How Tall Am I?

Do you have a spot in your house where kids have been measured and their heights recorded for years?  Maybe it is on a special piece of paper, behind a door or on a wall.  Kids love to see how much they have grown and will measure everything in sight when given the opportunity.  Formal and informal measurement are part of every math curriculum.  Informally measuring with arm span, hand span, markers, crayons, paperclips, these are all ways to get kids measuring and thinking about why we have universal units of measurement.

I have worked in classes where first graders measure each other using blocks, string and post-its.  Teachers provide them materials to measure with that they do not normally associate with measurement.  Throughout the year they update and see how much they have grown.  Maybe it is only half a post-it or maybe it is two Lego's.  The learning that takes place through the exploration is beneficial to build their background knowledge.      

The video below shows students using non standard units of measurement to measure themselves.  The teacher asks some great clarifying questions about units of measurement and what they estimated before they began measuring.  I think the video shows the enthusiasm young kids have when they get to explore with math concepts.  Math can be fun and exciting when given the chance to try new ways to measure.