass directions, symmetry, practical measurement using a metre stick, time (am/pm) and use of a...
How Big is the Room?
How do you introduce decimals to young children? This practical investigation works a treat, and also gives you the opportunity to discuss accuracy in measuring, averages and perimeter!
